NBA All-Star Weekend 2023 concludes on Sunday with the league's 72nd All-Star Game. This year's All-Star festivities, which got underway on Friday, are being held in Salt Lake City for the first time since 1993. Mac McClung stole the show on Saturday night by winning the Dunk Contest with a run of perfect scores, but the biggest stars headline Sunday night's game.
Once again we'll see the playground-style draft format, where the two team captains will pick their squads. LeBron James is the captain for the Western Conference for the sixth-straight year, while Giannis Antetokounmpo will captain the Eastern Conference. James and Antetokounmpo earned that honor after receiving the most fan votes in their respective conferences.
Unlike previous years, where the two captains would pick their squads well before the actual game, the league is introducing a new twist to the team selections. For the first time ever, both captains will draft their teams ahead of the All-Star Game, in true playground fashion. LeBron and Giannis will first select from the reserves pool, followed by choosing from the guys who were named All-Star starters.
Ahead of the big night, here's everything you need to know:
2023 NBA All-Star Game
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 19 | Time: 8:00 p.m. ET (Draft starts at 7:30 p.m. ET)
- Location: Vivint Arena -- Salt Lake City, Utah
- TV channel: TNT | Live stream: TNT app
- Odds: Team LeBron -2.5 | Over/Under: 323.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
The player pool is below, but we will not know the exact teams until Sunday night's draft.
Western Conference All-Stars
Starters
- LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers (captain)
- Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (injured, not playing)
- Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
- Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans (injured, not playing)
Reserves
- Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz (starting in place of Zion Williamson)
- Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies (starting in place of Stephen Curry)
- Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (injury replacement for Zion Williamson)
- De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings (injury replacement for Stephen Curry)
- Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
- Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
- Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
Eastern Conference All-Stars
Starters
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (captain)
- Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns (injured, not playing)
- Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
- Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Reserves
- Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers (starting in place Kevin Durant)
- Sam Adebayo, Miami Heat
- Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
- DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
- Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
- Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks
- Julius Randle, New York Knicks
- Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors (injury replacement for Kevin Durant)
Format
The league has done away with the typical Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format in favor of a playground-style draft where the two top vote getters from each conference pick their teams. This year that was LeBron and Giannis.
But unlike previous years where the two captains would pick their teams far ahead of the actual game, LeBron and Giannis will choose their rosters minutes before Sunday night's contest. The two players will go back and forth choosing players, beginning with reserves and then starters.
But the format of picking teams isn't the only thing that has changed, the game has, too. The first three quarters will still be 12 minutes long, and the team that wins each quarter will be awarded a cash prize to go to charity. James' team will be playing in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, while Antetokounmpo's team will be supporting Raise the Future.
The fourth quarter is where everything changes. Instead of playing to the final buzzer, the teams will use the Elam Ending to play to a target score, which is determined by taking the leading team's point total after three quarters and adding 24 points. For example, if Team LeBron is up 100-90 going into the fourth quarter, the winning score will be 124 points, and the first team to get there will win, regardless of how long it takes.
