The starters for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game have been announced and the Lakers will be represented by, surprise surprise, LeBron James.
For James, this is All-Star appearance No. 20, giving him sole possession of the most All-Star appearances in the NBA’s history. Add that to his long list of accomplishments — which also includes the most points in All-Star game history as well — that will be extremely difficult to surpass.
Fan vote accounted for 50% of the voting for the All-Star starters while media and coaches accounted for 25% each.
He’s not receiving the All-Star starter nod just because he is popular, although it does help. James is still a dominant player, averaging 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game.
As the leading vote-getter in the West, James will also be captain, but the NBA is returning to the original East vs. West format, so the captain is just an honorary role with no actual task to do. So, there is no picking from a roster of players for LeGM like last year.
There will also be a return of a traditional scoring system. The game will be just four 12-minute quarters with a winner named at the end, compared to last season when the fourth quarter was untimed and the first team to meet or exceed a “target score”—the score of the leading team in total scoring after three quarters plus 24 points was needed to be named the victor.
While Anthony Davis was the fourth highest in fan voting for the frontcourt, he didn’t receive the starter nod this year. He’s still likely to appear as a reserve and is arguably having his best regular season as a Laker, averaging 25.0 points and 12.2 rebounds per game for the purple and gold.
You can watch James represent the Lakers and Western Conference in the All-Star game on Sunday, Feb. 18 in Indianapolis.