Who made All-Star Team Giannis?
By Luke Norris
Who did Giannis Antetokounmpo select during the 2019 NBA All-Star Game Draft?
The 2019 edition of the NBA All-Star Game will take place in Charlotte on Sunday, Feb, 17 and the rosters are finally set following Thursday’s draft with captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
LeBron James chose Kevin Durant with the first overall selection and Giannis wasted little time in choosing Durant’s teammate, three-time NBA champion and six-time NBA All-Star Stephen Curry with his first pick from the pool of starters. Antetokounmpo chose size with his next pick, selecting Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who will be making his second appearance in the All-Star Game. Giannis rounded out his starting five with Oklahoma City’s Paul George and Charlotte’s own Kemba Walker, who will get a chance to shine in front of his hometown fans.
Antetokounmpo had the first pick in the pool of reserves and showed great loyalty by choosing his Bucks teammate, first-time All-Star Khris Middleton, and followed it up by selecting Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who will also be making his inaugural All-Star appearance and is having a monster year in Denver, averaging 20.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 7.7 assists. Also joining Team Giannis from the reserve pool are Blake Griffin, D’Angelo Russell, Nikola Vucevic, Kyle Lowry and Russell Westbrook, who was originally chosen by LeBron but was traded for Ben Simmons after the draft had concluded. Yes, an All-Star Game trade actually happened on the day of the official NBA Trade Deadline.
The final player for Team Giannis will be Dirk Nowitzki, who along with Dwyane Wade was chosen by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to be included in the All-Star Game festivities due to their amazing contributions to the game over the years. This will be Dirk’s 14th All-Star Game appearance, joining Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Jerry West in a tie for fourth on the all-time list.
Here’s a full look at the roster for Team Giannis.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
- Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets
- Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
- Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
- Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons
- D’Angelo Russell, Brooklyn Nets
- Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
- Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
- Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Next. NBA Trade Deadline: GIF grades for every deal. dark
What are your thoughts on the 2019 NBA All-Star Game rosters? Did Giannis Antetokounmpo make the right moves? Please feel free to join in the conversation in the comments section below.