NBA All-Star Game 2018 Rosters: Starters, Snubs and Predictions for Reserves

The starters for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game have been announced.

After months of outstanding player performances, impressive numbers and unbelievable clutch shots, the two team captains and starters were revealed Thursday night during TNT NBA Tip-Off with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley.

As expected, top vote-getters LeBron James (2,638,294) and Stephen Curry (2,379,494) were named the Eastern and Western Conference captains, respectively.

This means James and Curry will select the other four starters for their team from the pool of names revealed Thursday, regardless of conference affiliation.

From the East, Giannis Antetokounmpo (2,530,211), Joel Embiid (1,285,587), Kyrie Irving (2,170,833) and DeMar DeRozan (998,999) made the cut. Joining Curry from the West are Kevin Durant (2,238,406), James Harden (1,486,830), Anthony Davis (1,088,230) and DeMarcus Cousins (922,269).

Since James can pick anyone from the list, he could choose Durant for his team, for example.

"Mixing up the teams, I think should be fun," DeRozan said on the TNT broadcast. "I'm looking forward to it."

Just like last year, NBA players and 99 members of the basketball media joined fans in voting to select the starters. Fan votes accounted for 50 percent, while player votes and media votes each represented 25 percent.

Had the vote been up to just the fans, none of the names would have changed for the East; in the West, according to just the fan vote, Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green (1,135,478) would have been the starter over Cousins, and San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili (1,808,860) would have gotten in over Harden.

The deciding factor for Cousins and Harden was the player and media votes. The players favored Durant (204), Davis (150), Cousins (114), Curry (146) and Harden (141), while the media went with Durant (98), Davis (73), LaMarcus Aldridge (40), Harden (94) and Curry (83).

For the East, the players favored Antetokounmpo (226), James (220), Kristaps Porzingis (100), Irving (181), DeRozan (105), while the media went with James (99), Antetokounmpo (99), Embiid (66), Irving (96) DeRozan (89).

Bill Baptist/Getty Images

Not surprisingly, as soon as the starters were announced, players that many feel should have made the list began floating around social media.

The TNT panel felt the biggest starter snubs were Green, Aldridge and reigning league MVP Russell Westbrook.

Among the top names for the reserves from the East are Porzingis, the Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal and John Wall, Al Horford of the Boston Celtics, Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers, Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons and Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets. 

The reserves from the West include Westbrook, Aldridge, Golden State's Green and Klay Thompson, the Minnesota Timberwolves' Jimmy Butler and Karl Anthony Towns, and Lou Williams of the Los Angeles Clippers.

The 14 reserves, who will be selected by NBA head coaches, will be announced on Tuesday during TNT NBA Tip-Off at 7 p.m. ET. 

And while the actual draft won't be televised, the final team rosters will be broadcast on Thursday during a special one-hour edition of TNT NBA Tip-Off at 7 p.m. ET.

Since the league's 67th annual midseason classic at the Staples Center in Los Angeles will mark the first time that there won't be a matchup between the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, the jerseys won't read "East" and "West." But at press time, no information on what the jerseys will read has been released.

Bill Baptist/Getty Images

As for selecting head coaches, the process remains unchanged. Like previous games, the Eastern Conference and Western Conference coach that clinches the best record in their conference two weeks before the game will earn a spot on the bench.

The Boston Celtics' Brad Stevens and Golden State's Steve Kerr are both ineligible because they coached the game last season. Although the players will disregard conference affiliation, the coaches will align with the respective captain from each conference.

The 2018 All-Star Game, which will be played at the Staples Center on Feb. 18 (8 p.m. ET), will be televised on TNT for the 16th consecutive year.

2018 NBA All-Star Starters

Eastern Conference

Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images

Frontcourt

1. LeBron James (CLE), 2,638,294

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL), 2,530,211

3. Joel Embiid (PHI), 1,285,587

Guards

1. Kyrie Irving (BOS), 2,170,833

2. DeMar DeRozan (TOR), 998,999

Western Conference

Juan Ocampo/Getty Images

Frontcourt

1. Kevin Durant (GS), 2,238,406

2. Anthony Davis (NO), 1,088,230

3. DeMarcus Cousins (NO), 922,269

Guards

1. Stephen Curry (GS), 2,379,494

2. James Harden (HOU), 1,486,830

Voting figures per NBA.com