Steve Kerr Says NBA Should Televise All-Star Draft

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Saturday the 2018 NBA All-Star Game draft, featuring captains LeBron James and Stephen Curry, should be televised.

Kerith Burke‏ of NBC Sports Bay Area passed along the idea from Kerr, who added there would be "no shame" in being the last player picked, given the level of talent involved.

The NBA announced rules for the process, which will take place after the reserves are selected Tuesday. James will hold the first pick as part of the serpentine draft, and the other eight starters must be selected as part of the first round. Then all the reserves will be selected in the second round.

Final rosters are scheduled to be revealed Thursday on TNT at 7 p.m. ET.

The NHL used a similar format for its All-Star Game for a couple years before switching to a divisional three-on-three format, starting in 2016.

Having a televised draft showcased the decisions were often made based on team loyalty and friendships more than pure talent, and it drew rave reviews from players.

"It was actually a lot more of fun than I expected," Los Angeles Kings star Drew Doughty said in 2015. "We had a lot of fun with the guys that I was drafting and the guys on the other team. I enjoyed it."

James said he's going to take the draft seriously, though.

"I'm trying to win. This is the reason they did this format, to make it very competitive," the Cleveland Cavaliers cornerstone told reporters. "The All-Star Game hasn't been what it should be the last few years. I'm going to take it upon myself and obviously the rest of the guys to go out there and play the game the right way and compete. Our fans deserve it."

Fans won't get a chance to see that intensity during the draft, barring a late change of plans by the league to adopt Kerr's suggestion.