Kevin Durant Confirms He Was LeBron James' No. 1 Pick in NBA All-Star Draft
Kevin Durant is the only Golden State Warriors player on LeBron James' team for the 2018 All-Star Game, and he confirmed that is because Stephen Curry never had the chance to pick him.
"What, we gonna keep this a mystery?" Durant said when revealing he was the top pick in the All-Star Game draft, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
According to Rosalyn Gold-Onwude of NBA on TNT, Curry selected Giannis Antetokounmpo with the second pick after James took Durant. Gold-Onwude added more context from Durant's perspective:
James and Curry had the opportunity to select the teams as the top vote-getters in their respective conferences. The teams were unveiled on TNT’s broadcast of NBA Tip-Off.
LeBron James' Team
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans Pelicans
Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics
Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs
Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers
Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks
John Wall, Washington Wizards
Stephen Curry's Team
James Harden, Houston Rockets
DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Al Horford, Boston Celtics
While the All-Star Game is just an exhibition that typically features little defense—until the closing stretch—wide-open shots and rim-rattling dunks, the draft does add a layer of intrigue.
Fans will have the opportunity to see Durant team up with Russell Westbrook—another James selection—again and face the Warriors combination of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in a matchup reminiscent of the old showdowns between Golden State and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Durant and Westbrook aren't the only old teammates pairing up, as James drafted Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving to his side.
That James selected Durant with the No. 1 overall pick is no surprise given that he's a matchup nightmare and scoring machine in a contest that will feature plenty of points. The reigning NBA Finals MVP is a four-time scoring champion thanks to his marksmanship from deep and length at 6'9" that allows him to finish over smaller defenders with ease.
He is averaging 25.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.1 blocks per game this season as a two-way force who can also provide solid defense down the stretch should James' team need it.
Durant will have the opportunity to prove he was worth the No. 1 selection on Feb. 18 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
