NBA All-Star Game 2019: When and Where to Catch Captains, Starters Announcement

The captains and starters for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game will be unveiled Thursday night. 

As of the latest voting update, LeBron James had the most votes of any player, with Giannis Antetokounmpo in second place. 

If James and Antetokoumpo remain on top of the voting in their respective conferences, they would be the captains for the February 17 game in Charlotte. 

Under the new format that was put into place in 2018, the top vote-getter in each conference is named the captain of a team.

Although the starters and captains will be named Thursday, the list of reserves won't be announced until January 31 and the draft itself takes place February 7.

When and Where to Watch Captains, Starters Announcement

Date: Thursday, January 24

Time: 7 p.m. ET 

TV: TNT 

LeBron in Line to Be Named Captain for 2nd Year in a Row

A year ago, James was named one of the two inaugural captains in the new NBA All-Star Game format. 

Barring a significant shift in voting, the Los Angeles Lakers forward will take over that role for the second straight season, but this time as the top player in Western Conference voting. 

James ended up choosing Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Kyrie Irving as his starting group for the 2018 All-Star Game at Staples Center. 

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Based on the way fan voting has played out so far, James might have a different pool of players to choose from in 2019. 

The most intriguing name to watch for James' team is his former Miami Heat teammate Dwayne Wade, who is second among Eastern Conference guards behind Irving. 

However, it is important to note that fan voting only counts for 50 percent of the selection process for the 10 starters, per NBA.com.

Current NBA players and a panel of media members each account for 25 percent of the starter vote, which means there's a chance the voting standings change between now and Thursday. 

Irving and Wade are currently the top two guards in Eastern Conference voting, while Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard and Joel Embiid are the top three forwards. 

Over in Western Conference voting, Stephen Curry, who was a captain in 2018, and Derrick Rose are the top two backcourt players, while James, Luka Doncic and Paul George have the most frontcourt votes. 

Doncic Should Be Hot Commodity in Starter Draft

Of all the players in a position to start, Doncic might be the most intriguing of them all.

The rookie out of Slovenia has taken the NBA by storm and immediately thrust himself into the league's group of elite players. 

Doncic is helped out by the international vote, but he is more than deserving of his spot behind James in Western Conference forward voting. 

Through 45 regular-season games, Doncic is averaging 20 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The well-rounded skill set Doncic possesses should make him one of the hottest commodities in the starter draft. 

If he lands a spot in the group of 10 starters, Doncic would be the third rookie to start an All-Star Game since 2000. 

Yao Ming in 2003 and Blake Griffin, who didn't play until his second season because of injury, in 2011 are the only players classified as rookies to start since the turn of the century, per Colin Ward-Henninger of CBSSports.com.

Breaking through the NBA hierarchy to start in the All-Star Game as a rookie would be a significant achievement for Doncic, who would be the first All-Star selection from the Dallas Mavericks since Dirk Nowitzki in 2015. 

Doncic would be the sixth Dallas player chosen for the All-Star Game since 2000, and he'd join a group that includes Nowitzki, Michael Finley, Josh Howard, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Basketball-Reference.