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NBA All-Star Game 2020: Full Team LeBron vs. Team Giannis Rosters, Predictions
February 8, 2020
The NBA All-Star Game may no longer have an Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format, but that won't be completely evident when the 2020 edition of the game tips off.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo are both serving as All-Star captains for the second consecutive year. And when the two stars drafted their respective teams in a playground-style format Thursday night, they didn't veer from their conferences at first.
James drafted all the available starters from the Western Conference, including Lakers teammate Anthony Davis, while Antetokounmpo drafted all the starters from the Eastern Conference. So it will be East vs. West when the starters take the floor to begin this year's All-Star Game.
That won't be the case for the whole game, however, as James and Antetokounmpo chose to draft reserves from both conferences to fill out their rosters.
Here's a look at the important information for this year's All-Star Game, including full rosters for both teams and predictions for what may happen.
2020 NBA All-Star Game
When: Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: United Center in Chicago
TV and Live Stream: TNT and TNTDrama.com
Rosters
Team LeBron
Starters
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
Reserves
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Chris Paul, Oklahoma City Thunder
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets
Team Giannis
Starters
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Reserves
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
Predictions
Doncic Makes a Splash in 1st All-Star Game—if Healthy
In only his second NBA season, Doncic has emerged as one of the league's best players. Now, playing in the All-Star Game for the first time, the Mavericks guard has an opportunity to further impress.
Doncic will have a lot of talented players on the court with him, especially to start the game. But the other four starters on Team LeBron have been on this stage before. So, Doncic will look to prove that he can hang with the NBA's top stars.
That shouldn't be a problem, as Doncic has averaged 28.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.7 assists in 43 games, showcasing his all-around talent and consistently being a threat to post a triple-double.
The only way Doncic doesn't make an All-Star splash? If his sprained right ankle keeps him off the court. He has missed Dallas' last five games, but he could return before the All-Star break, according to Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News.
Los Angeles Trio Asserts Dominance Together
With his first two picks in the All-Star Draft, LeBron James selected the other two players from Los Angeles teams who are also All-Stars—the Lakers' Anthony Davis and the Clippers' Kawhi Leonard.
Typically rivals, James and Davis will team up with Leonard to try to secure an All-Star Game victory. However, it won't be the first time these three stars are on the same team.
In last year's All-Star Game, James drafted Davis (then on the Pelicans) and Leonard (then on the Raptors) for his team. The trio then combined for 43 points to help power Team LeBron to a 178-164 victory over Team Giannis.
Davis wasn't a starter last year, though, and he only played five minutes. This time, we're guaranteed to see James, Davis and Leonard all on the court together when the game tips off. And it should be exciting to watch these three talented players work as a unit, moving the ball around and setting each other up for dunks.
LeBron Claims 4th All-Star MVP in Winning Effort
Only two players have won four All-Star Game MVP Awards in NBA history: Bob Pettit and Kobe Bryant. James, who last won the honor in 2018, has a chance to become the third player to achieve that feat, and he'll accomplish it this year.
At this year's All-Star Game, the NBA is honoring Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 along with his daughter, Gianna. According to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, Team Giannis players will be wearing No. 24, which Bryant wore in the second half of his career. Team LeBron players will wear No. 2, which was Gianna's number on her youth team.
It would be appropriate for James to match Bryant's All-Star MVP total in this year's game. James has the ability to perform well in All-Star Games, as history has shown, and this could be some extra motivation for him to have a big night.
Expect James' team to win for the second straight year as the 16-time All-Star has a night to remember.