2023 NBA All-Star Game starters: LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo named

NEW YORK — Five players each from the East and West were named starters for the 2023 All-Star Game, the NBA announced Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:

• LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo were selected as captains for garnering the most votes in their respective conferences. James has been a captain for every All-Star Game since the league switched to the current format six seasons ago, and has never lost.
• Fan voting accounts for 50 percent of the balloting for starters; selected media voters account for 25 percent and players’ ballots count for 25 percent.
• The NBA will announce All-Star reserves (chosen by coaches) on Feb. 2. For the first time, captains will choose sides just minutes before the All-Star Game tips off on Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City.

All-Star Game starters

East starters

West starters

Biggest All-Star starter snubs

Remember, voters were required to select three frontcourt players and two guards from each conference, and there was no switching. For instance, neither Durant nor Tatum could be moved to guard, even though they handle the ball as much or more than the average guard. It meant four deserving forwards/centers for three spots, and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (33.4 ppg, 9.8 rebounds) was easily the biggest (and tallest) snub.

Nor could Dončić be moved to a forward spot, even though he is as big or bigger than many of them at 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds with an average of 9.1 rebounds per game. It led to a logjam of starter-worthy guards between Curry, Ja Morant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA, for instance, has scored the third-most total points in the league and will not be starting.

Other huge snubs include the Kings’ Domantas Sabonis (NBA leader in rebounding), the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton (NBA leader in assists) and the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown (averages north of 27 points and seven boards on the league’s top team). — Vardon

Special moments

This is Mitchell’s first selection as an All-Star starter and comes in the game being held where he spent the first six seasons of his career. Mitchell made three All-Star Games with the Jazz and was traded to Cleveland last summer as part of an organizational rebuild. One of the players Utah acquired in the Mitchell deal — Lauri Markkanen — will almost surely be named as a reserve.

Meanwhile, James, at age 38, was selected to his 19th All-Star Game, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record. However, assuming he’s healthy, when LeBron takes the floor in Salt Lake City he will become the NBA’s all-time leader in All-Star Games played, as Kareem only appeared in 18 games. James will likely have recently passed Kareem as the sport’s all-time leading scorer.

Williamson, 22, is making his second All-Star appearance and will start for the second time, but this would be his first ASG in which he was voted as a starter — if he’s eligible to play. He was previously promoted to the starting lineup in the 2021 game for Embiid, who was in the league’s…