The NBA All-Star Draft was announced yesterday, forming 3 teams out of the 24 selected NBA All-Stars set to play in the NBA All-Star game this February 17 2025 at the Bay Area. Which players have been grouped together and what are the chances of them winning it all?
Team Shaq: USA Basketball Legends
Selected by their General Manager, Shaquille O’Neal of the NBA on TNT. The first team to compete in this NBA All-Star game is filled with legendary players who have represented Team USA in both FIBA and Olympic basketball games.
Team Shaq is composed of: LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, Anthony Davis of the Dallas Mavericks, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks and James Harden of the Los Angeles Clippers.
5 out of the 8 players have won gold in the recent 2024 Paris Olympics. Harden won an Olympic gold in the 2012 London Olympics while Lillard also won a gold in the 2020 Japan Olympics. Jaylen Brown has only been part of the Team USA once which was during the 2019 FIBA World Cup where his squad only reached 7th place.
As fans, we get to see KD, Bron, and Steph become teammates again which will surely be special considering their time as the face of the league is slowly fading. Bron and AD reunited again after the “AD for Luka Doncic Trade”. We also have two 2024 Champions in one group which are the Celtics and entirely, and this team is filled with veterans who at some point in their careers have ruled the entire NBA. It will be an exciting game to watch what kind of masterclass performance these “old heads” have in the All-Star Weekend.
Shaq’s squad has certainly emerged as the team to beat out the three teams competing in this brand new format for the All-Star game.
Team Kenny: Gen Z Superstars
Selected by fellow NBA on TNT broadcaster, Kenny Smith. This team is filled with the current up-and-coming young superstars of the league. Though they have a lot left to prove on why they should be the “next big thing”, they’ve certainly made sure that they can perform at the highest level possible when the lights shine the brightest.
Team Kenny is composed of: Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies, Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunders, Cade Cunnigham of the Detroit Pistons and Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat.
The #1 team from both the East and West which are the Cavs and OKC have their players in this group. Also, among the 3 teams, a lot of fans speculate that this squad “may be” the squad that can be “easily beaten” based on the lack of experience of these players. Nonetheless, these young superstars are showing fans that they can reach the next level of play, and one way to prove that is to beat the other teams this NBA All-Star Weekend.
Team Chuck: International Stardoms
The last team to compete is formed by another NBA on TNT broadcaster, Charles Barkley. His squad is composed of International Stars who have made noise in several parts of the world before showcasing their “world-class talent” in the NBA. These Foreign Players have “guaranteed” that they are a must-see TV in San Francisco, California.
Team Chuck is composed of: Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Pascal Siakam of the Indiana Pacers, Alperen Sengun of the Houston Rockets, Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks and Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the exception of Mitchell who is an American and has represented Team USA in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, this team is filled with players that are internationally born citizens. Jokic is from Serbia, Wemby is from France, Giannis is from Greece, SGA is from Canada, Siakam is from Cameroon, Sengun is from Turkey and KAT is from the Dominican Republic.
Aside from being “non-Americans”, this team is also filled with height with most of their players being 6-foot-11 and above. With only SGA and Mitchell being their natural-born guards in their squad, the other players must showcase their “unicorn” type of play style in order to get the penultimate win against the other teams.
After all, it is common to agree that in the modern day and age, the best talents or superstars of the NBA are either Europeans or foreign players. It’s about time that they would rule not only the regular season and postseason but also the All-Star Game itself.
