NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 25: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics in … [+] action against Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 25, 2023 in New York City. The Celtics defeated the Knicks 108-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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We are only three weeks from NBA All-Star weekend in San Francisco, which means rosters have to be assembled.
The NBA announced Thursday the list of 10 starters for the 2025 All-Star Game, taking place on February 16.
Although the format has changed — more on that in a minute — the pool of players will be similar. There will still be 24 total players selected, 12 from both the East and West. The reserves for both conferences are scheduled to be announced Thursday, January 30.
Let’s take a look at who made the cut for each starting unit.
As a reminder, the selection process wasn’t solely on the fans or the national media. It’s a weighted system that gives 50% of the vote to fans while a media panel accounts for 25%. Players are also given an opportunity to vote, making up the final 25% (note: most players don’t take the voting seriously, so it’s often the least valuable piece of data).
If you haven’t heard, there is a new All-Star Game format set to debut this season. It has garnered mixed reviews from players around the league because of its complexity and how much it differs from the traditional setup.
My column from November details the four-team plan, where I questioned whether the NBA actually needed to overhaul the system (they didn’t).
Here’s the list of each player that earned starting spots in San Francisco:
Eastern Conference
The pool of East starters will consist of:
Donovan Mitchell — guard, Cleveland Cavaliers
Jalen Brunson — guard, New York Knicks
Jayson Tatum — forward, Boston Celtics
Giannis Antetokounmpo — forward, Milwaukee Bucks
Karl Towns — center, New York Knicks
CLEVELAND, OHIO – DECEMBER 21: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers talks with Giannis … [+] Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks after the game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on December 21, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Bucks 114-106. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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There should be no qualms about Donovan Mitchell securing a starting spot. Cleveland is 34-7 when he’s active and he’s playing smarter with the ball under Kenny Atkinson. Currently sporting a career-low turnover rate, Mitchell has tweaked his shot profile to feature more three-pointers and fewer drives into traffic without a plan.
One of the best qualities of a leader is knowing when to step back and give your teammates more opportunities to shine offensively. That’s exactly what Mitchell has done for Darius Garland and Evan Mobley this year, with both having career seasons. It has elevated the Cavs into the inner circle of title favorites — and should have both Garland and Mobley on the East reserves when that list is announced.
This will be Antetokounmpo’s ninth consecutive All-Star selection, highlighting his decade of destruction with the Bucks (along with the good fortune of staying away from major injuries).
With Giannis averaging 31 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, it’s on the list of most under-the-radar, spectacular seasons you’ll ever see. He has completely ditched his long-range attempts, leaning heavily into his strengths by attacking the rim more frequently and forcefully. Milwaukee is 8-2 in its last 10 games, now within striking distance of the top three seeds. They probably aren’t a strong enough team for Giannis to capture another MVP, but he’s still the most dominant player in his conference.
Both of the Knicks’ stars are no-brainers for the starting group, too.
Karl Towns is enjoying the best season of his career in year 10, and it’s now evident a change of scenery is what he needed. We’ve never witnessed a player take such a massive leap in rebounding after a decade into their career. He’s leading the NBA in defensive rebounding rate (34.9%), which is more than 12 percentage points higher than it was last year in Minnesota. Partner that with a career-high efficiency across the board (twos and threes), and the Knicks struck gold by taking advantage of the Wolves’ cost-saving mentality.
Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson gets the backcourt nod over Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, and rightly so. Brunson’s individual numbers might not look as stellar as last year, but that’s because his usage is slightly down after the Knicks’ acquisition of Towns and Mikal Bridges. He’s still far more efficient than Ball, who leads the NBA in usage rating at 37.2% and takes a handful of questionable, heavily contested jumpers every game.
For the Knicks to be playing at a 53-win pace, it makes sense to reward their two main engines with starting spots. If Charlotte wasn’t 11-29 with a -5.6 point differential, Ball might have a case. He’s the most popular guard in the East, as fans indicated with the voting results. And he’ll be on the reserves (or should be, at least). But at a certain point, we have to reward the teams that are comfortably in the playoffs.
Western Conference
For the West All-Stars, the pool of starters will be:
Stephen Curry — guard, Golden State Warriors
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — guard, Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Durant — forward, Phoenix Suns
LeBron James — forward, Los Angeles Lakers
Nikola Jokic — center, Denver Nuggets
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 12: Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns drives to the basket against … [+] Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 during the second half at Footprint Center on November 12, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kelsey Grant/Getty Images)
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It was a given that Stephen Curry would represent the Warriors in San Francisco, even if the team’s performance hasn’t warranted them getting an All-Star starter. Curry’s individual numbers and impact have dipped this season, which is expected for a 36-year-old guard. While he should absolutely be a reserve in the West, it’s difficult to give him a starting spot over Anthony Edwards among the qualified candidates. Then again, it goes without saying that neither Curry nor Edwards would be starting if Luka Doncic hadn’t missed 23 games.
Don’t get it twisted, though: Curry can still lead a dynamic offense. The Warriors have a 117.4 offensive rating during his minutes, which aligns well compared to superstars on actual contenders. For context, it’s the same scoring efficiency Cleveland has with Donovan Mitchell in the lineup.
Curry’s popularity will always be an advantage in the All-Star process, as he ranked second in the fan voting to boost his chances. After all, he’s leading all jersey sales for the third consecutive year.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander swept first-place in terms of media, fan, and player voting. If Oklahoma City continues its trajectory this season and finishes with 65-plus wins, he’ll be the league’s Most Valuable Player. The Year of Shai is upon us, which is fantastic for those who are still crying about the league being ‘too three-point centric’ or ‘too homogenized.’ Neither criticism is rooted in truth.
Doncic was the biggest omission here, but it shouldn’t be a surprise considering his availability. He has only appeared in 22 of the Mavericks’ 45 games due to various injuries, including the scary calf strain he suffered on Christmas Day. In any normal year, he would’ve taken a backcourt spot in the starting lineup, sliding Curry to the bench.
With his 21st appearance, LeBron James extends his NBA record for All-Star selections — a feat that we can comfortably say will never be surpassed (especially since he’ll be voted in next year, too, barring injury).
It’s not taking anything away from James’ illustrious career to say naming him as a 2025 starter is a bit ridiculous. Two things can be true at once: James is setting an unbreakable standard for longevity at age 40 … and he’s also not more deserving than a slew of other frontcourt players at this stage of his career.
The Lakers have been outscored by 5.2 points per 100 possessions with James on the floor, easily the worst mark of his career. Yes, it’s even worse than his first year in Los Angeles, when his supporting cast was a hodgepodge of characters that didn’t fit with his playstyle. For full transparency, James would have been a wild card spot for me on the reserves, with this starting role going to Victor Wembanyama, Domantas Sabonis, or Anthony Davis.
Even if the Phoenix Suns are in the midst of a disappointing season, Durant deserved the starting nod over the other frontcourt choices.
KD’s scoring is up from last season on a per-minute basis, mostly because he’s shooting a blistering 58% from two and 38% from three. Phoenix is 21-12 with Durant in the lineup, which translates to a 52-win pace when extrapolated over a full season. Fun fact: This is likely going to be Durant’s 13th season averaging at least 25 points per game on 60% true shooting or better. It will extend the NBA record he already has, with LeBron being the next-closest at nine seasons with that combination.
And, what else is there to say about Nikola Jokic?
From the full-court heaves to his marvelous passing and the triple double magic that’s become so routine, his greatness is becoming too normal.
Jokic is averaging 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists while nearly leading the NBA in three-point percentage at 47.9%. He’s also setting records for how important a singular player can be for an organization: The Nuggets are +395 this season with Jokic on the floor, but have been outscored by 158 points when he sits. That’s by far the largest gap in the league, and on track to become the widest in NBA history by the end of the year.
I would say it’s getting scary how good Jokic is at basketball, but I’d be about five years too late.
