DETROIT – With the NBA All-Star starters for the East and West teams being revealed, it’s time for each conference’s seven reserves to take shape.
The remaining 14 players will be revealed on Thursday (Jan. 30) during the NBA Tip-Off show on TNT, and the draft for sed players will take place on Feb. 6.
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The game’s festivities, which will take place from Valentine’s Day through Feb. 16, will feature a new format: Four teams, including the Rising Stars championship game-winner, will battle in a mini-tournament.
The game will be held inside the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, where Golden State Warriors four-time NBA champion and finals MVP Stephen Curry will play host.
Curry, who was selected to his 11th All-Star game, will be joined by Olympic teammates Lebron James (21st appearance) and Kevin Durant (15th appearance) as starters in the Western Conference.
Alongside the big three will be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Third appearance) and Nikola Jokić' (Fifth appearance).
NBA champions Jayson Tatum (Sixth appearance) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (nine appearances) will lead the Eastern Conference.
They will be followed by Jalen Brunson (Second appearance), Karl-Antony Towns (Fifth appearance), and Donavan Mitchell (Sixth appearance).
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With the starters out of the way, the NBA on TNT crew featuring Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley will select the three eight-man teams from among the remaining players.
Fans and basketball pundits believed many players should have started or who they believe will be selected as reserves. But, one name the trio and Ernie Johnson, Jr. had their respective eyes on was Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham.
The analyst selected about five players, but Cunningham, who was having a phenomenal season as of Friday, Jan. 24, was at the top of the list.
Cunningham recently stopped by their Atlanta studio before the Pistons’ matchup with the Hawks. There, O’Neal told him to his face that he was an NBA All-Star.
O’Neal: “You’re an all-star. You’re playing fabulous, but I would like to know, ‘What is your definition of an all-star?’ If I had a vote, I would vote for you.”
Cunningham: “I imagine it’s being one of the top 24 players in the NBA. That’s how I see it. Being top of the league, you know, guys putting on performances every night that they play. I think that’s what you want to see in an all-star.”
After the interview, Motor Cade scored 29 points and 11 assists to help the Pistons win for the seventh time in their last eight road games, defeating the Hawks 114-104.
The Pistons will travel to Florida on Saturday, playing the Orlando Magic at 7 p.m. This will be the third game of their five-game road trip.
If Cunningham continues to shine, the coaches will have no choice but to select him for his first All-Star game appearance during next week’s selection show.
