Category: NBA All-Star

NBA All-Star draft turns into accidental roast of the Utah Jazz: Reaction

LeBron James and Kevin Durant’s decision to save the Utah Jazz two players for last turned into a Twitter roast session on Thursday night.

LeBron James and Kevin Durant revealed their picks for Sunday’s All-Star game on Thursday, as Team LeBron is looking to win for the fourth straight All-Star Game. But while both players were picking their squad, something unintentionally hilarious delivered an incredible surprise on Thursday night. Unless, of course, you’re a fan of the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz have the best record in the league and have dominated teams night-in and night-out. And while they got two All-Stars, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert were the last two players picked in the draft. Charles Barkley said he didn’t like the “disrespect,” but the immediate reaction at the moment from LeBron James and Kevin Durant sparked a hilarious reaction on social media.

It began a few picks earlier in the draft when LeBron, who verbally said he wanted to add some size to his team, picked Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis over Rudy Gobert, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

 

2021 NBA All-Star Draft: LeBron James picks Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has a loaded squad going into the 2021 All-Star Draft.

Despite some of the resistance heading into the All-Star Game, Thursday night’s 2021 NBA All-Star Draft set the stage for what should be a fun affair on Sunday between Team LeBron and Team Durant. In his 4th season as an All-Star captain, LeBron James added some first-time teammates for his team’s matchup against Kevin Durant’s squad. LeBron James picked the reigning two-time NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, with the first pick in the draft.

Rounding out the starting five for team LeBron is Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Denver’s Nikola Jokic. Team LeBron will be representing the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Team Durant will represent the United Negro College Fund.

The All-Star Game is set for Sunday night at 5 p.m. in Atlanta. You can see the full rosters and coaches for both teams below.

TEAM LEBRON
Player (Team) Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate Prior to NBA/

Home Country

 ASG Selections
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee)* F 6-11 250 12/06/94 Filathlitikos/Greece 5
Jaylen Brown (Boston) G 6-6 223 10/24/96 California/USA 1
Stephen Curry (Golden State)* G 6-3 193 03/14/88 Davidson/USA 7
Luka Dončić (Dallas)* G 6-7 230 02/28/99 Real Madrid/Slovenia 2
Paul George (LA Clippers) F 6-8 220 05/02/90 Fresno State/USA 7
Rudy Gobert (Utah) C 7-1 258 06/26/92 Cholet Basket/France 2
LeBron James (L.A. Lakers)*# F 6-9 250 12/30/84 St. Vincent-St. Mary HS/USA 17
Nikola Jokić (Denver)* C 7-0 284 02/19/95 Mega Basket/Serbia 3
Damian Lillard (Portland) G 6-2 195 07/15/90 Weber State/USA 6
Chris Paul (Phoenix) G 6-0 175 05/06/85 Wake Forest/USA 11
Domantas Sabonis (Indiana)+ F 6-11 240 05/03/96 Gonzaga/Lithuania 2
Ben Simmons (Philadelphia) G 6-11 240 07/20/96 LSU/Australia 3
 
Head Coach: Quin Snyder (Utah)

 

*Starter
#Captain
+Injury Replacement

TEAM DURANT
Player (Team) Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate Prior to NBA/

Home Country

 ASG Selections
Bradley Beal (Washington)* G 6-3 207 06/28/93 Florida/USA 3
Devin Booker (Phoenix)+ G 6-5 206 10/30/96 Kentucky/USA 2
Anthony Davis (L.A. Lakers)^ F 6-10 253 03/11/93 Kentucky/USA 8
Kevin Durant (Brooklyn)*#^ F 6-10 225 09/29/88 Texas/USA 11
Joel Embiid (Philadelphia)* C 7-0 280 03/16/94 Kansas/Cameroon 4
James Harden (Brooklyn) G 6-5 220 08/26/89 Arizona State/USA 9
Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn)* G 6-2 199 03/23/92 Duke/Australia 7
Zach LaVine (Chicago) G 6-5 202 03/10/95 UCLA/USA 1
Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)* F 6-7 225 06/29/91 San Diego State/USA 5
Donovan Mitchell (Utah) G 6-1 215 09/07/96 Louisville/USA 2
Julius Randle (New York) F 6-9 254 11/29/94 Kentucky/USA 1
Jayson Tatum (Boston)~ F 6-8 210 03/03/98 Duke/USA 2
Nikola Vučević (Orlando) C 6-11 260 10/24/90 USC/Montenegro 2
Zion Williamson (New Orleans) F 6-7 284 07/06/00 Duke/USA 1
 

Head Coach: Doc Rivers (Philadelphia)

 

*Starter
#Captain
^Injured/Will Not Play
+Injury Replacement
~Starter Replacement

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LeBron James takes overall All-Star vote lead in latest returns

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has now taken the lead in the latest All-Star voting returns.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is now the overall leader in All-Star votes for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, according to the latest All-Star voting returns released by the NBA on Thursday.

With 4.36 million votes, LeBron James has taken a lead of about 100,000 votes over Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant, who led the first ballot returns. Durant is still the leading vote-getter in the Eastern Conference and seems like a good bet to join LeBron James as one of the All-Star captains.

So far, the top five players in both conferences also remain the same. LeBron is joined in the West by Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Steph Curry, while Durant is joined in the East by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Bradley Beal, and Kyrie Irving.

Despite the fact that LeBron James has voiced his displeasure with the idea of having an All-Star Game during a pandemic, going as far as to call it a “slap in the face,” it looks like LeBron is once again going to be a part of the All-Star Game.

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Carmelo Anthony on NBA having All-Star Game: ‘I don’t think it’s right’

LeBron James’ fellow 18-year veteran, Carmelo Anthony, agrees that having an All-Star Game is not a good idea.

Several players of the younger generation were already discussing the various reasons why they are against the NBA having an All-Star Game this season. On Thursday, Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony joined his 2003 draft buddy LeBron James in using the attention of their platforms to call out the NBA for what they see as a bad decision.

Following his 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, LeBron James called the NBA’s proposal to have an All-Star Game a “slap in the face.” Carmelo wasn’t as forceful with his words, but he agreed with James that having an All-Star Game should not be a priority right now.

It remains to be seen how the NBA will react to so many of the biggest names in their game saying that their plan is stupid. The league has not officially announced any plans for the All-Star Game yet, which means they could shift from the reported plans to have a March 7 game.

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LeBron James calls All-Star game proposal a ‘slap in the face’

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is just the latest and biggest star to object to the NBA’s decision to have an NBA All-Star Game.

Earlier this week some of the league’s biggest names, such as Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox and Houston’s John Wall, voiced their concern and displeasure with the league and the player’s union’s reported decision to move forward with an NBA All-Star Game, scheduled for March 7 in Atlanta. On Thursday night, LeBron James added his voice to the chorus of players who are upset that there will be an All-Star Game.

Following LeBron’s monster game of 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win over the Denver Nuggets, James was asked about the All-Star Game and said he doesn’t have the energy for it while going as far as to say the push to have an All-Star Game is a “slap in the face.”

The league has yet to officially announce the date and location of the All-Star Game but put multiple reports have already leaked the league’s plays, which include having a 3-point shootout and a dunk contest on the same night as the game, rather than spreading the events out over several days. Still, it begs the question of whether it’s a good idea to send 24 of the league’s best players to a central location, not to mention the coaching staffs of the two best teams in the league, in the middle of a pandemic.

While the league and its partners, including the player’s union, want to have the All-Star Game happen to add more money to their financial pile. Having the league’s best and most popular players say the move is a slap in the face may force the league to reconsider.

This post originally appeared on LeBron Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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NBA All-Star voting: LeBron James leads Western Conference in votes

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James leads all Western Conference players but Kevin Durant leads everyone in the first All-Star returns.

As the NBA and the player’s union move closer to an agreement on a 2021 All-Star Game to be played early next month in Atlanta, the league has announced the first voting returns of the fan All-Star balloting. As he has for the past two seasons, LeBron James is once again the leader in the Western Conference All-Star voting, with 2.28 million votes for him in the first few weeks of voting. However, James has a new challenger for the right to be the league’s leading vote-getter for the fourth season in a row as Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant is the current leader in NBA All-Star votes with 2.30 million votes in the first returns.

Joining LeBron James in the top-five in the West are Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Golden State’s Steph Curry, and Dallas’ Luka Doncic. Joining Durant currently in the East top five are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Bradley Beal, and Kyrie Irving.

The next update on fan voting will come next week.

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NBA and union moving towards March 7 All-Star Game in Atlanta

According to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, the NBA and the player’s union are moving towards an All-Star game early next month.

It appears that LeBron James won’t have to wait very long to return to Atlanta after his verbal altercation with Courtside Karen earlier this week. USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt reported earlier this week that the NBA and the player’s union are closing in on an agreement to have the 2021 NBA All-Star Game on March 7 in Atlanta.

According to Zillgitt’s sources, not only is the league targetting to have a game on March 7, but there are hopes they can incorporate both a slam dunk contest and a 3-point shootout during the All-Star Game night. So, they would be condensing two nights of All-Star Weekend events into one night while cutting some ancillary events like the Celebrity Game, the Rising Stars Game, and the lauded Taco Bell Skills Challenge.

As for LeBron James, as well as Anthony Davis, this of course means those two Lakers will be back in Atlanta for the game when it happens. However, with it only being one day, the responsibilities and the potential exposure should be a lot less than a typical All-Star weekend, which is the least the NBA could do for having an All-Star Game in the middle of a pandemic season, which by the way still doesn’t have the second half of the season scheduled.

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LeBron James and Anthony Davis step up to close out Blazers to advance

LeBron James had 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists while Anthony Davis scored a game-high 43 points to advance to the 2nd round.

As the Portland Trail Blazers put together a surprisingly strong effort without their star player Damian Lillard, the Los Angeles Lakers got two superstar level performances from their two leaders in order to advance to the second round of the playoffs and finish off Portland in five games.

LeBron James had 36 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in the win while Anthony Davis had a game-high 43 points. Davis had four made 3-pointers and so did LeBron while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 14 points to aid the effort. Portland’s CJ McCollum had 36 points to lead the Blazers while Carmelo Anthony had 27 points and seven rebounds. With 30 points and a triple-double, LeBron became the first Lakers to do that since Big Game James Worthy.

As for what’s next for the Lakers, they will await the winner of the Oklahoma City-Houston series. The Rockets now lead that series 3-2 going into a Game 6 on Monday, so the Lakers will get at least an extra couple of days of rest before facing their next opponent.

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Bulls legend Toni Kukoc: ‘Kevin Durant is the best player in the NBA’

The 1996 Sixth Man of the Year and three-time champion believes Kevin Durant is the best active player in the league.

With ‘The Last Dance’ entering it’s final two episodes next Sunday, key members of the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls and other iterations of the Michael Jordan-led squads of the 1990s have been popping up in interviews all over the media landscape, from podcasts to Good Morning America. Or in the case of Toni Kukoc this weekend, a Reddit AMA. The 1996 Sixth Man of the Year and basketball legend was talking hoops of the current day, giving his stated view for the best player in the NBA: Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant.

Basketball doesn’t require a playmaker anymore, somebody that you always look for that has to bring the ball up the floor. In this era, there’s so many players with multiple skills, that it’s almost a waste of time to look for the playmaker when someone can push the ball and get into the offense.

Plenty of times LeBron is mistaken as a point guard, which is awesome. Kevin Durant, to me in my personal opinion, is the best player in the NBA. He can easily bring the ball up the floor. That’s a style that the triangle offense allowed that any one of us could run the point or be a post person or fill the corners. It’s not requirement to have a point guard, you can have skill players with 3 or 4 guys on the same team playing multiple positions.

Prior to his Achilles injury, Durant was the best player in the league and he very well could retake that mantle once he is healthy again. However, LeBron, too, was recovering from injury while Durant made his rise, so hopefully, somewhere down the line, we can see these two face off again.

LeBron, this season, was asked to be the point guard for the Lakers due to the construction of the roster. It certainly wasn’t a mistake for the Lakers, rolling to the best record in the West. While he has been a point forward for most of his career, he’s rarely controlled all aspects of the game as the floor general in the way he did this season, leading to the highest assist numbers of his career.

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LeBron James may have given Jayson Tatum his new nickname

After a game at the end of February, LeBron James called the third-year Celtics forward “an absolute problem” and the nickname may stick.

Whenever basketball does come back, feel free to start calling Jayson Tatum by his new nickname, which comes from some postgame comments from LeBron James at the end of February. Tatum, as the next great Celtics guard, can be known as “The Problem,” if his conversation yesterday with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols is any indication.

After a thrilling win against the Celtics on a LeBron James fadeaway, James went on Instagram to share a photo of he and Tatum together, stating that Tatum was “an absolute problem.” This was after Tatum dropped 41 points, which the Lakers were only able to overcome due to the big shot by James and the huge play of Anthony Davis.

In a conversation with Tatum yesterday, Nichols noted the similarities between LeBron’s comments about Tatum and comments from almost 20 years ago from Shaquille O’Neal about a young Paul Pierce, dubbing him “The Truth,” after Pierce scored 42 points in a close loss to the Lakers back in 2001.  You can jump to the five-minute mark to hear Tatum’s thoughts on the nickname.

Tatum, of course, grew up idolizing LeBron and has also competed against him at an extremely high level when the two faced off in an epic seven-game series in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals. And while LeBron doesn’t have a rap career like Shaq behind the mic, he does have quite the affinity for nicknames. He’s definitely got a hit with “The Problem,” but a lot of that also has to do with how well Tatum has been playing this season.

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