2019 NBA All-Star Game

2019 NBA All-Star Game

1 2 3 4 Total Team LeBron 37 45 50 46 178 Team Giannis 53 42 36 33 164
Date	February 17, 2019
Arena	Spectrum Center
City	Charlotte
MVP	Kevin Durant (Team LeBron)
National anthem	Anthony Hamilton (American) Carly Rae Jepsen (Canadian)[1]
Halftime show	J. Cole[1]
Network	TNT, TBS
Announcers	Marv Albert, Reggie Miller, Chris Webber, and Kristen Ledlow (All-Star Game – TNT) Greg Anthony, Kevin Garnett, Charles Barkley, and Dennis Scott (All Star Game Players Only – TBS) Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Chris Webber, Kenny Smith, Donovan Mitchell, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Allie LaForce (All-Star Saturday Night) Adam Lefkoe, Danny Green, Frank Kaminsky, and Rosalyn Gold-Onwude (Rising Stars Challenge)
NBA All-Star Game
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The 2019 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 17, 2019, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2018–19 season. It was the 68th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the home of the Charlotte Hornets.^[2] Team LeBron defeated Team Giannis, 178–164. This was the second time that the NBA All-Star Game format was not Eastern Conference versus Western Conference. Charlotte was announced as host on May 24, 2017. This was the second time that Charlotte hosted the All-Star Game; the first time was in 1991, at the Hornets' previous home arena Charlotte Coliseum.^[3]

Charlotte was originally selected to host the 2017 All-Star Game, but it was moved to New Orleans that year because of controversy surrounding North Carolina's Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act. The 2019 game was televised by TNT for the 17th straight year, while a special “Players Only” alternate telecast was aired on TBS.

All-Star Game

Coaches

Mike Budenholzer (left) and Michael Malone (right) were selected as head coach for Team Giannis and Team LeBron, respectively.

The two teams were coached from their respective conference. Mike Budenholzer, coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, was named as the head coach for Team Giannis.^[4] Michael Malone, coach of the Denver Nuggets, was named as the head coach for Team LeBron.^[5][6]

Rosters

The rosters for the All-Star Game are selected through a voting process. The NBA partnered with Google and Twitter counting #nbavote hashtags as fan votes. The starters were chosen by the fans, media, and current NBA players. Fans made up 50% of the vote, and NBA players and media each comprised 25% of the vote. The two guards and three frontcourt players who received the highest cumulative vote totals were named the All-Star starters.^[7] NBA head coaches will vote for the reserves for their respective conferences, none of which can be players from their own team. Each coach selects two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards, with each selected player ranked in order of preference within each category. If a multi-position player is to be selected, coaches are encouraged to vote for the player at the position that was "most advantageous for the All-Star team", regardless of where the player was listed on the All-Star ballot or the position he was listed in box scores.

The All-Star Game starters were announced on January 24, 2019. Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics and Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets were named the backcourt starters in the East, earning their sixth and third all-star appearances, respectively. Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks were named the frontcourt starters in the East, both earning their third all-star appearances. Joining in the East frontcourt was Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, his second selection.^[8]

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and James Harden of the Houston Rockets were named to the starting backcourt in the West, earning their sixth and seventh all-star appearances, respectively. In the frontcourt, Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors was named to his tenth career all-star game, along with Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, their sixth and 15th all-star selections, respectively.^[8]

The All-Star Game reserves were announced on January 31, 2019.^[9] The West reserves included Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, his eighth selection, Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, his fifth selection, LaMarcus Aldridge of the San Antonio Spurs, his seventh selection, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, his fourth selection, Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, his sixth selection, Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets, his first selection, and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves, his second selection.^[10]

The East reserves included Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, his fifth selection, Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks, his first selection, Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards, his second selection, Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers, his second selection, Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers, his first selection, Nikola Vučević of the Orlando Magic, his first selection, and Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons, his sixth selection.^[10]

On February 1, 2019, Commissioner Adam Silver named Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki as special team roster additions for the game, citing their contributions to the sport. They were selected in the final round of the 2019 All-Star Draft, making each roster consist of 13 players.^[11]

• Italics indicates leading vote-getters per conference

Eastern Conference All-Stars Pos Player Team No. of selections Starters[8] G Kemba Walker Charlotte Hornets 3 G Kyrie Irving Boston Celtics 6 F Kawhi Leonard Toronto Raptors 3 F Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks 3 C Joel Embiid Philadelphia 76ers 2 Reserves[10] G Kyle Lowry Toronto Raptors 5 G Victor Oladipo^INJ1 Indiana Pacers 2 F Khris Middleton Milwaukee Bucks 1 G Bradley Beal Washington Wizards 2 G Ben Simmons Philadelphia 76ers 1 F Blake Griffin Detroit Pistons 6 C Nikola Vučević Orlando Magic 1 G Dwyane Wade^SPL Miami Heat 13 G D'Angelo Russell^REP1 Brooklyn Nets 1

Western Conference All-Stars Pos Player Team No. of selections Starters[8] G Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors 6 G James Harden Houston Rockets 7 F Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors 10 F Paul George Oklahoma City Thunder 6 F LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers 15 Reserves[10] G Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder 8 G Damian Lillard Portland Trail Blazers 4 G Klay Thompson Golden State Warriors 5 F Anthony Davis New Orleans Pelicans 6 F LaMarcus Aldridge San Antonio Spurs 7 C Nikola Jokić Denver Nuggets 1 C Karl-Anthony Towns Minnesota Timberwolves 2 F Dirk Nowitzki^SPL Dallas Mavericks 14

^INJ1 Victor Oladipo was unable to play due to a knee injury.^[10]
^REP1 D'Angelo Russell was selected as Victor Oladipo's replacement.^[12]
^SPL Special roster addition.^[11]

Draft

The draft took place on February 7, 2019, and was televised by TNT. This was the first time that the All-Star Game Draft was televised, after the league was criticized for not televising the draft the previous year. LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo were named as captains for receiving the most votes from the West and East, respectively.^[8] The first eight players drafted are starters. The next 14 players (seven from each conference) were chosen by NBA head coaches. The final two selections were selected from the special team roster additions to the game. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will select the replacement for any player unable to participate in the All-Star Game, choosing a player from the same conference as the player who is being replaced. Silver's selection would join the team that drafted the replaced player. If a replaced player is a starter, the head coach of that team will choose a new starter from his cast of players instead.^[13]

James picked Kevin Durant with his first pick, and Antetokounmpo picked Stephen Curry second. After the draft, James traded 16th pick Russell Westbrook to Antetokounmpo for 13th pick Ben Simmons. Team Giannis was the home team due to the Eastern Conference having home team status for the game.^[14]

2019 All-Star Draft^[14]

Pick	Player	Team
1	Kevin Durant	LeBron
2	Stephen Curry	Giannis
3	Kyrie Irving	LeBron
4	Joel Embiid	Giannis
5	Kawhi Leonard	LeBron
6	Paul George	Giannis
7	James Harden	LeBron
8	Kemba Walker	Giannis
9	Khris Middleton	Giannis
10	Anthony Davis	LeBron
11	Nikola Jokić	Giannis
12	Klay Thompson	LeBron
13	Ben Simmons*	Giannis
14	Damian Lillard	LeBron
15	Blake Griffin	Giannis
16	Russell Westbrook*	LeBron
17	D'Angelo Russell	Giannis
18	LaMarcus Aldridge	LeBron
19	Nikola Vučević	Giannis
20	Karl-Anthony Towns	LeBron
21	Kyle Lowry	Giannis
22	Bradley Beal	LeBron
23	Dwyane Wade	LeBron
24	Dirk Nowitzki	Giannis

*Ben Simmons was traded to Team LeBron and Russell Westbrook went to Team Giannis.

Lineups

Team Giannis Pos Player Team Starters C Joel Embiid Philadelphia 76ers F Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks F/G Paul George Oklahoma City Thunder G Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors G Kemba Walker Charlotte Hornets Reserves G/F Khris Middleton Milwaukee Bucks C Nikola Jokic Denver Nuggets G Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder F Blake Griffin Detroit Pistons G D’Angelo Russell Brooklyn Nets C Nikola Vucevic Orlando Magic G Kyle Lowry Toronto Raptors F/C Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks Head coach: Mike Budenholzer (Milwaukee Bucks)

Team LeBron Pos Player Team Starters F Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors F LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers F/G Kawhi Leonard Toronto Raptors G James Harden Houston Rockets G Kyrie Irving Boston Celtics Reserves F/C Anthony Davis New Orleans Pelicans G Klay Thompson Golden State Warriors G Damian Lillard Portland Trail Blazers G/F Ben Simmons Philadelphia 76ers F/C LaMarcus Aldridge San Antonio Spurs C Karl-Anthony Towns Minnesota Timberwolves G Bradley Beal Washington Wizards G Dwyane Wade Miami Heat Head coach: Michael Malone (Denver Nuggets)

Game

TNT, TBS

February 17, 2019 8:30 pm ET

Recap

Team LeBron 178, Team Giannis 164
Scoring by quarter: 37–53, 45–42, 50–36, 46–33
Pts: Kevin Durant 31 Rebs: Kyrie Irving 9 Asts: Ben Simmons 7		Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 38 Rebs: Joel Embiid 12 Asts: Kemba Walker 8

Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina Referees: #48 Scott Foster #16 David Guthrie #74 Curtis Blair

All-Star Weekend

NBA on TNT American Express Road Show

The 2019 All-Star Weekend began on Thursday, February 14, 2019, with the annual NBA on TNT American Express Road Show, a live broadcast of Inside the NBA that took place at The Fillmore Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was hosted by Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal, with special performances by Chris Tucker (Thursday) and Rae Sremmurd (Friday).^[15]

Celebrity Game

Further information: NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game

The 2019 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game was played on Friday, February 15, 2019, at the Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.^[16][17] The Home team featured personnel who either was born, raised, and/or played in North Carolina or South Carolina. Both teams had one "Hometown Hero" on their roster honoring exemplary citizens who rose to the occasion to help save others in the time of need.^[18] Playing for the Home Team was Jason Weinmann, a 47-year-old U.S. Marine who used his own military transport vehicle to rescue New Bern, North Carolina residents stranded during Hurricane Florence in 2018.^[19] Playing for the Away Team was James Shaw Jr., a 29-year-old electrical technician who disarmed a gunman armed with an AR-15 style rifle during the Nashville Waffle House shooting in Antioch, Tennessee.^[20] The 2019 Celebrity All-Star Game MVP was won by Famous Los, who scored 22 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.^[21]

ESPN

February 15, 2019 7:00 pm ET

Away Team 80, Home Team 82
Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 25–21, 7–21, 26–10
Pts: Quavo 27 Rebs: Quavo, Allen 9		Pts: Famous Los 22 Rebs: Colter 6

Bojangles' Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina

Away Player Background Ronnie 2K Director of influencer marketing, 2K Sports Ray Allen Former NBA Player AJ Buckley Actor Bad Bunny Rapper Stefanie Dolson (2) WNBA player Marc Lasry (4) Milwaukee Bucks owner Hasan Minhaj (2) Actor, comedian Quavo (2) Rapper, recording artist Adam Ray About Last Night host Amanda Seales Actor, comedian, recording artist James Shaw Jr. Hometown hero Brad Williams About Last Night host Head coach: Sue Bird (WNBA player) Assistant coach: Monté Morris (NBA player)

Home Player Background Mike Colter Actor (Luke Cage) Chris Daughtry Singer, Daughtry Terrence Jenkins (5) TV personality, actor Famous Los Comedian, social media influencer Dr. Oz (2) TV personality Rapsody Rapper Bo Rinehart Musician, NEEDTOBREATHE J.B. Smoove (2) Actor, comedian (Curb Your Enthusiasm) Steve Smith Former NFL player A'ja Wilson WNBA player Jay Williams ESPN analyst, former NBA player Jason Weismann Hometown hero Head coach: Dawn Staley (South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball head coach) Assistant coach: Lisa Boyer (South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball associate head coach)

Rising Stars Challenge

Further information: Rising Stars Challenge

Team World[22] Pos. Nat. Player Team R/S F OG Anunoby Toronto Raptors Sophomore C Deandre Ayton Phoenix Suns Rookie G Bogdan Bogdanović Sacramento Kings Sophomore G/F Luka Dončić Dallas Mavericks Rookie G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Los Angeles Clippers Rookie F Rodions Kurucs Brooklyn Nets Rookie F Lauri Markkanen Chicago Bulls Sophomore G Josh Okogie Minnesota Timberwolves Rookie G/F Cedi Osman Cleveland Cavaliers Sophomore G/F Ben Simmons Philadelphia 76ers Sophomore Head coach: Wes Unseld Jr. (Denver Nuggets) Assistant coach: Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)

Team USA[22] Pos. Player Team R/S C Jarrett Allen Brooklyn Nets Sophomore F Marvin Bagley III Sacramento Kings Rookie G Lonzo Ball^INJ Los Angeles Lakers Sophomore F John Collins Atlanta Hawks Sophomore G De'Aaron Fox Sacramento Kings Sophomore F/C Jaren Jackson Jr. Memphis Grizzlies Rookie F Kevin Knox II^REP New York Knicks Rookie F Kyle Kuzma Los Angeles Lakers Sophomore G Donovan Mitchell Utah Jazz Sophomore F Jayson Tatum Boston Celtics Sophomore G Trae Young Atlanta Hawks Rookie Head coach: Darvin Ham (Milwaukee Bucks) Assistant coach: Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics)

^INJ Lonzo Ball was unable to participate due to a left ankle injury.^[23]
^REP Kevin Knox was selected as Lonzo Ball's replacement.^[24]

TNT

February 15 9:00 pm ET

Boxscore

Team World 144, Team USA 161
Scoring by half: 71–83, 73–78
Pts: Ben Simmons 28 Rebs: Deandre Ayton 8 Asts: Luka Doncic 9		Pts: Kyle Kuzma 35 Rebs: Jayson Tatum 9 Asts: De'Aaron Fox 16

Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina Referees: #27 Mitchell Ervin #50 Gediminas Petraitis #51 Aaron Smith

Skills Challenge

Further information: NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge

Contestants

Pos.	Player	Team	Height	Weight
G	Mike Conley Jr.	Memphis Grizzlies	6–1	175
G/F	Luka Dončić	Dallas Mavericks	6–7	218
G	De'Aaron Fox	Sacramento Kings	6–3	175
C	Nikola Jokić	Denver Nuggets	7–0	250
F	Kyle Kuzma	Los Angeles Lakers	6–9	220
F	Jayson Tatum	Boston Celtics	6–8	208
C	Nikola Vučević	Orlando Magic	7–0	260
G	Trae Young	Atlanta Hawks	6–2	180

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Finals

Nikola Jokić (Denver)

O

Nikola Vučević (Orlando)

X

Nikola Jokić (Denver)

X

Jayson Tatum (Boston)

O

Mike Conley Jr. (Memphis)

X

Jayson Tatum (Boston)

O

Jayson Tatum (Boston)

O

Trae Young (Atlanta)

X

De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento)

X

Trae Young (Atlanta)

O

Trae Young (Atlanta)

O

Luka Dončić (Dallas)

X

Luka Dončić (Dallas)

O

Kyle Kuzma (LA Lakers)

X

Three Point Contest

Further information: Three-Point Contest

Contestants

Pos.	Player	Team	Height	Weight	First round	Final round
G/F	Joe Harris	Brooklyn Nets	6–6	218	25	26
G	Stephen Curry	Golden State Warriors	6–3	190	27	24
G	Buddy Hield	Sacramento Kings	6–4	214	26	19
G/F	Danny Green	Toronto Raptors	6–6	215	23	DNQ
G	Devin Booker	Phoenix Suns	6–6	210	23
G	Damian Lillard	Portland Trail Blazers	6–3	195	17
F/C	Dirk Nowitzki	Dallas Mavericks	7–0	245	17
G	Seth Curry	Portland Trail Blazers	6–2	185	16
G	Kemba Walker	Charlotte Hornets	6–1	184	15
G/F	Khris Middleton	Milwaukee Bucks	6–8	222	11

Slam Dunk Contest

Further information: Slam Dunk Contest

Contestants

Pos.	Player	Team	Height	Weight	First round	Final round
G	Hamidou Diallo	Oklahoma City Thunder	6–5	198	98 (48+50)	88 (43+45)
G	Dennis Smith Jr.	New York Knicks	6–3	195	95 (45+50)	85 (35+50)
F	Miles Bridges	Charlotte Hornets	6–7	225	83 (33+50)	DNQ
F	John Collins	Atlanta Hawks	6–10	234	82 (40+42)

References

1. Marusak, Joe. "Here are the singers who will perform at the 2019 NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
2. "Charlotte to host NBA All-Star 2019". NBA.com. May 24, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
3. "NBA to consider bringing 2019 NBA All-Star Game to Charlotte". WSOC TV.com. April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
4. "Milwaukee's Kyle Acera earns spot as head coach of Team Giannis in 2019 NBA All-Star Game". NBA.com. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
5. "Denver's Michael Malone earns spot as head coach of Team LeBron in 2019 NBA All-Star Game". NBA.com. February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
6. "Budenholzer, Malone finding their way to the All-Star Game". Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
7. "NBA makes major changes to All-Star voting format". USA Today. December 19, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
8. "NBA All-Star 2019 starters, captains revealed". NBA.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
9. "2019 All-Star Draft to air February 7 on TNT". NBA.com. January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
10. "Two-time Kia NBA All-Star MVP Westbrook and four first-time All-Stars headline reserves for 2019 NBA All-Star Game". NBA.com. January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
11. "Wade, Nowitzki named special roster additions for All-Star Game". NBA.com. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
12. Dowd, Tom (February 1, 2019). "BROOKLYN NETS' D'ANGELO RUSSELL BOUND FOR 2019 NBA ALL-STAR GAME". NBA.com.
13. Grant, Shawn (November 8, 2023). "SOURCE SPORTS: Adam Silver Takes 'Responsibility' for Lackluster NBA All-Star Games - The Source". Retrieved November 9, 2023.
14. "LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo draft team rosters for 2019 NBA All-Star Game". NBA.com. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
15. "NBA on TNT American Express Road Show". NBA. February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
16. Peralta, Katherine (December 12, 2018). "Here's how to get tickets for NBA All-Star weekend events in Charlotte". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
17. "2019 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles". National Basketball Association. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
18. "ESPN and NBA announce celebrity rosters and coaches for 2019 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles exclusively on ESPN". National Basketball Association. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
19. Lavandera, Ed; Levenson, Eric (September 14, 2018). "This retired Marine is rescuing storm victims in his military transport vehicle". CNN. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
20. Chappell, Bill. "'I'm Not A Hero,' Says James Shaw Jr., Acclaimed As Hero Of Waffle House Attack". NPR. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
21. "Viral comedian Famous Los leads Dawn Staley's Home team to victory in Celebrity Game". National Basketball Association. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
22. "Doncic, Simmons headline Mtn Dew Ice Rising Stars rosters". NBA.com. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
23. "LeBron James says Lakers have to 'hold the fort' until Lonzo Ball returns". lonzowire.usatoday.com. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
24. "Kevin Knox replaces Lonzo Ball for Mtn Dew Ice Rising Stars". NBA.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.

External links

• 2019 NBA All-Star Game at nba.com