SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Damian Lillard was the first reserve taken by captain Giannis Antetokounmpo on Sunday in the All-Star Game draft, and Joel Embiid was the first starter taken by fellow captain LeBron James for the game.
It was the sixth time the captains had chosen their teams, but the first time it had come minutes before the All-Star Game.
The draft took place just at the back of the field, with James and Antetokounmpo on a level one stage and the other All-Stars who will be in the game sitting behind them, waiting to hear when they would be picked.
Once they heard their names, they went down five steps and received their Team LeBron or Team Giannis jersey. The reserves were chosen first, followed by the incumbents.
“It took me back to elementary school, when you lined everyone up at the free throw line and you had two captains and you picked,” James said.
He went 5-0 as captain in the game. Two of those five wins coming in on Sunday were against teams managed by Antetokounmpo.
“We are going to play hard, and hopefully we can enjoy the game and try to beat them this time,” Antetokounmpo said.
Antetokounmpo had a small notebook with him for the draft, suggesting he had done more than a little homework and strategizing before dark. James had his notes on a sheet of paper.
“It’s fabric,” James said, as Antetokounmpo suggested he’d like to take a look at those notes.
Antetokounmpo attempted to take Ja Morant from Memphis with the No. 5 pick in the reserve round, obviously forgetting that Morant was a starter and would be drafted later.
He ended up getting Morant anyway, with the No. 4 pick in the round of starters. Morant made a choice in front of Luka Doncic, the NBA’s top scorer this season led by Team LeBron.
With Nikola Jokic – playing on his 28th birthday – and Lauri Markkanen left on stage as the final two picks, Jokic didn’t even wait for James to make his choice. He simply walked over to James, who took the hint and picked the reigning two-time MVP.
And that left Markkanen as the last choice, for Team Giannis.
RESERVE TURN
Team Giannis: Damian Lillard (1), Jrue Holiday (3), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (5), DeMar DeRozan (7), Pascal Siakam (9), Bam Adebayo (11), Domantas Sabonis (13).
Team LeBron: Anthony Edwards (2), Jaylen Brown (4), Paul George (6), Tyrese Haliburton (8), Julius Randle (10), De’Aaron Fox (12), Jaren Jackson Jr. (14).
BEGINNERS TOUR
Team LeBron: Joel Embiid (1), Kyrie Irving (3), Luka Doncic (5), Nikola Jokic (7).
Team Giannis: Jayson Tatum (2), Ja Morant (4), Donovan Mitchell (6), Lauri Markkanen (8).
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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