It’s that time of the year again when the NBA regular season takes a brief pause and all the attention shifts to the annual All-Star weekend.
The NBA All-Star weekend is a three-day event headlined by some of the best current and rising stars in the league, who will partake in events throughout the weekend. Salt Lake City, Utah is where the superstars congregate this year.
Festivities got underway on Friday, 17th February with the NBA Celebrity Game and Rising Stars Challenge. Activities continued on Saturday with The Dunk Contest, Three-point Contest, and the Skills Challenge. The All-Star Game itself is the crown jewel of the weekend and will kick off by 8:30 pm ET on Sunday (1:30 am WAT, Monday).
The All-Star draft will be held one hour before the game with leading vote-getters in the Eastern and Western conferences, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, serving as captains. LeBron and Giannis will draft their teams on the spot by 7:30 pm ET and have an hour to get ready with their new teams.
LeBron and Giannis will be drafting their teams from two pools: eight other starters and then 14 reserve players. The starters were selected via a combination of fan, media and player votes, while the reserves were picked by the coaches. There were originally 12 total players from the Eastern Conference and 12 total players from the Western Conference selected.
In the past, All-Star team captains have picked their players in a televised draft a few days before the game. However, the upcoming game will feature a draft that will take place just an hour before tip-off.
Below are the full 2023 NBA All-Star Game rosters, including injury replacements.
2023 NBA All-Star Game starters
- LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers (captain)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (captain)
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
- Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
- Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
- Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
- Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers (replaces Kevin Durant as a starter)
- Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies (replaces Stephen Curry as a starter)
- Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz (replaces Zion Williamson as a starter)
The 2023 NBA All-Star Game reserves
- Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
- Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
- DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
- Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
- Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks
- Julius Randle, New York Knicks
- Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors (injury replacement)
- Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (injury replacement)
- De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings (injury replacement)
- Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
- Damian Lillard, Portland Trailblazers
- Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
2023 NBA All-Stars out with injury
These players will not be suiting up in Salt Lake City due to recent injuries.
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
- Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
How much do NBA players get paid at the All-Star Game?
The All-Star game is just an exhibition, but the league has tried to give its top players something to play for. There are different prize pools for winning and losing players at the All-Star Game, along with additional rewards for participants in other All-Star events.
Here’s a breakdown of the money players can earn on the court during NBA All-Star Weekend.
Prize money for winning the NBA All-Star Game
After initially setting the bar at $50,000 for each winning player in the most recent collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the league reportedly increased the payout to $100,000 for the 2018 All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
Consolation prize money for losing players in the NBA All-Star Game
While players from the winning team got a pay bump in recent years, players on the losing team are still set to make the same $25,000 that is listed in the CBA.
Players voiced that the difference in pay between winning and losing players could be viewed as an increased incentive to compete more intensely during the exhibition.
NBA All-Star Game Year-by-Year Results
The NBA All-Star Game has been played every year since 1951, with the only exception of 1999 (strike-shortened season), for a total of 71 editions.
Last 12 results
- 2010: West 139 – 141 East
- 2011: West 148 – 143 East
- 2012: West 152 – 149 East
- 2013: West 143 -138 East
- 2014: West 155 – 163 East
- 2015: West 163 – 158 East
- 2016: West 196 – 173 East
- 2017: West 192 – 182 East
- 2018: Team LeBron 148 – 145 Team Stephen
- 2019: Team LeBron 178 – 164 Team Giannis
- 2020: Team LeBron 157 – 155 Team Giannis
- 2021: Team LeBron 170 – 155 Team Durant
- 2022: Team Lebron 163 – 160 Team Durant
James has already defeated Antetokounmpo in the same setup in 2020 and knowing how competitive both superstars are, this match should be a treat. Can James remain undefeated as an All-Star captain?
