# 2019 NBA All-Star Game

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. 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.
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

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. Michael Malone, coach of the Denver Nuggets, was named as the head coach for Team LeBron.

### 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. 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.
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.
The All-Star Game reserves were announced on January 31, 2019. 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.
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.
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.
* Italics indicates leading vote-getters per conference
Eastern Conference All-Stars :
| Pos | Player | Team | No. of selections |
| Starters ||||
| 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 ||||
| G | Kyle Lowry | Toronto Raptors | 5 |
| G | Victor Oladipo | 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 | Miami Heat | 13 |
| G | D'Angelo Russell | Brooklyn Nets | 1 |
Western Conference All-Stars :
| Pos | Player | Team | No. of selections |
| Starters ||||
| 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 ||||
| 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 | Dallas Mavericks | 14 |
^INJ1 Victor Oladipo was unable to play due to a knee injury. ^REP1 D'Angelo Russell was selected as Victor Oladipo's replacement. ^SPL Special roster addition.

### 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. 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.
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.
2019 All-Star Draft :
| 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).

### Celebrity Game

The 2019 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game was played on Friday, February 15, 2019, at the Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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. 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. 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. The 2019 Celebrity All-Star Game MVP was won by Famous Los, who scored 22 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.
* 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

Team World :
| Pos. | 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 :
| Pos. | Player | Team | R/S |
| C | Jarrett Allen | Brooklyn Nets | Sophomore |
| F | Marvin Bagley III | Sacramento Kings | Rookie |
| G | Lonzo Ball | 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 | 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. ^REP Kevin Knox was selected as Lonzo Ball's replacement.
* 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 Dončić 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

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 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| Nikola Jokić (Denver) | Nikola Jokić (Denver) | O | | | | | | |
| Nikola Vučević (Orlando) | Nikola Vučević (Orlando) | X | | | | | | |
| Nikola Vučević (Orlando) | Nikola Vučević (Orlando) | X | Nikola Jokić (Denver) | Nikola Jokić (Denver) | X | | | |
| | | | Jayson Tatum (Boston) | Jayson Tatum (Boston) | O | | | |
| Mike Conley Jr. (Memphis) | Mike Conley Jr. (Memphis) | X | Jayson Tatum (Boston) | Jayson Tatum (Boston) | O | | | |
| Jayson Tatum (Boston) | Jayson Tatum (Boston) | O | | | | | | |
| Jayson Tatum (Boston) | Jayson Tatum (Boston) | O | | | | Jayson Tatum (Boston) | Jayson Tatum (Boston) | O |
| | | | | | | Trae Young (Atlanta) | Trae Young (Atlanta) | X |
| De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento) | De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento) | X | | | | | | | Trae Young (Atlanta) | Trae Young (Atlanta) | X |
| Trae Young (Atlanta) | Trae Young (Atlanta) | O | | | | | | |
| Trae Young (Atlanta) | Trae Young (Atlanta) | O | Trae Young (Atlanta) | Trae Young (Atlanta) | O | | | |
| | | | Luka Dončić (Dallas) | Luka Dončić (Dallas) | X | | | |
| Luka Dončić (Dallas) | Luka Dončić (Dallas) | O | Luka Dončić (Dallas) | Luka Dončić (Dallas) | X | | | |
| Kyle Kuzma (LA Lakers) | Kyle Kuzma (LA Lakers) | X | | | | | | |

### 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 | DNQ |
| G | Damian Lillard | Portland Trail Blazers | 6–3 | 195 | 17 | DNQ |
| F/C | Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks | 7–0 | 245 | 17 | DNQ |
| G | Seth Curry | Portland Trail Blazers | 6–2 | 185 | 16 | DNQ |
| G | Kemba Walker | Charlotte Hornets | 6–1 | 184 | 15 | DNQ |
| G/F | Khris Middleton | Milwaukee Bucks | 6–8 | 222 | 11 | DNQ |

### 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) | DNQ |