The 69th edition of the NBA’s All-Star game is set to be played in Chicago’s United Center, over the course of a weekend from February 14 to February 16. Previously, the game’s captains, starters and reserves were revealed, but tonight the teams will be officially drafted.
How to watch
The draft will begin at 7 p.m. ET and will be featured on TNT in a special 2020 NBA All-Star Draft, which is presented by Jordan Brand. Fans who with a cable subscription can also watch the draft on TNTDrama.com, but will need to sign in with their cable provider in order to view the stream.
Additionally, fans will be able to stream the event on different live streaming services such as Hulu with Live TV, FuboTV and Sling TV.
How draft works
In order to fulfill the 12-man roster, James and Antetokounmpo will draft players in two separate rounds, without regard for a player’s conference affiliation. The eight starters will be drafted in the first round and the 14 reserves will be drafted in the second round. Since James received the most fan votes for the game, he will be given the first pick of the first round (starters), and Antetokounmpo will have first pick in the second round (reserves).
James and Antetokounmpo will alternate draft picks in each of the two rounds until all of the players are chosen and they fulfill the 12-man roster.
Pool of players
James and Antetokounmpo were awarded the captain title because they received the most fan votes. The starters (first round) and the reserves (second round) are listed below.
Eastern Conference (starters)
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Western Conference (starters)
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
Eastern Conference (reserves)
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Western Conference (reserves)
Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets
Damian Lillard, Portland Trailblazers
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Chris Paul, Oklahoma City Thunder
Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
The NBA All-Star game draft began in 2018, when the league decided to change the format of the game from a classic Eastern vs. Western conference showdown, to captains choosing players with no regard to a player’s conference affiliation. In addition to this change, the league added another new aspect for 2020, in an effort to honor former NBA legend Kobe Bryant following his recent death.
The changes to this year’s game are as follows:
Each of the first three quarters, which will be 12 minutes long, will start with a score of 0-0. The winners of each of the first three quarters will be awarded $100,000 per quarter to donate to a Chicago-based charity, which will be chosen by the team’s captains.
At the end of the third quarter, the scores from each quarter will be combined, setting the stage for the fourth quarter. At the start of the fourth quarter, the game clock will be turned off, and a target score will be set by adding 24 points to the leading team’s cumulative score, a tribute to one of Bryant’s jersey numbers. For example, if the leading team has a total score from the first three quarters of 100, the target score will become 124, and the first team to hit this score wins the game.
In addition to the $100,000 per quarter, the winner of the entire game will be awarded an additional $200,000 for the Chicago charity of their choice.
The NBA’s All-Star game will tip off on Sunday, February 16 at 8 p.m. ET.
