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Sports

The biggest snubs, plus which reserves should have been named starters?

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The 2021-22 NBA All-Star player pool is set after the NBA announced the Eastern and Western Conference reserves on Thursday night. The West reserves were led by two sets of teammates — Phoenix’s Chris Paul and Devin Booker and Utah’s Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell — with Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) rounding out the list. Two first-time All-Star guards headline the East reserves in Cleveland’s Darius Garland and Toronto’s Fred VanVleet to go along with veterans Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat), James Harden (Brooklyn Nets), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics).

Team captain LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) and Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) will now select their respective teams on Feb. 10.

Which player having a historic season got snubbed? Who might end up being selected last by James or Durant? Our NBA Insiders break down the All-Star storylines, snubs, surprise picks and look ahead to next week’s draft.

MORE: NBA All-Star Game 2022: Latest news, starters and updates

1. Who is the biggest All-Star snub?

Tim Bontemps: Jrue Holiday should’ve been the second Buck selected to the All-Star Game, not Middleton. Holiday is one of the best defensive guards in the league, and is bordering on shooting 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. Middleton is a very good player, but hasn’t been at the same level this year. Jarrett Allen arguably has been the best Cav this year, too, and also should’ve made it.

Kevin Pelton: Nobody. At some point “snub” changed from meaning an intentional, dismissive oversight to being used to describe any player who doesn’t get picked. There’s nobody who obviously should have been picked for the game and wasn’t. Of that group, I think Allen and Holiday were the most deserving candidates — ahead of their teammates Garland and Middleton, who were chosen.

Jamal Collier: Allen has been the anchor for the best defense in the conference and one of the main reasons the Cavaliers have been one of the surprise teams in the East. It was a surprise to see the second-best center in the conference behind Joel Embiid left off the team, especially in favor of other offensive-minded wings who are having somewhat underwhelming seasons by their standards.

Bobby Marks: My initial reaction was the Suns’ Mikal Bridges, but it is hard to make an argument against the Western Conference reserves that were selected. Plus, Bridges has a strong chance to be named as a replacement with Green not playing. That leaves the Hornets’ Miles Bridges as the biggest surprise. The Hornets are over .500 and should have seen at least Bridges or his teammate LaMelo Ball selected as a reserve. Miles Bridges is a strong favorite for Most Improved Player and is averaging 19.9 points and 7.2 rebounds on 48.6% from the field.

Andrew Lopez: San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray has been having an outstanding season so far. Murray is averaging 19.6 points, 9.1 assists, 8.5 rebounds and two steals a game this season, numbers that no player has averaged throughout a full NBA season. He’s looking to be just the third player in NBA history to average eight assists, eight rebounds and two steals, joining Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan.

2. What about the biggest surprise pick?

Pelton: Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins was a legitimate candidate, but I’m still a little surprised he got enough support from the media panel and player voting to be chosen a starter ahead of Green and Gobert — both of whom finished better than Wiggins in those two categories.

Collier: Middleton is having a fine season, but I thought Holiday, his teammate and fellow Olympic gold medal winner, was a more deserving pick for Milwaukee’s second All-Star. Holiday has really rebounded after getting off to a slow start because of injuries, averaging 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds on 55% from the field and 45% from 3 since the start of December, while continuing to be one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Behind Antetokounmpo, Holiday has been the Bucks’ next most impactful player.

Bontemps: Middleton over both Holiday and Allen.

Marks: No offense to Middleton, but did the Eastern Conference head coaches make their selection based on last year’s playoffs? Granted, Middleton did not have an offseason because of the Bucks’ deep playoff run and the Olympics, but the guard’s production has dropped off from the prior two seasons. I guess that championship equity carries over to the next season.

Lopez: Looking at the Eastern Conference reserves, the biggest surprise is that there aren’t any big men among the selections. Cleveland was rewarded by having Garland selected, but teammate Allen probably should have been selected too.

3. Who is your first and your last pick in the draft?

Marks: If you polled NBA front offices right now, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic would be the two players that they would want to build around. It’s a coin flip, but it is hard not to take the Finals MVP in Antetokounmpo. Not to pile on, but Antetokounmpo’s teammate Middleton should be the last player selected in the draft.

Collier: Giannis would be my first pick; he’s still the most dominant force in the league, putting together another season worthy of MVP consideration. Following his Finals performance last year, he deserves this honor, as well. Starters get drafted first, so I can’t technically pick Wiggins last, so I’d have to take Gobert with the final pick. It’s an All-Star game, I’m not here for rim protection.

Bontemps: The first pick is Antetokounmpo. In a game full of fast breaks and dunks, why not take the guy who can do both by himself, and better than anyone else? The last one is Gobert, simply because his game is not suited for a game where defense, even with some of the recent rule changes, is optional at best.

Pelton: My first pick is going to be Antetokounmpo, last year’s All-Star MVP and the best non-center on the board. My last pick would be Gobert, an incredibly valuable player during real games (see my answer to question five) whose defensive value doesn’t translate as well in an All-Star setting.

Lopez: I can’t pick the kid from Akron since he’ll be making the picks, so let’s go with two-time MVP Antetokounmpo, who has averaged 28.8 points in the All-Star Game, first all-time among players with five or more games. His 144 points is already 23rd all-time for total points in the midseason contest. Picking VanVleet last seems like it would add another chip on his shoulder, which would make for a fun All-Star experience.

4. Which first-time All-Star is poised to repeat next season?

Lopez: Not only should Ja Morant be poised to repeat next season as an All-Star, he might just be poised to be an All-Star starter for years to come. Part of being a starter is having the fan vote behind you, and that’s certainly something that’ll be in Morant’s corner.

Collier: Morant. Barring injury, it feels like you can pencil in his name for the next few years.

Marks: Get used to seeing Morant in the All-Star Game for the foreseeable future. The guard is not only having an All-Star season, but should receive votes for MVP and also see his name on one of the All-NBA teams. The Grizzlies roster is also sustainable to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference, only helping Morant’s All-Star case.

Pelton: Morant. Barring injury, Morant should be a fixture at All-Star going forward.

Bontemps: In order to not pick Morant again, I’ll pick from the reserves and say Garland by a hair over VanVleet, only because he’s going to likely put up bigger stats between the two of them. VanVleet is a terrific story, though, as the only fourth undrafted All-Star, and is more than deserving of making it.

5. Which reserve should have been a starter?

Marks: First, can we just do away with positions and select the best five overall players when it comes to the starters? The easy pick for me is Booker. Though he was selected as a reserve, Booker is not only playing for the best team in the NBA but is having one of his more efficient seasons, averaging 25.4 points on 38% from 3.

Collier: Booker. This isn’t a situation where front court or back court should matter. Add a third guard into the West lineup and get Booker in to replace Wiggins, which also gives the Suns, the team with the NBA’s best record, a starter.

Bontemps: Gobert. Wiggins shouldn’t have been an All-Star, let alone a starter. He’s had a very nice year, but Gobert or Green, who won’t play due to injury, should’ve been the third West starter in the front court alongside Jokic and James.

Pelton: Gobert. He was one of my frontcourt picks, and while I also had a pair of different starters in the backcourt (Paul and VanVleet), the difference between them and the players’ chosen starters is marginal at best. Gobert was a clear choice to me.

Lopez: It’s hard to argue against Morant or Stephen Curry in the backcourt for the Western Conference, but this seems more like a case where positions could be dropped because it sure feels like Doncic should be among the starters more than Wiggins.

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Sports

Matt LaFleur says he’ll consider putting starters on special teams to fix woes

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Two big special teams blunders and yet another mistake on the game-winning field goal from Robbie Gould proved to be critical turning points for the Green Bay Packers in their loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

A blocked 39-yard field goal try at the end of the second quarter kept the Packers from taking a 10-0 lead into halftime. A blocked punt with five minutes remaining was returned for a touchdown by Talanoa Hufanga to tie the game at 10-10 and breathe life into the 49ers. Then as Gould setup for the game-winning 45-yard field goal attempt, the Packers had just 10 defenders on the field as Gould sent the 49ers through to the NFC Championship game.

The Packers finished the season ranked last in the NFL in long-time NFL writer Rick Gosselin’s respected special teams rankings list. The shortcomings in that area came back to bite the Packers at the worst time and end their Super Bowl aspirations early.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur knows it’s an area they have to devote energy to fix moving forward. Via Tom Silverstein and Kassidy Hill of PackersNews.com, LaFleur said he’s going to consider putting starters out on special teams units if he thinks it will help make a difference.

“That’s gonna be something that I wanna do some studies around the league and see how many teams operate that way,” LaFleur said. “Does it have some inherent risk? Absolutely.”

An illustration of that risk comes in the fact the Packers lost running back A.J. Dillon to a fractured rib while blocking on a kickoff return in the third quarter. Using key offensive or defensive players on special teams units will carry that risk.

However, making such critical mistakes regularly on special teams carries its own risk in that a blunder will occur at an incredibly critical moment.

“That’ll be a big-time priority for us moving forward is to not allow something like this to happen again, because it’s really disappointing when our defense goes out there and really dominates for four quarters,” LaFleur said.

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Sports

Alabama Crimson Tide receivers Slade Bolden, John Metchie III to enter NFL draft; four defensive starters to return

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Alabama wide receivers Slade Bolden and John Metchie III will enter the NFL draft, while linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, defensive lineman DJ Dale, safeties DeMarcco Hellams and Jordan Battle and offensive guard Emil Ekiyor Jr. are returning to the team for their senior seasons.

Bolden, To’oTo’o, Dale and Hellams announced their intentions on social media on Friday. Sources told ESPN’s Chris Low of the decisions of Metchie, Battle and Ekiyor.

Metchie led the Tide with 96 catches this season for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns before tearing his ACL in the SEC championship game win over Georgia on Dec. 4. He is rated as Mel Kiper Jr.’s eighth-best draft eligible wide receiver.

Bolden was fourth on the team in receiving yards with 408 and had three receiving touchdowns. He and Metchie are part of a receiving corps that will lose at least four of its top five receivers.

Jameson Williams, who led the team with 1,572 yards, Metchie, Bolden and running back Brian Robinson Jr. are all off to the NFL.

To’oTo’o transferred to Alabama from Tennessee before the 2021 season. He was the No. 47 recruit in the 2019 class and signed with the Vols out of De La Salle High School in Concord, California.

“I loved my experience this past season, but things didn’t end how any of us wanted,” To’oTo’o said on social media. “We didn’t achieve our ultimate goal, and I can’t leave my brothers now knowing that we have unfinished business to attend to. Let’s get to work in 2022.”

He was second on the team at Tennessee in total tackles his freshman season with 72, along with five tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. He then led the team in tackles during the 2020 season, accounting for 76 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1 interception and 2 quarterback hurries.

He made an immediate impact at Alabama, earning a starting linebacker position and tallied 112 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. He earned second-team All-SEC and is now returning to a linebacking unit that has some important players coming back, including Will Anderson Jr. and true freshman Dallas Turner.

Dale had 18 tackles, including four for a loss this past season. Hellams was third on Alabama’s team in tackles (87) and also had three interceptions. Battle was fourth in tackles this season with 84 and also had three interceptions.

Ekiyor, a redshirt junior, started every game at right guard this season.

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Sports

No. 14 Tennessee missing two starters against No. 19 Alabama

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TUSCALOOSA — No. 14 Tennessee will be missing both five-star freshman point guard Kennedy Chandler and sixth-year senior forward John Fulkerson in tonight’s SEC opener at No. 19 Alabama after the two players tested positive for COVID-19.

The game between the Vols (9-2) and Crimson Tide (9-3) is set for a 9 p.m. Eastern Time start (TV: ESPN2) at Coleman Coliseum.

Both Chandler and Fulkerson showed symptoms when they returned to campus Sunday from a brief Christmas break and were issued a COVID test. Assistant coach Justin Gainey is also out for the Vols due to the SEC’s COVID protocol. Both Chandler and Fulkerson are expected to be available next week, when Tennessee hosts Ole Miss on January 5 at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Chandler leads Tennessee in scoring (14.0 points per game), minutes (29.6), assists (58), steals (22), field goals made (60) and field goals attempted (135). He’s shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from the 3-point line.

Fulkerson had a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds in a dominant performance last week, leading the Vols to a 77-73 win over then-No. 6 and undefeated Arizona at Thompson-Boling Arena. The sixth-year senior forward averages 9.9 points and is the team’s leading rebounder, at 6.6 per game.

The SEC last week announced changes to its COVID protocol, ruling that teams need seven available players and at least one member of the coaching staff to play a game. If a game can’t be played, it will be either rescheduled or ruled a no contest. 

Previously it was ruled a forfeit loss for a team that could not play due to COVID and a forfeit win for the opposition.

“I think you should go play,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said of the league’s changes. “I think it speaks volumes to your team when you know, yeah, we might not have our full deck with us, but we believe in you guys, you’re on scholarship. So we will always try with everything we do to go play a game. Whether it’s here or on the road. 

“That’s how we feel about it. I just think if you’ve got enough, you owe it to everybody involved to do the right thing, and that’s people that have bought tickets for the games … if you have enough, you owe it to them to go play.”

After hosting Arizona on Wednesday, the Vols had a Christmas break until their return to campus on Sunday. They held a practice Sunday night and were scheduled to practice again Monday afternoon, before traveling to Tuscaloosa on Tuesday.

Barnes said there’s obvious concern anytime players leave campus, as COVID numbers rise across the country and other basketball programs pause team activities due to positive tests.

“But I do think our guys really do try to be responsible as much as they possibly can, when you leave,” Barnes said. “I’ve always said it’s important, if you get a chance, at all possible to be with your family at Christmas, it’s the right thing to do.”

Last week, after Tennessee’s game against Memphis on December 18 was cancelled at the last minute due to COVID positives within the Memphis program, Barnes said 15 of Tennessee’s 17 players have received the COVID vaccine. 

“When you get outside of the bubble that we have created here,” Barnes said on Monday “yeah, you’re always concerned about it. But we’ll always do the right thing.”



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Entertainment

Tom Thibodeau rips Knicks starters after ugly loss

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Tom Thibodeau appears to be growing tired of his starters’ struggles. Derrick Rose sounded the alarm, that everyone needs to find the urgency button.

After their third straight home loss, and fourth in five games, the Knicks weren’t treating this as just another defeat. This 112-100 setback to the shorthanded defending-champion Bucks didn’t sit well. Alternating wins and losses isn’t good enough, and not being able to protect their home court won’t get it done.

“You know what they say. When it’s 10 games, you say we need 20,” Thibodeau said, when asked how long it should take for his starters to find cohesion. “When it’s 20, you say 30, When it’s 30, you say it’s 40. Before you know it, the season’s over. It’s a bunch of bull—t.”

The first unit, sluggish and passive, dug the Knicks (7-5) a 24-point hole. The starters played poorly in the first half and were worse in the third quarter, hearing loud boos from the angry crowd. RJ Barrett posted a minus-28 rating. Julius Randle was minus-26. Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, who managed just two points apiece, were minus-22. The group settled for long jumpers, didn’t defend the 3-point line and spent too much time watching Randle isolate.

“We didn’t play well. That’s it,” Thibodeau said. “We got to figure it out.”

Thibodeau responded by benching the unit over the final 14:01. In their place, the Rose-led reserves played spirited basketball, rallying the Knicks back to even. They played with energy and intensity, forcing turnovers, moving the ball, flying all over the court. Ultimately, the group ran out of gas and fell short in an avalanche of Bucks’ 3-pointers.

Tom Thibodeau
N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

“We try to ease into games, we try to get a feel instead of being aggressive,” Rose said. “A lot of times you have to be the aggressor, let people know you’re there. That’s not only the starting five, that’s the bench coming in playing lackadaisical, like nonchalant. We picked it up late, but that’s everybody. We’re not that good to give people confidence. We got to come out and be the hardest-working team. We got to learn soon.”

The loss continued their recent problems at home. The Knicks are now 2-4 at the Garden and 5-1 on the road. Nobody had an explanation for that concerning trend. Their perimeter defense remained a major problem, too, allowing the Bucks to shoot 52 percent (26 of 50) from deep. Reserve Pat Connaughton hit eight of them and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had 15 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. Rose led the Knicks with 22 points, seven assists and three steals, and Immanuel Quickley had 18 points.

At one point, the Knicks trailed by 24. Even the shots of Celebrity Row showed disappointed faces. But when Thibodeau went to his bench, the somber atmosphere eventually turned raucous.

After Alec Burks’ 3-pointer hit every part of the rim before dropping in, it became deafening at MSG. That 24-point deficit was now four, following a furious 21-3 run. A few possessions later, Quickley got the Knicks all the way even at 89, hitting a step-back 3-pointer with 5:06 left. But the Bucks answered from deep and built their lead back into double figures after three straight Connaughton 3s.

“I’m still trying to process it. It’s hard losing games, period,” Rose said. “When you’re that close, it makes it even harder. It sucks. It really sucks. We got to be able to learn from our mistakes and that’s coming with [more] urgency.”



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Sports

49ers rookie QB Trey Lance gets real reps with starters

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There was a somewhat new sight when the 49ers’ first-team offense took the field in a move-the-ball period of their joint practice with the Chargers. Rookie quarterback Trey Lance was under center, and it wasn’t just for one running play. He guided the offense for eight plays before that portion of practice was cut short according to reports from the Chargers’ facility.

Lance wasn’t limited to just throwing and handing off though. The team mixed in some designed runs, which we didn’t see during the preseason opener against the Chiefs.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Thursday hinted that Lance may start seeing more first-team reps, and Friday after practice on KNBR in San Francisco, he explained why the rookie got his first real starters reps in the joint session with the Chargers.

“I really wanted him to go against some of these players,” Shanahan said. “I mean, I wanted him to be in there with (Chargers DE Joey) Bosa rushing, and going against (Chargers DB) Derwin (James), and really their first team. And I plan on doing that randomly. And I wanted to make sure that I did it today to get him started. Especially going against a different team. We rotate our receivers in there so much. I mean, if you look at our twos and threes you’re still gonna see Kittle out there depending on the play. You’re gonna see Deebo, you’re gonna see Aiyuk. The only thing we really keep consistent with that is the quarterback and the O-line, so it doesn’t really matter that much who’s he’s with.

“But to me it does matter who he’s going against and having a chance to go against a different team today I wanted to make sure, at least an unscripted period where we gotta move the ball a little bit, that I gave it to him.”

Lance’s action with the starting unit isn’t likely an indicator that he’ll take over for Jimmy Garoppolo any time soon. Shanahan has said the plan is to play Lance in certain packages even if Garoppolo is the starter. That would mean reps against a starting defense in the preseason would be beneficial so that his first look at a first-team unit isn’t his first regular season action.

It’s intriguing though that Shanahan has come off his stance that Lance wouldn’t get any first-team reps until the coaching staff felt he’d earned them. It’s clear the rookie is progressing, which is a huge plus for San Francisco even if he doesn’t win the starting job by Week 1. Lance is a long-term investment, and his early development could pay big dividends in the future.

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Sports

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Shohei Ohtani lead way for All-Star Game starters

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Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. are heading to their first All-Star Game — as starters.

The three headline stars of 2021 dominated the second phase of fan voting at their respective positions to earn starting spots for the 91st All-Star Game scheduled for July 13 at Coors Field in Denver. Guerrero and Tatis were the leading vote-getters in each league, while Ohtani finished with the second-highest percentage in the American League.

Ohtani, voted in as the AL’s designated hitter, has thrilled fans all season with his two-way performance, long home runs and electrifying speed on the bases. He leads the majors with 28 home runs, including an MLB-leading 12 of 425 feet or more. He’s hitting .277, leads the majors with 49 extra-base hits and ranks third in the majors with 63 RBIs. Ohtani is also tied for the AL lead with four triples and has stolen 11 bases.

While Ohtani had a disastrous start pitching Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium when he failed to finish the first inning, he is still 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA, 83 strikeouts and a .194 batting average allowed over 60 innings. Not since Babe Ruth in 1919, and briefly with Ohtani in 2018 before he underwent Tommy John surgery, has the sport seen such a dominant two-way player.

“He’s a joy for this,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said after Ohtani hit two home runs on Tuesday. “He’s what baseball needs as both a player and as an example.”

Ohtani was on fire at the plate in June, hitting .309 with 13 home runs, including 11 homers in 13 games from June 15 to June 29.

“He’s a generational talent, that’s for sure,” said fellow All-Star starter Aaron Judge of the Yankees.

Ohtani has also committed to participate in the Home Run Derby on July 12, with Pete Alonso of the Mets defending his title.

The runner-up in the Home Run Derby as a rookie in 2019, Guerrero makes his first All-Star team after securing 75% of the vote among the three AL finalists at first base. The 22-year-old is in pursuit of a Triple Crown, leading the AL with 66 RBIs, ranking second to Ohtani with 26 home runs and trailing Michael Brantley in batting average, .340 to .336.

He gets to his first All-Star Game two years before his Hall of Fame father, as Vladimir Guerrero Sr. made the first of his nine All-Star appearances at age 24.

Tatis has had a roller coaster of a season, missing nine games early on after partially dislocating his shoulder on a swing on April 5, hitting .163 through his first 12 games and then later missing another 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19. When he has played, however, he has crushed the ball, leading the National League with 26 home runs in just 63 games while hitting .300/.387/.705 for an MLB-leading 1.092 OPS.

Tatis beat out Javier Baez of the Cubs and Brandon Crawford of the Giants at shortstop with 64% of the vote, matching Guerrero as a first-time All-Star at 22.

After an initial round of fan voting, the top three at each position entered the second phase. Ohtani beat out J.D. Martinez and Yordan Alvarez at designated hitter with 64% of the vote, while Guerrero outdistanced Yuli Gurriel and Jose Abreu with 75%.

The other starters:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

C: Salvador Perez, Royals (seventh All-Star Game). He earns his sixth starting assignment.

2B: Marcus Semien, Blue Jays (first). With 20 home runs, he beat out Jose Altuve.

3B: Rafael Devers, Red Sox (first). He’s hitting .288 with 20 home runs and an MLB-leading 69 RBIs.

SS: Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox (third). He edged out Bo Bichette and Carlos Correa to receive his second All-Star start.

OF: Mike Trout, Angels (ninth). He’s out until after the All-Star break with a calf injury and will be replaced in the starting lineup.

OF: Aaron Judge, Yankees (third). He also started in 2017 and 2018.

OF: Teoscar Hernandez, Blue Jays (first). He barely edged out the injured Byron Buxton for the third spot.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

C: Buster Posey, Giants (seventh). After sitting out 2020, Posey is hitting .330 with 12 home runs and will start for the first time since 2017.

1B: Freddie Freeman, Braves (fifth). The 2020 NL MVP has been heating up of late and beat out Max Muncy and Anthony Rizzo.

2B: Adam Frazier, Pirates (first). Frazier entered Thursday hitting .327 and becomes the first Pirates player voted in as a starter since Andrew McCutchen in 2015 (Josh Bell started at DH in 2019).

3B: Nolan Arenado, Cardinals (sixth). The eight-time Gold Glover will make his fourth straight start at third base for the NL, although with a new team this time.

OF: Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves (second). The 23-year-old leads the NL in runs while ranking among the league leaders in home runs and steals.

OF: Nick Castellanos, Reds (1st). He began Thursday leading the majors in batting average (.346), hits (102) and doubles (27).

OF: Jesse Winker, Reds (1st). Winker and Castellanos will become the first Reds outfielders to start an All-Star Game since Ken Griffey Jr. in 2007. Winker edged out Mookie Betts for the third spot.

The rest of the All-Star rosters, chosen through a combination of player voting and commissioner’s office selections, will be announced on July 4 at 5:30 ET on ESPN.

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2021 NBA All-Star Game starters announced: LeBron James, Kevin Durant lead way as team captains

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The 2021 NBA All-Star Game was originally cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the league has reversed course and decided to hold a one-night event in Atlanta on March 7 — despite objections from a number of players who will be involved and the city’s mayor. 

We won’t know the full teams until next week, but on Thursday night we did learn the starters. Here’s a look at the 10 players who were chosen by a combination of voting from fans, media and other players. LeBron James and Kevin Durant were named captains by virtue of being the leading vote-getters in each conference. 

Once the reserves are announced on Feb. 23, LeBron and Durant will reconvene on March 4 to hold the annual All-Star Draft. Once again, the actual teams won’t be broken down by conference lines. Instead, LeBron and Durant will choose their teams pick-up game style. 

Western Conference

Eastern Conference

There was a bit of drama this year in determining the Western Conference starters. When the votes from all the different groups are tallied, each player ends up with a weighted score, and this year Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard finished in a tie. Doncic ended up getting the starting spot because he won the tiebreaker, which is based on fan voting. 

In addition to the actual game, the league is including the All-Star Saturday night events in one day. The Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will take place pre-game, while the Dunk Contest will be held at halftime. In addition, the league announced that they will honor Kobe Bryant during the All-Star Game by once again incorporating his jersey number — 24 — into the determination of the final target score. 

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