Steph Curry said he wanted to usher in a new era.
Now, he’ll have the chance.
On Thursday afternoon, the NBA announced that Curry and Cavaliers’ forward LeBron James will serve as the two captains for the 2018 All-Star Game after the two players received the highest share of All-Star votes from fans, players and media. The NBA altered its All-Star Game format this season so that two captains will have the opportunity to draft their respective rosters after the other 22 All-Stars are selected.
Curry said recently that he planned to embrace the role of being a captain, while teammate Kevin Durant said he wasn’t as interested in having to draft his All-Star teammates. Durant received the most votes of all Western Conference frontcourt players, and he’ll join Curry, James Harden, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins as starters from the West. Of course, it’s unlikely Curry drafts Harden, Davis, Cousins and Durant to his team, so the final starting lineups will likely be jumbled.
Warriors’ forward Draymond Green received the second-most fan votes among frontcourt players in the Western Conference, but player and media votes knocked Green out of the starting lineup. While fan votes account for 50 percent of the vote total, NBA media members hold 25 percent of the vote while NBA players possess the remaining 25 percent.
Green and Warriors’ guard Klay Thompson can make the All-Star Game as reserves, but NBA coaches determine the seven reserves for each conference. The Warriors are looking to become the first team in NBA history to have four players in the All-Star Game in back-to-back seasons.