© Isaiah J. Downing | 2019 Jan 15
OAKLAND, Calif. – Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and forward Kevin Durant have been named starters in the 68th NBA All-Star Game, the league announced today. Curry will make his sixth All-Star appearance and is the first Warriors player to be named an All-Star starter in six-consecutive seasons. This marks Durant’s tenth-straight All-Star appearance and his eighth time as a starter (2011-14, 2016-19). For the fourth time in five years, the Warriors will have two players start the All-Star game (Curry & Klay Thompson in 2015 and Curry & Durant in 2017, 2018 & 2019).
The two NBA All-Star captains (LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo) will draft the eight remaining players from the starter pool in the First Round and then all 14 players from the reserve pool in the Second Round, making selections without regard to a player’s conference affiliation or position. The team rosters for the 68th NBA All-Star Game will be revealed on TNT in a special NBA All-Star Draft Show on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 4 p.m. PT.
This season, Curry is averaging a team-high 29.3 points (second in the NBA), 5.6 assists (22nd), 5.2 rebounds and 1.22 steals in 34.3 minutes over 36 games (all starts). Earlier this year, he became the first player in NBA history to make at least eight three-point field goals in three consecutive games (9 vs. New Orleans, 1/16; 8 vs. Denver, 1/15; 11 at Dallas, 1/13). On January 11 vs. Chicago, Curry passed Jason Terry (2,282) for third on the NBA’s all-time three-point field goals made list. Curry started the season with five-or-more three-point makes in each of his first seven games, a new NBA record. He was named Week 2 and Week 8 Western Conference Player of the Week and has earned the weekly honor 14 times in his career.
Durant is averaging 28.0 points (fourth in the NBA), 7.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists (16th) and 1.13 blocks in 35.5 minutes in 47 games (all starts). On January 8, Durant became just the ninth player in NBA history to have recorded at least 22,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 900 blocks (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett). Durant has scored 20-or-more points in 34 of the last 35 games, including the last 20, the longest 20-point streak since joining the Warriors.
Curry has taken part in NBA All-Star Weekend in eight of his previous nine campaigns, averaging 17.0 points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.60 steals and 27.0 minutes in his five appearances in the All-Star Game (2014-18). Curry has also participated in the Three-Point Contest five times (2010, 2013-16)—winning the event in 2015 before finishing as runner-up to teammate Klay Thompson in 2016—in addition to the Shooting Stars Competition (2014 & 2015), the Rising Stars Challenge (2010 & 2011) and the Skills Challenge (won the event in 2011).
Durant has participated in NBA All-Star Weekend in all 11 of his previous seasons in the league, appearing in the Rising Stars Challenge in 2008 and 2009 before being named to the Western Conference All-Star Team in each of his last 10 campaigns. In nine appearances (seven starts) in the All-Star Game (2010-18), Durant owns averages of 24.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.77 steals in 27.1 minutes and was named All-Star Game MVP in 2012. The four-time NBA scoring champion is the only player in NBA history to score 30-or-more points in four consecutive All-Star games (2011-14). Durant has also participated in the Three-Point Contest (2011 & 2012) and the Shooting Stars Competition (2014) at NBA All-Star Weekend.
The Warriors own the best record in the Western Conference at 33-14 (.702) including an NBA-high 15 road wins (15-8). Golden State has won its last seven games on the road, becoming the first team in NBA history to win seven-or-more straight road games in six consecutive seasons.
Joining Curry and Durant in the starting lineups are Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Joel Embiid (76ers), Paul George (Thunder), James Harden (Rockets), Kyrie Irving (Celtics), LeBron James (Lakers), Kawhi Leonard (Raptors) and Kemba Walker (Hornets).
The 2019 NBA All-Star Game, featuring Team LeBron vs. Team Giannis, will take place on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. PT at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. TNT and ESPN Radio will air the game live in the United States. NBA All-Star 2019 will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.
