Warriors’ Green and Thompson headline reserves for 2016 NBA All-Star Game
NEW YORK – Draymond Green and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors headline the list of 14 players selected by the NBA’s head coaches as reserves for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game. Green, a first-time selection, and Thompson, an All-Star for the second year in a row, join Western Conference starter Stephen Curry of Golden State to give the NBA-leading Warriors (42-4) three All-Stars for the first time since the 1975-76 season.
The 65th NBA All-Star Game will be televised by TNT at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 14 from Air Canada Centre in Toronto, the first All-Star Game held outside the U.S. The game will be seen by fans in more than 200 countries and territories and will be heard in more than 40 languages. TNT will air the All-Star Game in the U.S. for the 14th straight year, marking Turner Sports’ 31st year of NBA All-Star coverage. Sportsnet ONE and TSN will simulcast the All-Star Game in Canada.
Along with Green and Thompson, the other West reserves are LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio Spurs), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans), James Harden (Houston Rockets) and Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers).
The Eastern Conference reserves are Chris Bosh (Miami Heat), Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls), DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors), Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Paul Millsap (Atlanta Hawks), Isaiah Thomas (Boston Celtics) and John Wall (Washington Wizards).
Curry, Green and Thompson comprise the Warriors’ first trio of All-Stars since Rick Barry, Phil Smith and Jamaal Wilkes 40 years ago. Green (14.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 7.2 apg) leads the NBA in triple-doubles with eight, while Thompson (20.9 ppg) ranks second in three-pointers made with 140.
Also for the West:
- Aldridge, in his first season with the Spurs (39-7), earns his fifth consecutive All-Star nod.
- Cousins, the only NBA player ranked in the top five in scoring (27.3 ppg) and rebounding (11.3 rpg), is an All-Star for the second straight season.
- Davis makes his third All-Star team in a row. He is the only NBA player averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.
- Harden, the NBA’s second-leading scorer (27.5 ppg), is making his fourth consecutive trip to the All-Star Game since joining the Rockets in 2012.
- Paul has been chosen as an All-Star for the ninth straight year. He owns the highest assist average in All-Star Game history (12.9 apg).
In the East, Drummond and Thomas have been named All-Stars for the first time. Drummond, who leads the NBA in rebounding (15.2 rpg) and double-doubles (38), is Detroit’s first All-Star selection since Allen Iverson in the 2008-09 season. Thomas, the 60th and final pick of NBA Draft 2011, is averaging career highs of 21.6 points (12th in the NBA) and 6.6 assists (ninth in the NBA).
Also for the East:
- Bosh, who spent his first seven seasons in Toronto, earns his 11th consecutive All-Star selection. Among active players, only Kobe Bryant (18 selections in a row), LeBron James (12) and Miami teammate Dwyane Wade (12) have longer current streaks.
- Butler, who is averaging a career-high 22.3 points (11th in the NBA), makes his second straight All-Star appearance.
- DeRozan, who is averaging a career-high 23.0 points (ninth in the NBA) and leads the league in points on drives, is an All-Star for the second time. DeRozan and Toronto teammate Kyle Lowry, an East starter, are set to become the first starting backcourt to play in the All-Star Game in their home city since the Los Angeles Lakers’ Jerry West and Gail Goodrich in 1972.
- Millsap is making his third consecutive trip to the All-Star Game since joining the Hawks in 2013. He is scoring a career-high 18.3 points per game in his 10th
- Wall, the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December, is an All-Star for the third year in a row.
The 14 reserves were chosen by the 30 NBA head coaches, who were asked to vote for seven players in their respective conferences — two guards, three frontcourt players and two additional players at any position. They were not permitted to vote for players from their own team.
The starters in both conferences were selected through NBA All-Star Voting 2016 presented by Verizon. The East starters are Dwyane Wade (Heat), Kyle Lowry (Raptors), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Paul George (Indiana Pacers) and Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks). The West starters are Stephen Curry (Warriors), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Kevin Durant (Thunder) and Kawhi Leonard (Spurs).
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will select the replacement for any player unable to participate in the All-Star Game. If the injured player is a starter, the head coach of that team will determine the replacement in the starting lineup.
The Spurs’ Gregg Popovich and his staff will coach the West All-Stars, while the Cavaliers’ Tyronn Lue and his staff will lead the East All-Stars.
NBA All-Star 2016 in Toronto will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. Along with the NBA All-Star Game, Air Canada Centre will also host the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 12 and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 13. Other events at NBA All-Star 2016 include the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and the NBA Development League All-Star Game presented by Kumho Tire.
The East and West rosters for the 65th NBA All-Star Game are below:
2016 EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
No. Player (Team) Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate Prior to NBA All-Star Selections
7 *Carmelo Anthony (New York) F 6-8 240 05/29/84 Syracuse 9
1 Chris Bosh (Miami) F 6-11 235 03/24/84 Georgia Tech 11
21 Jimmy Butler (Chicago) G 6-7 220 09/14/89 Marquette 2
10 DeMar DeRozan (Toronto) G 6-7 220 08/07/89 Southern Cal 2
0 #Andre Drummond (Detroit) C 6-11 279 08/10/93 Connecticut 1
13 *Paul George (Indiana) F 6-9 220 05/02/90 Fresno State 3
23 *LeBron James (Cleveland) F 6-8 250 12/30/84 St. Vincent/St. Mary HS 12
7 *Kyle Lowry (Toronto) G 6-0 205 03/25/86 Villanova 2
4 Paul Millsap (Atlanta) F 6-8 246 02/10/85 Louisiana Tech 3
4 #Isaiah Thomas (Boston) G 5-9 185 02/07/89 Washington 1
3 *Dwyane Wade (Miami) G 6-4 220 01/17/82 Marquette 12
2 John Wall (Washington) G 6-4 195 09/06/90 Kentucky 3
Head Coach: Tyronn Lue (Nebraska)
Assistant Coaches: Jim Boylan (Marquette); Bret Brielmaier (Arizona); Larry Drew (Missouri); James Posey (Xavier); Phil Handy (Hawaii), Mike Longabardi (Frostburg State)
Athletic Trainers: Scott McCullough and Ray Chow (Toronto Raptors)
2016 WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
No. Player (Team) Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate Prior to NBA All-Star Selections
12 LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio) F 6-11 240 07/19/85 Texas 5
24 *Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers) F 6-6 212 08/23/78 Lower Merion HS 18
15 DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento) C 6-11 270 08/13/90 Kentucky 2
30 *Stephen Curry (Golden State) G 6-3 190 03/14/88 Davidson 3
23 Anthony Davis (New Orleans) F 6-10 253 03/11/93 Kentucky 3
35 *Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City) F 6-9 240 09/29/88 Texas 7
23 #Draymond Green (Golden State) F 6-7 230 03/04/90 Michigan State 1
13 James Harden (Houston) G 6-5 220 08/26/89 Arizona State 4
2 *#Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio) F 6-7 230 06/29/91 San Diego State 1
3 Chris Paul (L.A. Clippers) G 6-0 175 05/06/85 Wake Forest 9
11 Klay Thompson (Golden State) G 6-7 215 02/08/90 Washington State 2
0 *Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City) G 6-3 200 11/12/88 UCLA 5
Head Coach: Gregg Popovich (Air Force Academy)
Assistant Coaches: Ime Udoka (Portland State); Chip Engelland (Duke); Chad Forcier (Seattle Pacific); Ettore Messina (Italy); James Borrego (San Diego); Becky Hammon (Colorado State)
Athletic Trainers: Will Sevening and Paul West (San Antonio Spurs)
*denotes starter
#denotes first-time selection