Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo named 2018 NBA All-Star starter

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named a starter for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, the league announced on Thursday, Jan. 18.

Across the NBA, Antetokounmpo received the most player votes (226), tied for the most media votes (99) and was second in fan voting (2,530,211). Antetokounmpo will be a starter in the All-Star Game for the second consecutive season. The 67th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 18, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

Giannis will become the first of the Milwaukee Bucks to start consecutive NBA All-Star games since 1979 and 1980.

In his fifth NBA season, Antetokounmpo is second in the NBA in scoring at 28.2 points per game while averaging career-highs in rebounds per game (10.1) and field goal percentage (.546). He’s one of only five players in the league this season averaging at least 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds a game, and is on pace to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players in Bucks history to average at least 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists for a season. Antetokounmpo is the first Buck since Marques Johnson (1979-80) to be named a starter in two straight All-Star Games.

 

Under a new All-Star Game format that replaces the traditional matchup between the Eastern and Western Conferences, the leading vote-getters from each conference (LeBron James and Stephen Curry) will now choose the rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves. Joining Antetokounmpo, Curry and James as starters in the 67th All-Star Game are DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

he All-Star Game reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The team rosters will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 25.