The NBA All-Star Weekend has officially arrived, and Cleveland is ready for the action. The mid-season classic, which is set to kick off tonight with the Celebrity All-Star Game, also includes the NBA Skills Competiton which will be Saturday, February 19, and then will conclude with the actual All-Star Game on Sunday, February 20.
The All-Star Game, which features Team LeBron vs Team Durant for the second year in a row, will see the game’s best players take to the court in what should be an epic showdown. LeBron James and Kevin Durant, the namesakes for the two teams, were chosen by the fans via a vote to represent the two respective teams. Both Durant and James recently “drafted” the players for their teams, and it was not without drama.
During a live broadcast on TNT, the two players (remotely) picked various star players one by one, in the style of an elementary school dodgeball game during Phys Ed class. After James chose Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo with the first pick, Durant chose Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns.
The two went back-and-forth drafting star players for their All-Star teams until it was down to two players: 76ers star James Harden and Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert. Having to face the choice between the two players, Durant refused to pick his former teammate Harden to join his team, instead opting for Gobert. Harden, who left Durant’s Nets to join the rival 76ers, went to Team LeBron by default as the final pick.
Here's the moment Kevin Durant picked Rudy Gobert over James Harden with his final #NBAAllStar draft pick.
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— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 11, 2022
“I’m gonna need some size, and some defense on the interior,” a stone-faced Durant said while making his choice. “Especially with Giannis and LeBron James playing such great basketball this year. I need somebody to offset that. So I’m gonna go with Rudy Gobert.”
Durant notably made no mention of Harden’s trade or drama with his former team, instead claiming that the reason for his decision was valuing size and defense. All the while, James and the TNT broadcast panel laughed hysterically at Durant’s refusal to pick Harden.
Durant, who notably will not be playing in the All-Star Game himself due to a sprained MCL sustained on January 15, selected Cleveland Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen to take his place in the big game. Allen, a former Nets teammate with Durant, was traded to Cleveland in January 2021, in the same trade that brought James Harden to Brooklyn.
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