NBA All-Star Game starters announced

Basketball fans around the world, prepare yourselves for a night of high flying, posterizing, slam dunk action as the NBA All-Star weekend (hosted at Orlando’s Amway Center) draws closer and closer. The weekend that was in danger of being cancelled due to the NBA lockout, is almost finally upon us. February 26^th couldn’t come faster as the starting line-ups for the Eastern and Western Conference All-Stars were announced by the NBA.

Eastern Conference All-Stars

Point Guard: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls – Last season’s NBA Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year back in his debut season (2009) will lead the charge for the East. This is his 3^rd appearance in the All-Star Game. This 6’3” guard has taken the NBA by storm, leading the Bulls to the Eastern Conference finals last season with 62 wins in the regular season (the first since Michael Jordan’s last season with the Bulls). He is hard to miss on the court with the #1 jersey. Stats this season – PPG: 23.5, RPG: 3.4, APG: 8

Shooting Guard: Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat – ‘The Flash’ will be a potent weapon for the East and is making his 8^th appearance in the All-Star Game. Do not be fooled by his 6’4” frame as he has always been right up there in the league in scoring points by the dozen. He is one of the quickest players on court, and his ability to draw fouls and get to the free throw line is stunning. The only issue with Wade is his weak three-point game. Stats this season – PPG: 20.3, RPG: 4.3, APG: 5.5

Small Forward: Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks – This is Melo’s 5^th appearance in the All-Star competition. The ex-Denver Nuggets star who led the team to their first conference final in more than two decades is now pulling the strings at New York. This 6’8” player is also skilled in the Power Forward position and in the post. He is one player associated with the term ‘clutch’, making many a game winning shot in his career. Stats this season – PPG: 23.8, RPG: 6.5, APG: 4.3

Power Forward: LeBron James, Miami Heat – King James is the second of the ‘Big Three’ from Miami to make it to the All-Star roster and this is also his 8^th appearance. The ex-Cleveland star that lifted the team to the NBA Finals for the first time ever and now teamed up with D-Wade in search of his first Championship ring has been putting in powerful performances this season and has outscored all the competition in the East this season. Triple-doubles are commonplace for this 6’8” athlete and he is a force to reckon with on defense. Stats this season – PPG: 29.7, RPG: 8.3, APG: 7.0

Center: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic – ‘Superman’ will be playing his 6^th All-Star game right in front of his home crowd. This 6’11” rebounding machine with a vertical leap of almost 40 inches is one of the most physically developed players currently playing in the NBA. With a leaping reach of 12-and-a-half feet (an NBA record), there’s absolutely no doubt why he leads the league in rebounds. His only weaknesses are his limited shooting range and low free throw conversion percentage (remember, Shaq had that problem too). Stats this season – PPG: 20.1, RPG: 15.4, APG: 2.1

Western Conference All-Stars

Point Guard: Chris Paul, LA Clippers – CP3 is arguably one of the best point guards in the league. He announced his arrival in the NBA by bagging the Rookie of the Year when he led the rookies’ table in points, assists and steals. A mainstay of the Hornets till last season, Paul was traded to the LA Clippers this season after protracted talks and immediately formed a lethal partnership with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Known for his signature high and arcing ‘Teardrop’ shot, this 6’0” guard is not afraid to drive into the lane and his superb vision has ensured he’s racked up his assists chart. Stats this season – PPG: 18.9, RPG: 3.3, APG: 9.1

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers – What does one need to say here? One of the most recognizable athletes in the world, this 6’6” legend will be playing in his 14^th All-Star game! One of few players to win a ‘three-peat’ (3 consecutive NBA titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002), speaks volumes about his abilities on the court. A wrist injury this season has not deterred his performances on the court and he leads the league in scoring. He maybe on the wrong side of 30, but that hasn’t stopped him from delivering MVP performances as he leads the charge for the Lakers in the quest for a playoff spot. He has also been voted the second best shooting guard in NBA history, only behind Michael Jordan. A prolific three-point shooter and known for his fade away jumpshots, he is one of the hardest players to guard. Stats this season – PPG: 30, RPG: 6.1, APG: 5.4

Small Forward: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder – A 6’9” player with a wingspan of 7’5”, he is also capable of playing as a Power Forward. He is another winner of the NBA Rookie of the Year award and will be making his 3^rd appearance in the All-Star game. He has led the NBA in scoring in the past 2 seasons and led the Thunder to the Conference Finals last season. He is one player with a good all round game who can destroy opponents with his skills. Stats this season – PPG: 26.6, RPG: 8.1, APG: 3.1

Power Forward: Blake Griffin, LA Clippers – At 6’10”, last season’s Rookie of the Year (although drafted in 2009, he missed the entire season due to a knee injury), is a human highlight reel! His monstrous dunks are fan favourites on YouTube and NBA’s ‘Play of the Day’ videos. Last year’s Slam Dunk contest winner (he jumped over a car for his final dunk) is a sight to behold when he soars towards the ring and is virtually unstoppable once he’s in the air! He is known for his play in the post and also the effective screen and roll. For a very tall player, he is actually quite good with the ball when it comes to dribbling and passing. This will be his 2^nd appearance in the All-Star game. Stats this season – PPG: 21.4, RPG: 10.9, APG: 2.9

Center: Andrew Bynum, LA Lakers – The 7-foot Bynum completes the LA quartet in this year’s team from the West. He made his debut in 2005 and became the youngest ever player to play in the NBA, six days after his 18^th birthday. Another player who was drafted into the NBA straight out of high school, he was trained by none other than the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Although he took his time to get settled in the Lakers team, and also with Bryant, he slowly made his mark as the years progressed. He even postponed a knee surgery so that he could play in the playoffs and help the Lakers win the 2010 NBA title. He is known for his infamous flagrant foul against the Mavericks in the Lakers’ final game last season, an act that got him suspended for the first 4 games this season. But he came back with a bang scoring 29 points in his first game and his first 20-20 game (21 points, 22 rebounds) against the Rockets. Stats this season – PPG: 16.5, RPG: 12.1, APG: 1.2

The Reserves will be announced soon. Once that is done, there is nothing to do but wait for the spectacle that is the All-Star Weekend!

All statistics taken from NBA.com