Moments before LeBron James and Kevin Durant took the court at the Staples Center, the NBA announced that both forwards would be captains for next month's all-star game in Atlanta, Georgia. In the western conference, James will be joined by 2021 NBA All-Star Game starters Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. Meanwhile, Durant will be joined by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving and Bradley Beal.
As the captains for this year's all-star game, Durant and James will draft the reserves for their respective teams on March 4. The two will have a pool of talented players to choose from that will more than likely include James Harden, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum and Trae Young. The final list of all-star reserves will be determined on February 23,
Prior to announcing the captains for this year's game, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver shared that the league will continue to use the Elam rule to honor the late Kobe Bryant. Under this rule, teams will have to meet a target score that is 24 points more than the leading team scored heading into the fourth quarter. For example, if the score is 134-128 heading into the fourth quarter, one team must score 158 points to win.
In addition, the league has announced that proceeds from the game will go toward different charitable efforts. Most notably, the league will donate $2.5 million to historically Black colleges and universities and COVID-19 relief. More recently, the league has announced that a limited amount of fans will be in attendance for the event.
The 2021 NBA All-Star Game is set to take place on March 7 in Atlanta, Georgia at the Phillips Arena.
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