This year's National Basketball Association All-Star has promised a unique twist that rests on the shoulders of two players.
Last October 2017, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the NBA All-Star game will feature two teams that, for the first time, are not the Eastern and Western conferences. Instead, the top two players leading the All-Star voting will be "drafting" all-stars from the pool of selected players.
The voting is separated by conference. Within each conference, there will be categories of frontcourt and backcourt. The top two backcourt players in the East and West will be viable All-Star starters. The same goes for the top three backcourt players, amounting to a total of 10 all-star starters.
The next set of vote-getters will be classified as reserves. There will be 14 reserves in total in the All-Star draft.
The latest news on the All-Star voting ballot revealed that Cavaliers superstar LeBron James leads the Eastern Conference with 1,622,838 votes. On the other hand, Steph Curry from the Golden State Warriors comes in first in the Western Conference with 1,369,658 votes.
After facing off in the last three NBA Finals, these two superstars leading the voting is by no surprise. This could also potentially mean that Curry and James will be shaping the outlook of the All-Star game rosters.
Milwaukee Bucks' "Greek Freak" Giannis Antetokounmpo and Cameron native, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, are the other two top vote-getters in the East frontcourt.
On the other hand, the top two in the East's guards category are Boston Celtics star, Kyrie Irving, and prolific scorer, DeMar Derozan of the Toronto Raptors.
In the Western Conference, Steph Curry is accompanied by reigning Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets superstar James Harden.
Reigning Finals MVP, Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors, leads the West's frontcourt. He is accompanied by New Orleans' versatile star, Anthony Davis, and another Warriors star, Draymond Green.
No one knows what's going inside the two superstars' mind. However, there's a high chance that James and Curry will be choosing players that they are close with. For instance, James might choose Irving, while Curry might choose Durant as their first picks.
While the potential draft of Curry and James might cause high television ratings, Silver announced that it will not be televised.
"Yes, it would be more fun if we had [a televised draft]. On the other hand, I recognize that in picking a team to perform in the here and now, it's a little different than drafting," said Silver in an interview with The Starters.
The All-Star game is set to happen on Feb. 18 in Los Angeles, California.
