Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Today at 07:55 PM

It’s been a good couple of days for Hamilton’s finest.

Less than 24 hours after he set a new career-high of 54 points in a win, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named an NBA All-Star starter for a second consecutive year.

The league announced its full list of 2024-25 All-Star starters on Thursday night, and it was no surprise that the Canadian was amongst the elite group.

Gilgeous-Alexander is having a terrific season, averaging 32.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks through 42 games. The 26-year-old is an MVP front-runner thus far as he leads the league in scoring, ranks third in steals and is spearheading a juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder squad that’s tied for the best record in the NBA (36-7) and boasts the league’s sixth-ranked offence and top defence.

The Canadian’s efforts in leading the Thunder have rightfully been recognized as he saw an uptick in support this year. After finishing ninth overall in fan voting last year (fifth in the West, third in the West backcourt), he jumped a couple of spots in 2024-25. Gilgeous-Alexander received the seventh most fan votes (3.14 million) amongst all players this year, the fourth-most in the Western Conference and led all guards through both conferences.

He was one of just three players to rank first in fan, player and media voting this season, joining Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (West frontcourt) and Milwaukee Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokoumpo (East frontcourt).

Gilgeous-Alexander will start in the West backcourt alongside Stephen Curry, who will be making his 11th appearance which is now the most in Warriors franchise history. Joining the duo will be LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, who extends his record with a 21st consecutive selection.

He’ll be the first player ever to start an All-Star game at 40 years old and just the third player to make an appearance at that age. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it twice, at 40 and 41, while Dirk Nowitzki was a 40-year-old himself when he was selected in 2019 during his final season.

Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo headlines the East yet again.

The Bucks superstar has averaged 31.5 points (second in the NBA), 12.0 rebounds (sixth), 6.0 assists and 1.4 blocks (tied-16th) through 35 games. The now nine-time All-Star is also one of just nine players to attempt over 20 shots a night and leads all of them with a 60.5 field goal percentage.

Antentokounmpo has been an All-Star starter in each of the nine years he’s been selected and he now led all vote-getters for a third consecutive season, taking that mantle from James who held that distinction seven straight years (2017-2023).

The two-time MVP was also the only player to receive over four million fan votes this season.

Here’s the full list of starters for both conferences.

Eastern Conference

Backcourt:
• Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks — second selection)
• Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers — sixth selection)

Frontcourt:
• Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks — fifth selection)
• Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks — ninth selection)
• Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics — fifth selection)

Western Conference

Backcourt:
• Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors, 11th selection)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder, third selection)

Frontcourt:
• Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns, 15th selection)
• LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers, 21st selection)
• Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets, seventh selection)

Starters were selected based on voting comprised of fans (50 per cent), current NBA players (25 per cent) and a panel of media members (25 per cent). The seven reserves for each conference will be selected by head coaches later on.

The 74th edition of the All-Star game will be hosted by the Warriors and take place on Feb. 16 at Golden State’s Chase Center. The NBA will try yet another new format for the exhibition event this year, featuring a mini-tournament with four teams and three games.

Each team will consist of eight players. The 24 NBA All-Star selections will be divided evenly amongst three teams, with the rosters drafted by TNT commentators Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith on Feb. 6. The fourth team will be the winning squad from the championship game of the Rising Stars showcase — an event comprised of top first and second-year players along with G League standouts — and will be led by WNBA legend Candace Parker.

For each matchup of the three-game tournament, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 40 points.