Who was selected as No. 1 starter by Giannis Antetokounmpo in the draft for 2023 NBA All-Star Game?
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the captain of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar will try to lead his team to a big victory in Salt Lake City, Utah as he plays against LeBron James' team.
With his first pick of the All-Star Game draft, Antetokounmpo selected Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. Team Giannis is coached by Joe Mazzulla, head coach of the Celtics.
It's important to note that both LeBron and Giannis first picked reserves for the game. While Tatum was Antetokounmpo's first pick as a starter, Damian Lillard was his first overall pick, who will come off the bench. Lillard won the 3-point competition on Saturday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo picked Jayson Tatum with his first pick in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game
Antetokounmpo is having a fantastic season with the Bucks, which is why it's no surprise that he was the top vote-getter in the Eastern Conference. It initially looked like Kevin Durant was going to finish first, but the 2-time MVP surpassed him in the end, earning 6.7 million votes in total.
This is the third time that Giannis has been named an All-Star Game captain. He had this honor in both 2019 and 2020, but he ended up losing to LeBron James both times.
Beating Team LeBron will be very difficult, but the Milwaukee Bucks forward is hoping to do it on Sunday night. With his first pick, Giannis picked a player who could help him score a lot of points, which is the right choice.
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LeBron James is 5-0 in the All-Star Games as captain. He's already beaten Giannis Antetokounmpo twice, which is why the 2023 matchup is even more exciting. The third time's a charm, so we'll see if that helps the Bucks star.
Here are Giannis' picks for reserves as well:
- Damian Lillard
- Jrue Holiday
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- DeMar DeRozan
- Pascal Siakam
- Bam Adebayo
- Domantas Sabonis
Previous picks by Team Giannis
Back in 2019, Giannis Antetokounmpo was named an All-Star Game captain for the first time. His first pick was Steph Curry, who ended up scoring 17 points on 6-for-23 shooting.
Giannis' second pick was Joel Embiid, who also had a poor performance with only 10 points. LeBron James, on the other hand, selected Kevin Durant with his first pick, who ended up winning the MVP award.
Antetokounmpo had better picks in 2020. He selected Embiid with the first pick, who ended the game with a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double. Giannis' second pick, Pascal Siakam, was also great as he scored 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
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Despite having great players on his team, Giannis Antetokounmpo ended up losing another game to LeBron James. This time, it was Anthony Davis, LeBron's first pick, who made a game-winning shot.