Tim BontempsFeb 1, 2026, 06:35 PM ET
CloseTim Bontemps is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com who covers the league and what’s impacting it on and off the court, including trade deadline intel, expansion and his MVP Straw Polls. You can find Tim alongside Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast.
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NEW YORK — For a 22nd straight year, LeBron James is an All-Star.
The NBA announced its reserves for the league’s annual midseason showcase Sunday night on NBC, before James and his Los Angeles Lakers faced the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Voting was conducted by the league’s coaches over the past week.
James was the last player announced, as the league’s oldest player extended his record for both overall and consecutive selections by another season.
James was joined on the court at Madison Square Garden by three other All-Stars: starters Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson, and fellow reserve selection Karl-Anthony Towns.
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Those named alongside James were led by Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, whose 16th All-Star selection is fourth most all-time — breaking a tie with Hall of Famers Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett and placing him behind only the late Kobe Bryant (18), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19) and James.
Joining James and Durant as Western Conference reserve selections included a trio of first-time participants — Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren and Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija — plus Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (fourth) and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (fifth).
In the Eastern Conference, Towns — making his sixth All-Star team — was joined by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (seventh selection), Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (fourth), Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (second) and a trio of first-time picks: Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, Miami Heat guard Norman Powell and Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson.
Under the NBA’s latest format change for the event, the 24 All-Star participants will be broken into three 8-man rosters — two featuring Americans, with the third made up of international players. They will each play two games, with the two teams with the best record — or the two with the best point differential if they all go 1-1 — facing each other in the championship game.
With these 24 players selected, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will now have to add at least one All-Star to replace Antetokounmpo, who will miss the game with a calf injury. Silver also has the ability to add as many either American or international players, as necessary, to get to the 16 American and 8 international players to fill out the rosters.
The NBA had previously said this is what it would do in order to get to the minimum 8-man rosters for all three teams, as the league shifted to this “Team USA versus the World” format in conjunction with NBC having the rights to the game for the first time and it being in the middle of the Winter Olympics, which NBC also broadcasts.