Team LeBron Wins 2021 NBA All-Star Game
Image Courtesy of CNN.com
March 10, 2021
This past Sunday was the 2021 NBA All-star game. It was Team LeBron vs Team Durant with LeBron James and Kevin Durant as their captains respectively. Even with many complications due to the Covid-19 pandemic still happening, the NBA was able to put on a great show for all-star weekend.
Since 2018 NBA fans have voted for the All-star starters and one team captain from each conference. This year the two captains selected were LeBron James and Kevin Durant. As captains, they were tasked with drafting their teams from the pool of all-star players. Kevin Durant was injured however and not available to play in the game, so he was replaced by Celtics forward, Jayson Tatum, in the starting lineup.
The All-star draft was interesting to watch as both LeBron and Durant seemed to take players with similar attributes to themselves. LeBron is known for being a terrific playmaker and running the offense with his passing. Durant on the other hand is known for being an amazing pure scorer. LeBron ended up drafting quite a few playmakers for his own team in Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Ben Simmons, and Chris Paul, while Durant drafted some great pure scorers in Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Zach Lavine. Leading up to the game it looked like it was the playmakers vs. the scorers, which was exciting because it was like a contest between two different philosophies of basketball.
Unfortunately, because of injuries and Covid-19 complications, a few players were not able to participate including, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Devin Booker. Nonetheless, it was a fun game to watch with the best basketball players in the world competing.
Team LeBron ended up winning every quarter and earned $300,000 for its charity, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Giannis Antetokounmpo took home the MVP with 35 points and 7 rebounds. With this win, LeBron James won his fourth straight All-star game as a captain. So far, he has faced Team Curry, Team Antetokounmpo (twice), and Team Durant. How much longer can LeBron keep his streak?