In an event with mercifully little build-up and plenty of levity, LeBron James took the Spurs’ LaMarcus Aldridge with the 18th pick in the 2019 All-Star Draft.
Last year, the NBA introduced a new All-Star format, doing away with conferences and allowing two team captains to hand-choose their squads. On Thursday night, the league televised the process for the first time, pulling away the curtain and allowing the public to witness who is picked when and read far too much into it.
Here’s the entire draft order:
And here’s a look at both rosters:
Immediately after choosing Aldridge, James joked, “Even though Pop is gonna tell me I can only play him two minutes.