Believe it or not, the NBA season is just about halfway done. That means the 72nd NBA All-Star Game is just around the corner and the potential rosters are starting to take shape.
From the age-old staples to burgeoning young stars, the 2023 All-Star Weekend has plenty of entertainment and competition in store for fans.
But don’t be fooled, the NBA All-Star Weekend is anything but trite or stale. Over the past decade, the league has continued to develop innovative ways to rebrand the midseason exposition, and 2023 continues to build on that trend.
Here’s a look at the schedule, format and potential rosters for the entire 2023 All-Star Weekend.
Where is the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend?
All-Star Weekend is returning to Salt Lake City for the first time in 30 years when Utah first hosted the event in 1993.
The 2023 iteration will kick off on Friday, Feb. 17, at Vivint Arena, home of the Utah Jazz.
NBA
What are the events at the NBA All-Star Weekend?
The 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend includes eight events, including the first ever HBCU Classic between Grambling State and Southern.
The schedule of events is as follows:
Friday, Feb. 17
- 7 p.m. ET: Celebrity Game
- 9 p.m. ET: Rising Stars
Saturday, Feb. 18
- 4 p.m. ET: HBCU Classic
- 8 p.m. ET: State Farm All-Star Saturday Night
- Skills Challenge
- 3-Point Contest
- Slam Dunk Contest
Sunday, Feb. 19
- 3 p.m. ET: G League Next Gen Game
- 8 p.m. ET: All-Star Game
How are NBA All-Star rosters determined?
Continuing the tradition established in 2018, the two teams will be led -- and named -- by the top fan-vote recipient from each conference. Starting with the captain who received the most overall votes, the two sides will then take turns drafting their roster from a pool of 22 available players.
These 22 players are determined by a combination of factors, including conference affiliation, fan voting and input from coaches.
Each conference gets five representatives -- two guards and three frontcourt players -- in the starting lineup. These five representatives are based on a combination of fans (50% of the vote), current players (25%) and media (25%).
The remaining 14 players eligible to be drafted are selected by the 30 NBA coaches. The group votes for two guards, three frontcourt players and two players at any position from their respective conferences. However, they are not allowed to vote for players from their own teams.
Commissioner Adam Silver is charged with replacing any player unable to participate with a player from that same conference. Silver also has the power to make a special selection, like he did in 2019 when he named Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade to the 2019 All-Star roster in the duo’s final season in the league.
When is the NBA All-Star Weekend roster finalized?
According to ESPN, the NBA All-Star Game roster will be finalized by late January/early February.
Who currently leads the NBA All-Star Game voting?
The NBA revealed the first round of fan votes on Thursday and, unsurprisingly, LeBron James led all vote-getters with 3,168,694 votes. The 18-time All-Star has served as a captain of this game since the league switched from a conference structure to a draft-style system in 2018.
Closely behind James is Kevin Durant, who hauled in over 3 million votes. The Nets forward has served as a captain alongside James for the last two All-Star Weekends.
Thirteen other players earned over a million votes by last Thursday.
The next update from the fan votes will be available on Thursday, Jan. 12.
Who is competing in the other All-Star Weekend events?
The Rising Stars Challenge is an exhibition tournament between four teams that features first- and second-year NBA players, along with one G League selection per team. For the second straight year, these selections will be made by members of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, four of whom are tapped to coach this event. The NBA is yet to announce who will coach the 2023 Rising Stars Challenge.
The action continues on Saturday with the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and always anticipated Slam Dunk Contest.
In 2022, the Skills Challenge underwent a major restructuring. Instead of the typical every-man-for-themselves structure that the league had operated under for the past 19 seasons, the NBA debuted a brand-new team format featuring groups of the Antetokounmpo brothers, Cleveland Cavaliers teammates and trio of rookies. Needless to say, we’re all anxiously awaiting what interesting combinations the league will be treating us to this season.
As for the remainder of Saturday night, Shaedon Sharpe of the Portland Trail Blazers, K.J. Martin of the Houston Rockets and Mac McClung of the G League's Delaware Blue Coats are the only confirmed participants, all competing in the dunk contest. McClung is set to make NBA history as the first-ever G League player to compete in the dunk contest.