Bucks' Giannis selects teammate Middleton for NBA All-Star roster

Published Feb. 7, 2019 8:16 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

LeBron James finally has Anthony Davis as a teammate. Giannis Antetokounmpo will keep one of his own.

Antetokounmpo selected Milwaukee's Khris Middleton with the first pick in the reserve round, keeping the Bucks teammates together for the All-Star Game in Charlotte.

James' Los Angeles Lakers were unable to swing a deal for Davis, but James drafted the New Orleans Pelicans star on Thursday when he and fellow captain Antetokounmpo sat down to choose their teams for the Feb. 17 All-Star Game.



Davis told the Pelicans he wanted a trade, and James has made it clear that he'd love to play with him. But for now, their time as teammates will be limited to All-Star weekend.

James chose Kevin Durant with the No. 1 overall pick, as he did last year in the All-Star draft, to be one of his starters. They'll be joined in the Team LeBron starting five by Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Team Giannis, in addition to Antetokounmpo, will start Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Paul George and hometown favorite Kemba Walker.

After Antetokounmpo took Middleton with the first pick in the reserve round, he selected Nikola Jokic, Ben Simmons, Blake Griffin, D'Angelo Russell, Nikola Vucevic and Kyle Lowry. James took Davis, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, LaMarcus Aldridge, Karl-Anthony Towns and Bradley Beal.

James managed to make a trade, convincing Antetokounmpo to swap Westbrook for Simmons — and give the Bucks' star the chance to have Westbrook and Embiid together, as he said he wanted.

The NBA signed off on the trade.

That left the third round and the decision between the two special additions to the game by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver — those being Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki. James took Wade, his former Miami and Cleveland teammate and longtime close friend. That left Nowitzki for Antetokounmpo's side.

share