By Emre Asikci
ISTANBUL (AA) - The NBA announced Friday the starters for the 2022 All-Star Game.
"LeBron James will return to Cleveland as an All-Star Game captain, and Ja Morant and Andrew Wiggins are headed there as 1st-time selections," NBA said in a statement.
As the leading vote-getters in each conference, Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James and Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant will be the captains for the 71st All-Star Game.
LeBron, who began his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, was selected as an All-Star for the 18th consecutive season.
"Durant's availability for the game is in doubt because of a sprained knee ligament. He was voted a starter for the 10th time," NBA added.
Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors stars Andrew Wiggins, and Stephen Curry joined LeBron as starters from the Western Conference.
The starters from the East were Brooklyn Nets' Durant, Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid along with Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young and Chicago Bulls' DeMar DeRozan.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the 71st All-Star game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Feb. 20.