In a night harkening back to the NBA Draft for many players, broadcast legends Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith – all formidable basketball players in their own right – selected their teams for the reimagined 2025 NBA All-Star Game scheduled for 16 February in San Francisco, California.
Three-time Olympic champion LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) was the first to go in the all-star draft, with Shaquille O’Neal making the first selection for the team bearing his name.
The 40-year-old James has continued to defy all expectations of an elite athlete, playing at the same superior level that has defined his career for the last 22 seasons.
Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), who played on Team USA with James at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, was the second player to go in the draft after he was selected by Kenny Smith.
Despite not being identified as a starter in the first wave of player selections, Edwards found himself a hot commodity during the all-star draft on 6 February. The 23-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia lit up the court with remarkable dunks and electric plays during Paris 2024, befriending members of Team USA’s table tennis team along the way.
His surprising selection was followed by Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) – 2024 NBA MVP and Paris 2024 bronze medallist.
Jokic was drafted by Charles Barkley, ending the first of eight rounds in the all-star draft. The trio of broadcast legends continued selecting players for their respective teams throughout the draft until each of the 24 all-stars was appointed to one of three team rosters.
The players will now have time to size up their competition ahead of the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, which features four teams of eight players – three of which are made up solely of all-star players, with the fourth containing some of the league’s best young talent – contesting an elimination bracket complete with two semifinals and championship game played to 40 or more points.
Scroll down to view the rosters of Team Shaq, Team Kenny and Team Chuck.