Image Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

2025 NBA All-Star: James, KD, Curry reunite for Team Shaq, Chuck picks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

LeBron James was the first pick, and Jaylen Brown was the last pick. Both went to "Team Shaq."

Image Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday (6th), the three teams formed by the 24 All-Stars of 2025 were announced. This was done during the TNT Tip-Off, on the American TNT channel, where commentators and former NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith participated in a Draft format to select the 24 players. With that, the teams are set, and will only be changed in case of an injury before the All-Star Game, which takes place on Sunday (16th).

It is worth noting that LeBron James was the first pick, and Jaylen Brown was the last pick. Both went to “Team Shaq.”

Without further ado, let’s go through the teams:

Team Shaq

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors.
Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks.
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics.
Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns.
Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks.
James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers.
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics.

Team Kenny

Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies.
Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder.
Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers.
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons.
Tyler Herro, Miami Heat.

Team Chuck

Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder.
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs.
Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers.
Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets.
Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks.
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Notably, each of the “GMs” stuck closely to their philosophies. First, Shaq stated that he would pick only “legends” of the NBA, followed by Kenny, who said he would go after young talents. Later, Barkley commented that he would bet on international players.

As a result, Shaq ended up with LeBron, Curry, and Durant on the same team, along with other long-time All-Star figures. On the other hand, the oldest player on Kenny’s team is Jalen Brunson, at 28 years old. Lastly, Barkley’s last two picks were Americans, but with family ties to other countries—Towns’ mother is Dominican, and Mitchell’s mother is Panamanian.

How will the All-Star Game work?

For 2025, the NBA announced changes to the format of the All-Star Game. The league recognized that the East vs. West format from the previous year didn’t work, as the last two events recorded the lowest viewership averages in the past 20 years in the United States.

Thus, the 24 selected players will be divided into three teams of eight by Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith on February 6. In addition, a fourth team will be formed by players in their first or second year in the NBA, or notable G League players. This team will be the winner of the Rising Stars competition on Friday (14th), and Candace Parker will serve as their GM.

As a result, four teams will compete in a “mini-tournament,” where games will last until the first team reaches or exceeds 40 points. The winning teams will then advance to the finals. Furthermore, each member of the winning team will receive a prize of $125,000, while the second-place team will receive $50,000, and the two teams that lose the first game will each get $25,000.

To compete, the four teams will be led by the two best coaching staffs of the season. The head coach and their top assistant from the best Eastern and Western conference records up to February 2 will coach the teams.

Charles Barkley

Kenny Smith

Kevin Durant

LeBron James

NBA All-Star 2025

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shaquille O’Neal

Steph Curry

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.