January 18, 2018
NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Pelicans forwards Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins have been named starters in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, the league announced today. Davis, a five-time All-Star, becomes the first player in franchise history to be named a starter three times, as well as the only player to be named to five All-Star Games. Cousins earns his fourth consecutive All-Star nod, his first as a starter and as a member of the Pelicans, and the seventh player in franchise history to be named an All-Star. The duo becomes the third in team history to both be named to the All-Star Game, joining Baron Davis and Jamaal Magloire (2004), and Chris Paul and David West (2008, 2009), as well as the first pair in team history to be named as starters.
Davis, 24, is averaging 26.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, ranking him fourth, eighth, and third in the NBA in each statistical category, respectively. His 23 double-doubles rank him tied for eighth in the NBA, and his 28.8 Player Efficiency Rating ranks fifth in the NBA. Davis has produced 16 30-point games and two 40-point games, including a season-high 48 points on Jan. 14 at New York, and a league-leading twelve 30-point, 10-rebound performances.
Previously, the University of Kentucky product was named a reserve for the 2014 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans, was named a starter and was the leading vote-getter for Western Conference frontcourt players for the 2015 All-Star Game in New York City (was unable to play due to injury), was a reserve for the 2016 All-Star game in Toronto and was a starter for the 2017 All-Star Game in New Orleans. Davis also appeared in the BBVA® Rising Stars Challenge in 2013 and 2014, and participated in the Taco Bell® Skills Challenge as part of State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night in 2016 and 2017. In the three All-Star games in which Davis has played in, he has averaged 28.7 points on .655 shooting from the floor, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals. In the 2017 All-Star Game, Davis scored an All-Star Game record 52 points en route to being named the All-Star Game MVP.
Cousins, 27, is averaging 25.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 blocks, ranking him sixth, third, 22nd and seventh in the NBA in each statistical category, respectively. His 34 double-doubles rank second in the NBA, and he is currently the only player in the league averaging 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game.
Previously, Cousins was named a reserve as a member of the Sacramento Kings for the 2015 All-Star Game in New York City, the 2016 All-Star Game in Toronto, and the 2017 All-Star Game in New Orleans. In his previous three All-Star Games, Cousins has averaged 9.3 points on .800 shooting from the floor, and 3.7 rebounds. Cousins has also appeared in the Rookie Challenge in 2011 and 2012, as well as the Taco Bell® Skills Challenge during State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night in 2016 and 2017.
Joining Cousins and Davis in the starting lineup for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game will be Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors), and James Harden (Houston Rockets) from the Western Conference, and LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Giannia Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics) and DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors) from the Eastern Conferfence. James and Curry, who accumulated the highest amount of votes for their respective conferences, will serve as team captains.
Under the new All-Star Game format that replaces the traditional matchup between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference, James and Curry will choose the team rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves. The All-Star teams will still feature 12 players from each conference, but the captains will select the team rosters without regard for conference affiliation. Each captain’s first four selections must come from the pool of eight remaining starters. As the top overall finisher in fan voting, James will make the first pick.
Davis, who finished with 1,088,230 fan votes (third in the west frontcourt), also finished with 150 player votes (second in west frontcourt), and 73 media votes (second in west frontcourt). Cousins finished with 922,269 fan votes (fourth in the west frontcourt), 114 player votes (third in west frontcourt) and 34 media votes (fourth in west frontcourt).
Fans accounted for 50 percent of the vote to determine the NBA All-Star Game starters, while current players and a media panel accounted for 25 percent each.
After all votes were tallied, players were ranked in each conference by position (guard and frontcourt) within each of the three voting groups – fan votes, player votes and media votes. Each player’s score was calculated by averaging his weighted rank from the fan votes, the player votes and the media votes. The five players (two guards and three frontcourt players) with the best score in each conference were named NBA All-Star Game starters.
The starters – two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference – were announced tonight during TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader. The network will unveil the reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. ET during TNT NBA Tip-Off. The team rosters will be revealed on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. ET in a special one-hour edition of TNT NBA Tip-Off.
NBA All-Star 2018 in Los Angeles will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. The 67th NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 18 at Staples Center, will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages. TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 16th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 33rd year of NBA All-Star coverage. Staples Center will also host Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars on Friday, Feb. 16 and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 17. The NBA All-Star Practice, NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles, Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Practice and NBA G League International Challenge presented by Kumho Tire will take place at Verizon Up Arena at Los Angeles Convention Center.