The starters for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game were announced on Thursday, and the pool of players selected is virtually what everyone expected.

Headlining the starters as the captains of each conference are Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and who else but LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers. Antetokounmpo and James will pick their teammates on a nationally televised draft from a player pool that includes eight of the best players in the NBA.

Here’s how the process worked last year. The only difference: the draft wasn’t televised then.

The captains

Antetokounmpo just gets better and better. He’s averaging 26.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, nearly 6 assists, and more than both a steal and a block per game. Antetokounmpo is also attempting 2.3 threes per game this season. He’s only shooting it at an 18 percent clip, but he can’t improve that number without in-game reps. Antetokounmpo was the early favorite for the league’s Most Valuable Player of the Year award, but he’s since been relegated to second place amid James Harden’s torrid scoring streak. Antetokounmpo’s Bucks have the best record in the NBA. There is a rarely a night when he’s not the best player on the court.

Another year, another notch under the belt of greatness. This time, James dragged a group of young Lakers players into the playoff picture, only for them to dissolve into as after his quad injury. James is usually the end-all, be-all o his teams and Los Angeles is no different.

The starter pool

WEST: James Harden, Stephen Curry, Paul George, Kevin Durant

EAST: Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker

In the East, we get Kemba Walker starting on his own court in Charlotte. Kyrie Irving is the dean of Eastern Conference starters making his sixth squad, having won All-Star Game MVP in 2014.

Out west, Paul George broke a tie with Anthony Davis by virtue of more support from the fans. Kevin Durant is in his 10th consecutive All-Star Game, starting for the eighth time. NBA scoring leader James Harden has been an All-Star in all seven seasons with the Rockets.

Voting results

LeBron James led the fan, player and media voting in the Western Conference frontcourt. Anthony Davis was third in player and media voting, but fifth in fan voting in the frontcourt. Paul George was fourth in all three categories, and broke a tie with Davis by having the better showing in the fan vote.

The key discrepancy was rookie Luka Doncic, who finished second in fan voting but was just eighth in player voting and sixth among media.

Western Conference frontcourt voting Player (Team) Fan Rank Player Rank Media Rank Weighted Score Player (Team) Fan Rank Player Rank Media Rank Weighted Score 1. LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) 1 1 1 1 2. Kevin Durant (Golden State) 3 2 2 2.5 3. Paul George (Oklahoma City) 4 4 4 4.0^ 4. Anthony Davis (New Orleans) 5 3 3 4.0^ 5. Luka Dončić (Dallas) 2 8 6 4.5 6. Nikola Jokić (Denver) 7 5 5 6 7. Steven Adams (Oklahoma City) 6 7 8 6.75 8. Draymond Green (Golden State) 9 10 8 9 9. Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota) 11 10 8 10 10. LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio) 13 6 8 10

Western Conference guards voting Player (Team) Fan Rank Player Rank Media Rank Weighted Score Player (Team) Fan Rank Player Rank Media Rank Weighted Score 1. Stephen Curry (Golden State) 1 1 2 1.25 2. James Harden (Houston) 3 2 1 2.25 3. Derrick Rose (Minnesota) 2 4 6 3.5 4. Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City) 4 3 3 3.5 5. Damian Lillard (Portland) 6 5 4 5.25 6. Klay Thompson (Golden State) 5 11 4 6.25 7. DeMar DeRozan (San Antonio) 7 8 6 7 8. Devin Booker (Phoenix) 10 6 6 8 9. Lonzo Ball (Los Angeles Lakers) 8 14 6 9 10. Chris Paul (Houston) 9 14 6 9.5

In the Eastern Conference the voting was more straightforward, though Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard and Joel Embiid all tied for first in media voting in the frontcourt.

Eastern Conference frontcourt voting Player (Team) Fan Rank Player Rank Media Rank Weighted Score Player (Team) Fan Rank Player Rank Media Rank Weighted Score 1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee) 1 1 1 1 2. Kawhi Leonard (Toronto) 2 2 1 1.75 3. Joel Embiid (Philadelphia) 3 3 1 2.5 4. Jayson Tatum (Boston) 4 7 4 4.75 5. Jimmy Butler (Philadelphia) 5 4 7 5.25 6. Blake Griffin (Detroit) 6 5 7 6 7. Pascal Siakam (Toronto) 8 10 4 7.5 8. Vince Carter (Atlanta) 7 12 7 8.25 9. Andre Drummond (Detroit) 12 6 7 9.25 10. Nikola Vučević (Orlando) 13 9 4 9.75