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TNT Crew Finalize Their NBA All-Star Game Rosters
“This S**t is Not Rocket Science” - Former NBA Player Said About Stars Playing Hard at the All-Star Game 1 February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Team Durant guard Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns (1) dribbles the basketball against Team LeBron guard Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors (23) during the first quarter in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

TNT’s “Inside the NBA” has picked its players on Thursday in anticipation of the 2025 NBA All-Star Game in San Francisco. This season’s celebrations will be different, as four teams, including the Rising Stars Challenge winner squad, will participate in a mini-tournament.

NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, together with their co-host Kenny Smith, took time to choose which players would play for their teams. Here is the list of players drafted by the cast of the Emmy-award-winning show.

Team Shaq:

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

Team Chuck:

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

Team Kenny:

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

Each team will have eight players, and the winners of the Rising Stars Challenge will be the fourth team. There will be three games in the NBA All-Star Game tournament. In all the games, the first team to score 40 points will be the winner.

O’Neal believes his team will win the 2025 NBA All-Star Game


Fans Enumerate Players Snubbed in the NBA All-Star Game Roster 1 Eastern Conference All-Star guard Damian Lillard shoots the ball from halfcourt against the Western Conference All-Stars during the fourth quarter of the 2024 NBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Feb. 18 in Indianapolis. Justin Casterline/Getty Images

O’Neal took advantage of having the first pick of the draft and secured LeBron James. From there, he drafted players with the most experience in playing in the NBA All-Star Game. More importantly, he stuck to not having any foreign players in his team. The stars that the four-time champion secured are all Americans and have experience playing together in Team USA.

After forming his team, the former Los Angeles Lakers big man confidently declared that the LeBron-led team wouldn’t lose to Team Kenny and Team Chuck.

“My team, we’re definitely not losing to no youngsters or Europeans, bet that,” O’Neal confidently said.

Interestingly, all of O’Neal’s picks have significant experience playing in the league and the All-Star game. On the other hand, Smith’s team is full of youngsters, mostly first-time players to participate in the festivities. Despite having the older team, the Hall of Fame center believes in his team.


TNT Crew Finalize Their NBA All-Star Game Rosters 7 Feb 19, 2023; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Team Giannis forward Jayson Tatum (0) holds the Kobe Bryant MVP Trophy after the 2023 NBA All-Star Game at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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