The 73rd annual NBA All-Star Game is set to take place in Indianapolis on Feb. 18. The All-Star Game is hosted every February to showcase the top 24 players in the league. The inventor of basketball himself, James Naismith, recognized that despite its origination in Massachusetts, Indiana “remains the center of the sport.” The Boston Celtics make their mark on the All-Star Game, sending two players to compete for the second year in a row.
Once again, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were selected to compete in the All-Star Game, adding just one more nod to their already impressive resumes.
Jayson Tatum
When the starters were announced for the Eastern versus Western conferences matchup on Jan. 25, Tatum was the first Celtic to be nominated for the All-Star game, making it his fifth appearance. When he played in 2023, Tatum was named the All-Star Game MVP, scoring 55 points to lead Team Giannis to victory.
The 25-year-old player is only in his seventh season but leads Boston in points and rebounds averaging 27 and 8.4, respectively. Tatum ranks ninth overall in points per game and 12th in defensive rebounding.
During the 2022-2023 NBA Season, Tatum finished fourth in the MVP race which was the highest he has ever landed during his entire career.
As 2024 is Tatum’s fifth All-Star selection in seven years, he received 4,802,187 fan votes, 100 media votes, and 196 player votes. Alongside Tatum for starters in the Eastern Conference are last year’s league MVP and the Philadelphia 46ers center Joel Embiid, Milwaukee Bucks’ new dynamic duo Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, and Indiana Pacers’ emergent point guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Jaylen Brown
The second half of Boston’s lethal one-two punch is Brown, who signed the richest contract in NBA history this past summer at $304 million over five years.
Brown possesses shot-making ability and strength in attacking the basket boosts the Celtics on any given night, whether or not his teammates produce.
The shooting guard is well-deserving of his contract, averaging 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game (team high), and shooting 46 percent from the field. Brown is seeking his third All-Star selection this year.
In the Eastern Conference All-Star voting return sheet for the starters by the NBA, Brown finished in the fourth spot, just missing the selection for the front court.
Rumors that Brown may enter the NBA’s Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend are strong. NBA Insider Shams Charania reported Brown is “seriously considering” participating in the Slam-Dunk Contest on Sat. Feb. 17.
Brown and Tatum acknowledged the elite level of their fellow teammates numerous times throughout the season who were also strong contenders for an All-Star nomination. The Celtics added center Kristaps Porzingis and point guard Jrue Holiday this past summer to round out their lineup with work-horse Derrick White.
“It is the most talented team I’ve been on by far. It’s the most selfless team,” Tatum said in an interview with Andscape. “We got Jrue [Holiday], who’s been a champion before. We got guys that made All-Star games, JB [Jaylen Brown] made All-NBA. I’ve been All-NBA first team a couple years in a row, guys have gotten paid, and we are all just really doing whatever it takes on a nightly basis to win.”
Fans can watch Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown take on their Western Conference opponents on Sun. Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. as the NBA goes back to the East vs. West format for the first time since 2017.
