Pau Gasol of the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and rookie Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers were named All-Stars, as the NBA today announced the list of 14 players that have been selected by the coaches as reserves for the 2011 All-Star Game. Gasol and Griffin join the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, who was voted to start, as representatives of the host city’s NBA franchises during the 60th NBA All-Star Game, which will be played at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011.

The Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett earned his record-tying 14th straight All-Star selection, joining Jerry West, Karl Malone and Shaquille O’Neal as the players with the most consecutive nods in NBA All-Star history.

Joining Gasol and Griffin as reserves on the West squad are the Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook – who joins Griffin as the only first-timers in this year’s game – the San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, and the Utah Jazz’s Deron Williams. Griffin also was selected to play in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, which will be held at Staples Center on Friday, Feb. 18. He becomes the first rookie to play in an NBA All-Star Game since the Houston Rockets’ Yao Ming was selected to start in 2003. Duncan and Bryant, this year’s leading vote-getter in this year’s NBA All-Star Balloting program presented by T-Mobile, have been selected to 13 straight All-Star games.

In the Eastern Conference, Garnett is joined by three Celtics teammates -- Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. Rounding out the East squad are the Atlanta Hawks’ Al Horford and Joe Johnson, and the Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh.

Voted to start for the West were the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony, the Houston Rockets’ Yao Ming, the Lakers’ Bryant, and the New Orleans Hornets’ Chris Paul. The East starters are comprised of the Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose, the Heat’s LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, the New York Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire, and the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard.

NBA Commissioner David Stern will select the replacement for any player unable to participate in the All-Star Game. If the injured player is a starter, the head coach of that team will determine who replaces him in the starting lineup.

The 14 players selected -- seven each from the Eastern and Western Conferences -- were chosen by the 30 NBA head coaches, who were asked to vote for seven players in their respective conferences -- two guards, two forwards, one center and two players regardless of position. They were not permitted to vote for players from their own team.

The Celtics’ Doc Rivers earned the right to coach the East squad following Boston’s 95-90 win over the Sacramento Kings Feb. 2. San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich earned the right to coach the West following the Spurs’ 113-102 win over the Golden State Warriors Jan. 24. The East and West All-Star coaches were determined by the best record in each conference through games played Feb. 6.

The 2011 NBA All-Star Game will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the U.S. and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.

The All-Star Game will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. The week leading up to the All-Star Game will feature a full slate of community-enhancing activities, fan festivals and events, including the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service, the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, and NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm. NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas, the hugely successful interactive basketball celebration, will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center. Los Angeles and Staples Center will host NBA All-Star 2011, marking the fifth time The City of Angels and the second time Staples Center will be the site of the annual celebration. Staples Center last played host to NBA All-Star in 2004, and L.A. also hosted the All-Star Game in 1963, 1972, and 1983.

2011 EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

No. Player (Team) Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate College/HS/Country All-Star Selections
20 Ray Allen (Boston) G 6-5 205 07/20/75 Connecticut 10
1 Chris Bosh (Miami) F/C 6-10 230 03/24/84 Georgia Tech 6
5 Kevin Garnett (Boston) F 6-11 220 05/19/76 Farragut Academy (HS) 14
15 Al Horford (Atlanta) F/C 6-10 245 06/03/86 Florida 2
12 *Dwight Howard (Orlando) C 6-11 265 12/08/85 SW Atlanta Christian Academy 5
6 *LeBron James (Miami) F 6-8 250 12/30/84 St. Vincent/St. Mary HS 7
2 Joe Johnson (Atlanta) G 6-7 235 06/29/81 Arkansas 5
34 Paul Pierce (Boston) F 6-7 235 10/13/77 Kansas 9
9 Rajon Rondo (Boston) G 6-1 171 02/22/86 Kentucky 2
1 *Derrick Rose (Chicago) G 6-3 190 10/04/88 Memphis 2
1 *Amar’e Stoudemire (New York)F/C 6-10 245 11/16/82 Cypress Creek HS 6
3 *Dwyane Wade (Miami) G 6-4 210 01/17/82 Marquette 7

Head Coach: Doc Rivers (Boston)
Assistant Coaches: Lawrence Frank, Armond Hill, Kevin Eastman, Mike
Longabardi, Roy Rogers, Tyronn Lue
Athletic Trainer: Scott McCullough (Toronto)

2011 WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

No. Player (Team) Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate College/HS/Country All-Star Selections
15 *Carmelo Anthony (Denver) F 6-8 230 05/29/84 Syracuse 4
24 *Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers) G 6-6 205 08/23/78 Lower Merion HS 13
21 Tim Duncan (San Antonio) F 6-11 260 04/25/76 Wake Forest 13
35 *Kevin Durant (OKC) F 6-9 230 09/29/88 Texas 2
16 Pau Gasol (L.A. Lakers) F 7-0 227 07/06/80 Barcelona, Spain 4
20 Manu Ginobili (San Antonio) G 6-6 205 07/28/77 Bahia Blanca, Argentina 2
41 Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) F 7-0 245 06/19/78 Wurzburg, Germany 10
3 *Chris Paul (New Orleans) G 6-0 175 05/06/85 Wake Forest 4
32 #Blake Griffin (L.A. Clippers) F 6-10 251 03/16/89 Oklahoma 1
7 #Russell Westbrook (OKC) G 6-6 211 11/12/88 Washington 1
8 Deron Williams (Utah) G 6-3 209 0726/84 Illinois 2
11 *^Yao Ming (Houston) C 7-6 310 09/12/80 Shanghai, China 8

Head Coach: Gregg Popovich (San Antonio)
Assistant Coaches: Mike Budenholzer, Don Newman, Brett Brown, Chip
Engelland, Chad Forcier, Jacque Vaughn
Athletic Trainer: Jasen Powell (L.A. Clippers)

*denotes starter
#denotes first-time selection
^denotes injured player

2010 NBA All-Star Reserves
January 28, 2010

The 2010 NBA All-Star game reserves have been announced, and the selections are on point.

Dirk Nowitzki of the hometown Dallas Mavericks was named an NBA All-Star for the ninth time, as the NBA today announced the list of 14 players -- including seven first-timers -- that have been selected by the coaches as reserves for the 2010 All-Star Game. The 59th NBA All-Star Game will be played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, before an expected crowd of more than 80,000 – the largest group ever to witness a live basketball game – on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010.

Joining Nowiztki on the West squad are the Los Angeles Lakers’ Pau Gasol, the New Orleans Hornets’ Chris Paul, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Brandon Roy, and three first-timers -- the Memphis Grizzlies’ Zach Randolph, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant and the Utah Jazz’s Deron Williams.

In the Eastern Conference, four first-time selections – the Atlanta Hawks’ Al Horford, the Boston Celtics’ Rajon Rondo, the Charlotte Bobcats’ Gerald Wallace and the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose – are joined by the Hawks’ Joe Johnson, the Celtics’ Paul Pierce and the Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh. Rose also was selected to play in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, which will be held in Dallas at American Airlines Center on Friday, Feb. 12.

The 14 players selected -- seven each from the Eastern and Western Conferences -- were chosen by the 30 NBA head coaches, who were asked to vote for seven players in their respective conferences -- two guards, two forwards, one center and two players regardless of position. They were not permitted to vote for players from their own team.

Selected to start for the East -- through the 2010 NBA All-Star Balloting Program -- were the Celtics’ Kevin Garnett, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard, the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Allen Iverson. The Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony, the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, the Phoenix Suns’ Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire, and the San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan will start for the West.

Should any player be unable to participate in the All-Star Game due to injury, NBA Commissioner David Stern will select the replacement.

The East and West All-Star coaches and coaching staffs will be determined by the best record in each conference through games played Jan. 31. Last year’s East and West coaches – Cleveland’s Mike Brown and the L.A. Lakers’ Phil Jackson -- are not eligible to coach this year’s All-Star Game.

The All-Star reserves come off the bench in the game. Obviously some of these guys wind up playing more than others in the big game, but for the most part just about everyone gets some minutes.

As for the starters, chances are Allen Iverson winds up playing fewer minutes than the other guys. Unless he's hot and the coach simply can't take him out.

The All-Star game reserves are usually a great measure of how good players in the league really are, because of who selects them. While fans vote for the starters, coaches picking the reserves serves as a great reality check.

Think about it. Who knows NBA players better than the coaches? Their job is to get the most out of their own guys, and they're the league's best experts on the players they're going up against.

2010 EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

No. Player (Team) Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate College/HS/Country All-Star Selections

4 Chris Bosh: (Toronto) F/C 6-10 230 03/24/84 Georgia Tech 5
5 *Kevin Garnett: (Boston) F 6-11 220 05/19/76 Farragut Academy (HS) 13
15 #Al Horford: (Atlanta) F/C 6-10 245 06/03/86 Florida 1
12 *Dwight Howard: (Orlando) C 6-11 265 12/08/85 SW Atlanta Christian Academy 4
3 *Allen Iverson: (Philadelphia) G 6-0 165 06/07/75 Georgetown 11
23 *LeBron James: (Cleveland) F 6-8 250 12/30/84 St. Vincent/St. Mary HS 6
2 Joe Johnson: (Atlanta) G 6-7 235 06/29/81 Arkansas 4
34 Paul Pierce: (Boston) F 6-7 235 10/13/77 Kansas 8
1 #Rajon Rondo: (Boston) G 6-1 171 02/22/86 Kentucky 1
1 Derrick Rose: (Chicago) G 6-3 190 10/04/88 Memphis 1
3 *Dwyane Wade: (Miami) G 6-4 210 01/17/82 Marquette 6
3 #Gerald Wallace: (Charlotte) F 6-7 215 07/23/82 Alabama 1

Head Coach: TBD
Assistant Coaches: TBD
Athletic Trainer: Ed Lacerte (Boston)

2010 WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

No. Player (Team) Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate College/HS/Country All-Star Selections

15 *Carmelo Anthony: (Denver) F 6-8 230 05/29/84 Syracuse 3
24 *Kobe Bryant: (L.A. Lakers) G 6-6 205 08/23/78 Lower Merion HS 12
21 *Tim Duncan: (San Antonio) F 6-11 260 04/25/76 Wake Forest 12
35 #Kevin Durant: (Oklahoma City) F 6-9 230 09/29/88 Texas 1
16 Pau Gasol: (L.A. Lakers) F 7-0 227 07/06/80 Barcelona, Spain 3
13 *Steve Nash: (Phoenix) G 6-3 178 02/07/74 Santa Clara 7
41 Dirk Nowitzki: (Dallas) F 7-0 245 06/19/78 Wurzburg, Germany 9
3 Chris Paul: (New Orleans) G 6-0 175 05/06/85 Wake Forest 3
50 #Zach Randolph: (Memphis) F 6-9 260 07/16/81 Michigan State 1
7 Brandon Roy: (Portland) G 6-6 211 07/23/84 Washington 3
1 *Amar’e Stoudemire: (Phoenix) F/C 6-10 245 11/16/82 Cypress Creek HS 5
8 #Deron Williams: (Utah) G 6-3 207 06/26/84 Illinois 1

Head Coach: TBD
Assistant Coaches: TBD
Athletic Trainer: Casey Smith (Dallas)

*denotes starter
#denotes first-time selection