NBA All-Star Rosters 2022: Starters, Reserves, Top Snubs and Reaction

The NBA announced the reserve selections for the 2022 All-Star Game between Team James and Team Durant on Thursday, with Luka Doncic, James Harden and Jimmy Butler among the prominent players added.

Here is a look at how the rosters for both conferences play out before Kevin Durant and LeBron James divvy up the players in the All-Star draft.

Western Conference Starters
Frontcourt: LeBron James, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jokic
Backcourt: Ja Morant, Stephen Curry

Western Conference Reserves
Frontcourt: Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Draymond Green
Backcourt: Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Donovan Mitchell

Eastern Conference Starters
Frontcourt: Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid
Backcourt: DeMar DeRozan, Trae Young

Eastern Conference Reserves
Frontcourt: Jayson Tatum, Khris Middleton, Jimmy Butler
Backcourt: James Harden, Zach LaVine, Darius Garland, Fred VanVleet

Notable Snubs

Eastern Conference: Jarrett Allen, LaMelo Ball

Western Conference: Dejounte Murray, Anthony Davis

While the teams will bear their names, it's unclear whether James or Durant will be on the court when the teams tip off Feb. 20 in Cleveland. James has been out of the lineup since Jan. 25 with swelling in his knee, and Durant has already been ruled out through the All-Star break.

Durant missed last year's All-Star Game as well with a hamstring injury, becoming the first captain to miss the exhibition since it moved to its new format. It's possible both teams this year will be captained by players who are physically unable to compete two weeks from now.

But with the game coming to Cleveland for the first time in James' career, it's hard to see him missing out on taking part in the spectacle.

If James winds up suiting up, he'll be doing so without a teammate for just the second time in the last decade. Anthony Davis was among the most surprising names left off the Western Conference list, thanks in large part due to Davis' extended absence due to injury and the Lakers' disappointing record.

Unless NBA Commissioner Adam Silver selects Davis as an injury replacement, he'll miss the game for the first time since 2013, his first NBA season. 

Durant is joined by teammate James Harden, who was selected for his 10th appearance. Harden has been the only consistent fixture in the lineup for Brooklyn with Durant missing time because of a knee injury and Kyrie Irving missing most of the season because he has refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Zach LaVine joins teammate DeMar DeRozan for the East-leading Bulls, who have been one of the NBA's most surprising stories this season. 

By far the most surprising team of the 2021-22 season is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who enter Thursday only two games behind the Bulls in the standings. They're represented by point guard Darius Garland, who makes his first appearance, but they did not get a second selection in center Jarrett Allen. The big man has been a nightly double-double all season and might be first in line to replace Durant.

The biggest snub on the Western Conference side belongs to San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray, who has emerged as one of the best two-way guards in basketball. Murray is averaging 19.6 points, 9.1 assists, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game while regularly locking down the opponent's top guard on defense.

It seems likely that Silver will select Murray as the replacement for Green, who announced Thursday that he would not participate in the All-Star Game because of a back injury.