Steve Starr
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (+550) and LeBron James (+650) are the favorites to win NBA All-Star MVP
- Luka Doncic (+200) is chalk to be the 1st overall pick in the All-Star Draft
- The 72nd NBA All-Star Game will tip off from Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah on Sunday, February 19 at 8:30 pm ET
For the first time ever, the All-Star Draft will take place right before the All-Star Game. As team captains, Giannis and LeBron will select the players they want to do battle with on Sunday night. Can James improve to 6-0 all-time since the format was introduced?
Let’s look at the odds for who might be picked first overall before looking at the frontrunners for All-Star MVP. You can also check out these tips for NBA All Star Betting and our 2023 guide for betting on NBA Basketball.
1st Overall Pick in All-Star Draft
| Player |  |  |
| Luka Doncic | +200 | +150 |
| Nikola Jokic | +300 | +600 |
| Kyrie Irving | +400 | +300 |
| Joel Embiid | +400 | +400 |
| Jayson Tatum | +475 | +550 |
| Ja Morant | +800 | +1000 |
| Donovan Mitchell | +1400 | +1000 |
| Anthony Edwards | +4000 | +4000 |
| Lauri Markkanen | +4000 | +4000 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | +4000 | +4000 |
LeBron and Giannis square off
LeBron James is playing in his 19th All-Star Game and has captained six-straight times since the format was introduced in 2018. Meanwhile, this is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s seventh-consecutive ASG start and third time wearing the ‘C’. As the top overall finisher in fan voting, King James will pick first on Sunday. But, he’ll have to find a new No. 1 this year after selecting the Greek Freak first in each of the past two seasons.
LeBron used his first pick on Kevin Durant in 2018 and 2019, and on teammate Anthony Davis in 2020. With those guys not suiting up, there’s a little mystery around who might go No. 1.
Draft your #NBAAllStarDreamRoster!
Choose your captain, starters and reserves against the computer on the NBA App! Sign up for a free NBA ID to unlock a custom graphic with your picks ⭐
➡️: https://t.co/31Se0FmSHt pic.twitter.com/rKMh9PzYwl
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 15, 2023
Doncic favored to go first
Luka Doncic (+200) leads the NBA scoring race with 33.3 points per game, and LeBron has picked the Slovenian in each of the past three years. However, with plenty of sharpshooters to choose from, James could go big with Joel Embiid (+400) or Nikola Jokic (+600). Keep in mind that LBJ has never selected the 76ers center in five straight years as captain. And, in 2022, he actually grabbed the Nuggets’ triple-double-machine before Doncic.
NBA All-Star MVP
|  |
|
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | +500 | +550 |
| LeBron James | +550 | +650 |
| Damian Lillard | +600 | +900 |
| Luka Doncic | +650 | +800 |
| Kyrie Irving | +800 | +1000 |
| Jayson Tatum | +900 | +900 |
| Ja Morant | +1000 | +1000 |
| Donovan Mitchell | +1200 | +1200 |
| Nikola Jokic | +1800 | +2000 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | +2000 | +1600 |
| Anthony Edwards | +3300 | +3300 |
| Lauri Markkanen | +3300 | +2500 |
| De'Aaron Fox | +4000 | +4000 |
| Paul George | +4000 | +4000 |
| Pascal Siakam | +5000 | +5000 |
| Bam Adebayo | +7500 | +8000 |
| DeMar DeRozan | +7500 | +8000 |
| Domantas Sabonis | +7500 | +8000 |
| Jaren Jackson Jr. | +7500 | +8000 |
| Jaylen Brown | +7500 | +8000 |
| Jrue Holiday | +7500 | +8000 |
| Julius Randle | +7500 | +8000 |
| Tyrese Haliburton | +7500 | +8000 |
Captains lead the charge
Giannis Antetokounmpo (+550) won the MVP two years ago after shooting 16 of 16 for 35 points – the most baskets without a miss in All-Star Game history. However, with history on the line, LeBron James (+650) might be the better bet. By capturing his fourth ASG MVP, the 38-year-old would tie Kobe Bryant and Bob Pettit’s all-time NBA record.
Anthony Davis is the only big man to win the award in the past 13 seasons, not including unicorn Giannis. That means we’re fading Nikola Jokic (+2000) and Joel Embiid. It’s also wise to avoid longshots as the MVP has been awarded to a Hall of Famer or future Hall of Famer for the past quarter century.
Giannis: “My goal is to beat LeBron [in the All-Star Game]. … I cannot be 0-3 against him.” pic.twitter.com/Etu9w1pbPp
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 10, 2023
Best Bet
Jayson Tatum (+900) has led the Boston Celtics to the best record in the NBA at the All-Star Break, right after leading them to the 2022 NBA Finals. Averaging 30.6 points per game (sixth in the league), the 24-year-old may be motivated to take his stardom up another level against the best players in the game.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
