Getty LeBron James has the first pick in the NBA All-Star draft.
The first televised NBA All-Star draft will take place on Thursday night.
The draft is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on TNT, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on your computer, phone or streaming device via any of the following options:
No cable subscription or log-in required
TNT is one of 75-plus channels included in the main Fubo bundle, which is largely tailored towards sports.
You can start a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the draft–and then the Lakers vs. Celtics game right after it–on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch up shows and games up to three days after they air even if you forgot to record them.
No cable subscription or log-in required
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including TNT.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the draft on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
No cable subscription or log-in required
TNT is included in both the “Sling Orange” and “Sling Blue” channel packages.
You can start a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch the draft live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
NBA All-Star Draft Preview
For the second year in a row, captains will choose sides for the NBA All-Star Game. But for the first time, the draft will be televised.
As the leading vote-getters in the East and West, respectively, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James will serve as captains. James will get the first selection among the 10 starters (five from each conference), then the Milwaukee Bucks star will pick first among the reserves. Finally, James will pick first in the third round, which consists of All-Star honorees Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade.
Antetokounmpo has apparently already made up his mind regarding his first pick, so long as James doesn’t spoil it.
“I might pick [Stephen Curry first] because he picked me first last year, so I gotta return the favor,” Antetokounmpo told reporters on Monday, according to NBC Sports. “And after that? I don’t know. I think it’s going to be random, but I’m going to try to pick first-year guys and of course [Bucks teammate Khris Middleton].”
It seemed that part of the reason the league didn’t televise last year’s draft was to protect the ego of whoever went off the board last.
That distinction went to LaMarcus Aldridge, who’ll be back this year; he didn’t mind all that much.
“We’re all All-Stars, so, at the end of the day, we should be thankful to be here,” Aldridge said last year, according to ESPN. “Picked first, picked last, it doesn’t matter. We’re all competitive, too. It won’t be the easiest thing to be picked last, but at the end of the day, you’re just happy to be here.”
First-time All-Star D’Angelo Russell told ESPN’s “Get Up!” how he’d feel about getting selected last this year.
“I’m going to give it to you as real as it gets: I don’t care about none of that,” the Brooklyn Nets point guard said. “I don’t care about none of that. I’m in there. … I know [the draft process] switches up a lot. I haven’t really been able to keep up with how it works or who gets to pick or whatnot, I know it’s switched over the years. So I’m looking forward to it.”
In his fourth season, Russell has helped transform the Nets into a playoff team. Since their 8-18 start, he’s averaged 21.4 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 39.8 percent from deep, dishing 7.2 assists per game. After a 28-win season in 2017-18, they’re 29-27, good for the East’s sixth seed.
“I’m going to be starstruck. I’m not going to lie,” Russell said of the All-Star Game, according to Sports Illustrated. “At the end of the day, I’m 22. A lot of these guys are a little older than me, so I watched them on TV. Dreamed of playing in that game. I can’t imagine being in an All-Star Game, knowing that you’re among some of the best of the best. I was in awe on the plane. I’m a crier, honestly. I was holding my tears in.”