Although the order of last month’s NBA All-Star Draft was not publicized, ESPN’s Chris Haynes broke news Friday evening, reporting that San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge and Boston Celtics center Al Horford were the last two players selected. Aldridge was the penultimate pick, landing on LeBron James’ team, and Curry chose Horford as the final selection.
“We’re all All-Stars, so, at the end of the day, we should be thankful to be here,” Aldridge told 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.”
Additionally, Stephen Curry revealed that Giannis Antetokounmpo was the second overall pick. Both Curry and James were strong advocates for the draft being publicized. During a Basketball without Borders event on Friday, Horford echoed those sentiments, encouraging NBA management to air the draft.
Concerns arise surrounding televising the draft for Mr. Irrelevant, the last player selected. NBPA executive director Michele Roberts believes that buzz revolving around the decision as to whether or not air the draft was generated by the media, explaining that the new format was enough to provide added intrigue to the game.
But in Curry’s mind, NBA stars are tough enough to handle any backlash that may surface as the result of a televised draft.
“We’re all grown men. Everybody can handle it,” Curry said to ESPN. “At the end of the day, you are an All-Star. Until there is a way to massage it out a little bit to understand what the dynamic would be if we go on TV. The NHL does it where there’s an incentive for the last pick, which would be hilarious if that actually happened for us because you can go all out for whoever that last pick was to soften the blow a little bit. But no one should be ashamed.”
