The active 2013 All-Stars are still title favorites.
Can you believe that Chris Paul is the only still-active 2013 All-Star starter not currently employed by the Los Angeles Lakers or Brooklyn Nets?
Also true: nearly every single still-active 2013 All-Star, starter or bench, is on a legit title contender this year?
Seven of the 10 starters at that ASG — selected by the Fan Vote, which counted for 100% of the votes at that time — are still active in the NBA, with six of those about to play for the Nets or Lakers this year.
From those starting lineups, the Nets have Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin while the Lakers have LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo and Carmelo Anthony. Of those, Durant and LeBron are still at the height of their powers. The other four are best suited as light-minute backups this late in their careers.
The permeation of 2013 All-Stars playing for the Nets or Lakers goes way past the starters too.
Another four who play for the Nets or Lakers were selected by the coaches to round out the 24-man All-Star roster across both conferences that year. James Harden (Nets), Kyrie Irving (Nets), LaMarcus Aldridge (Nets) and Russell Westbrook (Lakers) were all coaches’ selections.
That’s six Lakers and five Nets, if you’re counting that way. Super Teams, amiright? Well yeah, they are both expected to compete for a Finals berth and they headline the Christmas Day slate in a head-to-head regular season matchup.
Of those 11 2013 All-Stars, at least four of them are expected to make the All-Star game again in 2022 with LeBron, Kyrie, Durant and Harden all still playing at that level. And it could be five: Russell Westbrook is only a year removed from his last All-Star nod as well.
They are getting old though.
Carmelo Anthony is the oldest of the group, already 37 years old. LeBron is 36 going on 37 in December, followed by Dwight Howard (36), LaMarcus Aldridge (35), Russell Westbrook (33), Kevin Durant (33), Blake Griffin (32), James Harden (32) and Kyrie Irving (29).
Six of those players also count among the league’s top seven active leaders in career points scored.
- LeBron James 35,367 — with Lakers this year
- Carmelo Anthony 27,370 — Lakers
- Kevin Durant 23,883 — Nets
- James Harden 22,045 — Nets
- Russell Westbrook 21,857 — Lakers
- ??? 19,978
- Dwight Howard 19,113 — Lakers
The only 2021 All-Star on either current Lakers or Nets team that was NOT an All-Star in 2013 is young whippersnapper Anthony Davis (28 years old). Davis was a 13/8 rookie in 2013 who exploded in year two and hasn’t missed one since. When he’s (likely) named to the 2022 All-Star team, that will be his 9th in 10 seasons.
Guess who belongs in the 6th spot on that career points scored list, among active players?
You guessed it: Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns.
Paul is also getting up there in years, currently at 36 years old and scheduled to turn 37 next May just like LBJ.
Like LBJ, Durant, Harden and Kyrie, Chris Paul is still dominating the NBA, making the All-Star game in both 2013 and 2021 as well as most of those in between. At 35 years old, he finished 5th in MVP voting this past year and was named second-team All-NBA too. Oh and his Suns won the Western Conference, coming up just short of the franchise’s first NBA title against two other 2013 All-Stars (Lopez, Holiday). CP3 is likely to make the All-Star game again in 2022.
Want to reminisce a bit?
Here’s CP3 and the current Lakers and Nets squads all the way back in 2013 during that All-Star game.
Makes you just want to pinch their cheeks, they were so young!
Like LeBron with Anthony Davis, CP3 has a young whippersnapper All-Star at his side in Devin Booker to join him at the 2022 All-Star game. Booker was just a 16 year old high school kid in 2013.