The NBA All-Star Game will take place on Saturday, February 20, 2022, and the Chicago Bulls will be represented by at least DeMar DeRozan, who has officially been voted a starter for this year’s contest.
ALL-STAR STARTER.@DeMar_DeRozan is a 5x NBA All-Star! pic.twitter.com/I40mylomXl
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 28, 2022
DeRozan becomes the Bulls’ first starter in the All-Star Game since the 2016-17 season when Jimmy Butler was a starter for the final traditional East vs. West contest (the NBA proceeded to change the format to the current Captain vs. Captain format).
The selection for DeRozan marks his fifth NBA All-Star Game selection. The veteran has averaged 26.4 points this season and is currently the league’s 6th-leading scorer. He’s shot 49.6 percent from the field to go along with a 32.9 percent clip from downtown (the second-best mark of his career). Even more impressive, he has been one of the NBA’s top 4th-quarter scorers, sitting just one point behind Giannis Antetokounmpo for the most points scored in the final frame this season.
DeRozan has also continued his long-time dominance in the midrange, averaging more shot attempts per game from this area on the court than anything (9.0), shooting an efficient 49.2 percent.
Here’s a full look at the East and West starters …
Western Conference
Frontcourt
•  LeBron James (LAL)*
•  Nikola Jokic (DEN)
•  Andrew Wiggins (GSW)
Guards
•  Stephen Curry (GSW)
•  Ja Morant (MEM)
Eastern Conference
Frontcourt
•  Kevin Durant (BKN)*
•  Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL)
•  Joel Embiid (PHI)
Guards
•  DeMar DeRozan (CHI)
•  Trae Young (ATL)
Note: team captains have asterisks next to their names.
Zach LaVine missed out, but one would have to imagine that LaVine will be a reserve selection for this year’s All-Star Game. If LaVine does indeed make it onto the roster, it would be his second All-Star Game appearance and DeRozan and LaVine would become the first Bulls duo to participate in the contest since Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol were both selected in 2016.
Reserves will be announced on February 3 and the ASG draft will take place on February 10.