Sixers' Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid Will Face Each Other in 2021 NBA All-Star Game

Sixers All-Stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are set to face each other once again in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game.

Justin Grasso | Mar 5, 2021

Sixers' Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid Will Face Each Other in 2021 NBA All-Star Game /

The 2021 NBA All-Star game is just a few days away. Before players pack up and head to Atlanta, Georgia, for the weekend to participate, the two team captains, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, participated in a draft on Thursday night to get the teams together.

Over the last few seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers have been represented by Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid in the All-Star game. And every time they played in the big game, the Sixers stars faced off against each other.

This season, the situation is no different. During Thursday's draft, Embiid came off the board before Simmons as he was voted in as a starter. The Sixers' big man got selected as the No. 4 overall pick.

Only Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving, and Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry were selected before Embiid. The veteran center ended up on Team Durant and will link with his head coach, Doc Rivers, who will coach the squad.

As for Simmons, he didn't get selected until the second round as he got voted in as a reserve. To really nobody's surprise, Simmons was selected by Team LeBron. Two years ago, James traded for Simmons, and last season he drafted the Sixers' star.

This year, LeBron snagged Ben Simmons once again by making him the 13th pick. The reserves selected before Simmons were Nets' James Harden, Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard, and Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker.

Embiid and Simmons will face off against one another on Sunday. The NBA has the tip-off scheduled for 8:00 PM EST.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.

Published Mar 5, 2021

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA