LaMarcus Aldridge: 'We're all All-Stars ... just happy to be here'

LOS ANGELES -- San Antonio Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge said he wasn't surprised to learn he was the last pick in the inaugural 2018 NBA All-Star Draft.

"I'm not a flashy player," the six-time All-Star said. "That's OK."

Aldridge was the last player chosen by LeBron James' team, and Boston Celtics power forward Al Horford was the last pick by Stephen Curry's team, league sources told ESPN's Chris Haynes.

"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."
Team LeBron held the first and final picks in the draft. Team Stephen acknowledged Friday to the youth at an NBA skills camp that Curry took Milwaukee Bucks small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo with the second overall pick.

In a new format designed to generate more buzz leading up to the 2018 All-Star Game, last month James and Curry, the top two vote-getters, selected from the pool of 22 players chosen to play in this year's mid-February classic.

The draft was not televised and the order of the draft was not revealed, but there is a strong push by fans, media and some players to air the step-by-step selection process next season. James and Curry are on record saying that the draft needs to be broadcast for all to witness.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was a guest on ESPN's The Jump and told host Rachel Nichols, "My sense is that already what we've heard certainly from the media, even from the players themselves, I think we can have a lot of fun around the draft. So, if things go as we hope they will, I'm sure that will be something we'll sit back down and talk with the union about."

Source :- espn