Denver ? The NBA found itself caught between hypocrisy and hype at the All-Star Game.

As Commissioner David Stern pushed his idea of a 20-year-old age minimum for players in the draft, fully one-third of the 24 All-Stars showcased Sunday night were teenagers when they joined the league.

LeBron James, Jermaine O’Neal and Gilbert Arenas on the East team; and Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Rashard Lewis, Tracy McGrady and Amare Stoudemire on the West team all entered the league before their 20th birthday.

They are the vanguard of the NBA’s evolving image and swelling merchandise sales, and they are the strongest argument the players’ association could offer in opposing Stern’s plan in the new collective-bargaining agreement under negotiation.

There was James, Rookie of the Year last year and an MVP candidate this season, looking as comfortable on the court as any of his seniors, scoring 13 points and collecting six assists in the East’s 125-115 victory.

There was Garnett, the NBA’s MVP last season and a teen when he entered the league out of high school a decade ago, looking no worse at 28 for turning pro so young.

Stern is claiming the moral high ground on the age issue, saying he is looking out for the best interests of the game and the many kids whose NBA dreams never materialize. But when push comes to shove in the contract talks, Stern is not likely to win on this one — even if the players are divided on the merits of an age minimum.

“There are so many guys coming in under 20 who have done so well out of high school,” said Stoudemire, a first-time All-Star who was drafted at 19. “If that’s making the NBA better, why would you cut them off because of their age?”