The coaches have made the hard choices — and there were a couple of surprises.
The fans have had their say for the NBA All-Star Game starters, and while a player might get “snubbed” there — as Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards felt he was after losing on a tiebreaker to Victor Wembanyama — he is still going to make the team.
Sunday, when the reserves are announced, is when the hard decisions are made and real snubs happen. The NBA All-Star Game reserves are selected by a vote of the coaches, and the results are usually fairly predictable — they name a few big stars who just missed out on starting, but they also reward some newcomers and some guys having unexpected standout seasons. The coaches did that, but there was no way to put together these teams without leaving off some deserving players.
Below, we have rolled out the coach’s selections as they are announced on NBC and Peacock, and provide analysis and identify the biggest snubs. As a quick reminder, here are the starters (as voted in by the fans, players and media):
Eastern Conference: Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Tyrese Maxey (76ers), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks, but he is out with a calf strain and his replacement will be selected by Commissioner Adam Silver)
Western Conference: Luka Doncic (Lakers), Stephen Curry (Warriors), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
The reserves for each conference are:
EASTERN CONFERENCE All-STAR RESERVES
Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
Jalen Johnson (Hawks)
Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)
Pascal Siakam (Pacers)
Norman Powell (Heat)
Scottie Barnes (Raptors)
Jalen Duren (Pistons)
BIGGEST SNUBS: Michael Porter Jr. (Nets), Joel Embiid (76ers), Josh Giddey (Bulls), Bam Adebayo (Heat), Brandon Ingram (Raptors), Evan Mobley (Cavaliers).
WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR RESERVES
Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
Chet Holmgren (Thunder)
Kevin Durant (Rockets)
Devin Booker (Suns)
Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers)
LeBron James (Lakers)
BIGGEST SNUBS: Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Alperen Sengun (Rockets), Julius Randle (Timberwolves), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies), Lauri Markkanen (Jazz), James Harden (Clippers).
Analysis of reserve picks
• This is LeBron James’ 22nd year as an All-Star and it wouldn’t be the same without him. That said, did his play this season earn this spot? He has missed 17 games, and while he is averaging 21.9 points, 6.6 assists and 5.8 rebounds a game this season, I would argue Leonard, Sengun or Randle were more deserving based on their play this season. LeBron was on the bubble, and most pundits expected Adam Silver to get him in with a special designation. Now Silver is off the hook.
• There is a perfect fit of eight international players to make up the World Team for this year’s USA vs. World All-Star Game format (more on that below). The team will be Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic, Wembanyama, Siakam, Murray, Avdija, and Towns. (Antetokounmpo would have made this team, obviously, but is out due to injury. If he selects an international player, Towns could be moved over to one of the two USA teams.)
• There are six first-time All-Stars this year: Avdija, Duren, Holmgren, Johnson, Murray and Powell.
• No Clipper got in for a game that will be played in their arena. While Kawhi Leonard missed the start of the season, he has played in 34 games (more than LeBron) and sparked the turnaround in the Clippers’ season by averaging 27.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, while shooting 39.5% from 3-point range and playing elite defense. Not sure how the coaches could leave him off.
• The Rockets’ Alperen Sengun deserved to be on this team. He is second on the Rockets in scoring (21 points a game) while leading them in rebounds (9.2 per game) and assists (6.4). Durant is the finisher, but Sengun is the hub of the fifth-best offense in the NBA this season.
• Norman Powell, at age 32, is the fourth-oldest first-time All-Star of all time (Sam Cassell and Anthony Mason were both named for the first time at age 34).
• Jalen Duren more than deserves to be there, and this was a heartwarming moment in Detroit.
All-Star Game format
While the idea of a USA vs. international players All-Star Game format has been talked about for years, 2026 felt like the right time.
That’s because the NBA All-Star Game returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock in the middle of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. That was a perfect setup for the first-of-its-kind All-Star Game format.
The 24 All-Star players listed above will be divided into three teams — two USA teams and one world team — that will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games. Each of the three teams will have a minimum of eight players (if the USA or World teams are short on players, the league office will select one or more players to reach the required number).
At the end of the round-robin, the two top teams will play a championship game (the fourth 12-minute game of the day) for the title.
All-Star weekend tips off on Feb. 13 with the Rising Stars at the Intuit Dome at 6 p.m. PT, featuring the league’s top first- and second-year players. Also on the 13th is the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, featuring stars from media, sports and entertainment at the Kia Forum. The Forum also hosts the fifth annual NBA HBCU Classic at 8 p.m. that night.
On Saturday, Feb. 14, All-Star Saturday night — featuring the Skills Challenge, 3-point Contest and the Dunk Contest — will take place at the Intuit Dome.
The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Eastern, earlier than in previous years, leading into more coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Johnathon Schroeder
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