The 2023 NBA All-Star reserves were announced on Thursday night, and there weren’t too many surprises. I mean, obviously, guys like Joel Embiid and Ja Morant earned their spots. But, at the same time, there will usually be some fervor over players who “deserved” the honor and those who didn’t amongst the notable snubs. (Uh, Jalen Brunson? Hello?)
Though, with everyone in the account, the most shocking superstar left off the constellation of All-Stars might have been the Philadelphia 76ers’ James Harden. Harden is, of course, Embiid’s primary running mate for a Philadelphia locked in a battle at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. And the guard has been an efficient, distributive machine, averaging 21.4 points, 11 assists, and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Evidently, this line for a contender somehow wasn’t enough for Harden to garner his 11th career All-Star selection. This was how he responded on Instagram:
James Harden’s IG story 👀 pic.twitter.com/nRnILd62xJ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 3, 2023
To say the least: the NBA world was unhappy seeing Harden not rewarded for his tremendous efforts thus far.