Tag: All-Star Game

NBA stars who never won All-Star Game MVP

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the top scorer and the player with the most Maurice Podoloff trophies in NBA history, but he retired without one accolade many inferior players have won: MVP at the All-Star Game. He’s far from the only superstar not to get …

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the top scorer and the player with the most Maurice Podoloff trophies in NBA history, but he retired without one accolade many inferior players have won: MVP at the All-Star Game.

He’s far from the only superstar not to get the award, though. Just check the gallery above.

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Steve Kerr on Devin Booker’s All-Star Game snub: ‘I voted for him’

Steve Kerr said he voted for Devin Booker to make the 2020 NBA All-Star game and was disappointed when the Suns’ guard didn’t get the nod .

For the first time in years, the Golden State Warriors do not have a member of their team participating in the NBA All-Star Game. While the 2019-20 edition of the Warriors may not have a player competing at an All-Star level, the Phoenix Suns have a different argument.

Joining the Warriors on the outside of All-Star weekend is Suns’ shooting guard, Devin Booker. The Kentucky Wildcat product is averaging 26.4 points, 6.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. Booker is shooting a career-best 49.9 % from the field, adding 36.2 % from beyond the arc.

Booker has been a centerpiece for the Suns’ steady improvement, leading them to 21 wins before the All-Star break. Over the past four seasons, Phoenix has had win totals of 19, 21, 24 and 23 for the entire year.

However, Booker’s efficient season wasn’t enough to get a nod to the 2020 All-Star game in Chicago.

The Golden State Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr was an advocate to get Booker into the game and was disappointed when the Suns’ shooting guard didn’t get a bid from the Western Conference. Before Golden State tipped off against Booker and the Suns, Kerr told reporters in Phoenix that he voted for Booker to get into the game.

I agree with them on the All-Star part — I voted for him, and I’m not just saying that cause we’re playing against them tonight — I’m not saying that to butter him up. I think he’s had an All-Star year; I think he’s been fantastic — the efficiency, the Suns’ overall improvement — I think he’s played a huge role in it, and I was disappointed for him. I don’t know him, but just watching him — he’s an All-Star player. It happens every year though — you get a couple of guys left out, and you think, ‘well, they deserved it’ and then you look at the team and go, ‘everybody on the team pretty much deserved it too’— so it’s never an easy math equation.

Although their coach is a fan of Booker’s game, it’ll be Golden State’s final challenge before the All-Star break to slow him down. Damion Lee, Jordan Poole and Ky Bowman will be tasked with containing Booker on his All-Star revenge tour.

A quick stop in Phoenix will be the Warriors’ final chance to end their current three-game losing streak before the All-Star break.

James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul to share All-Star team

Houston’s current All-Star backcourt of James Harden and Russell Westbrook are on Team LeBron, along with former Rockets guard Chris Paul.

The current Houston backcourt and one former Rockets point guard will all play together on the same team at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.

James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Chris Paul were all drafted by LeBron James to play on “Team LeBron” at the upcoming game, which takes place on Sunday, Feb. 16 in Chicago.

Harden will start the game, while Westbrook and Paul are each reserves.

The teams were drafted by James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who were deemed “team captains” for having the most fan votes in the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively.

Antetokounmpo took a lighthearted jab at Harden when drafting Boston’s Kemba Walker ahead of him, saying he wants someone “that’s going to pass the ball.” Antetokounmpo and Harden finished first and second, respectively, in last season’s MVP voting.

That assertion isn’t supported by data, however, since Harden ranks No. 9 in the NBA in assists at 7.3 per game, while Walker is No. 33 at 5.0.

Led by two former MVPs, Harden and Westbrook have directed the Rockets (32-18) to the West’s fourth-best record entering Thursday.

Now 30 years old, Harden leads the NBA in scoring yet again at 35.8 points per game, along with 7.3 assists and 6.5 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Westbrook is in the NBA’s top 10 in points (26.4) and assists (7.4) per game, and he’s also near the league’s best among guards at 8.0 rebounds per game. It’s the ninth career All-Star berth for the 31-year-old Westbrook, and the eighth for Harden.

In Oklahoma City, Paul has led the Thunder (31-20) to a surprising No. 6 mark in the West standings, with averages of 17.0 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game. It’s the 10th All-Star berth of the 34-year-old’s career, and his first since 2016.

Paul was traded by the Rockets to Oklahoma City last offseason in the deal that brought Westbrook to Houston.

All three guards are future Hall of Famers whose career legacies are tied to at least one other member of the trio, making it a unique opportunity for them to all take the court together. The All-Star Game tips off at 7 p.m. Central time on Sunday, Feb. 16 in Chicago.

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Russell Westbrook joins James Harden with 2020 All-Star selection

The ninth All-Star nod of Westbrook’s career gives the Houston Rockets two All-Star players for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

As determined by votes from NBA coaches, Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook is among the seven Western Conference players selected as reserves for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.

It’s the ninth All-Star berth of his storied career. Now in his first season away from Oklahoma City, the 2020 game will be the first of those nine appearances for Westbrook to represent another NBA team.

Westbrook will be joined at the All-Star Game by his Houston backcourt co-star, James Harden, who was named last week as a starter. It’s the first time since the 2013-14 season (Dwight Howard) that Harden has had an All-Star for that season as a teammate with the Rockets.

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For the 2019-20 season to date, Westbrook is averaging 26.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game with the Rockets (29-18). Both his points and assists totals are in the league’s top 10 in those categories.

But Westbrook has been even better in recent weeks. In 21 games since Dec. 7, the former MVP is averaging 30.5 points on 49.8% shooting.

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That 30.5 point average makes Westbrook the NBA’s No. 3 overall scorer since Dec. 7, trailing only Harden and Portland’s Damian Lillard.

Westbrook was the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 2015 and 2016.

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It is unclear whether the 30-year-old Harden and 31-year-old Westbrook will be All-Star Game teammates, since the two rosters won’t be selected until next Thursday, Feb. 6, by team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. (The captains were determined by the player in each conference who received the most fan votes.)

From there, James and Antetokounmpo will each “draft” a team for the All-Star Game — beginning with four selections apiece from the pool of other starting players, including Harden, and then seven picks each among reserve players, such as Westbrook.

Kemba Walker grateful for All-Star starter status granted by peers

All-NBA Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker is officially an All-Star starter because of the player vote, and the Bronx native is thankful for it.

It’s no secret that Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker is respected by his peers in the NBA, but the tangible proof provided by the returns from 2020 NBA All-Star voting still meant quite a bit to the UConn product.

The Bronx native was recently named a starter in the midseason exhibition — the first such honor of his career — despite coming in third in fan voting, the love shown him by media voters and particularly the player vote pushing him into starter territory.

All-Star voting for the starter positions is split between those three groups, with fans getting half the available votes, and the rest split evenly between media and players.

Reserves are chosen by NBA coaches, and replacements by commissioner Adam Silver when needed.

For Walker, though, it was the player vote that meant the most.

“It means a lot,” offered the former Husky (courtesy of the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach.)

“To me personally, there’s nothing more than the respect of the guys you play against every night. I have to thank those guys of course for voting me in. I saw that I was first for the players and media, so thanks to those guys.”

After seeing he was trailing the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young and former Celtic (and current Brooklyn Net) Kyrie Irving in the early returns, Walker didn’t pay much attention to voting, assuming he’d end up coming out among the reserves.

But to hear news media and his peers were enough to get him starter honors was especially gratifying to the 29-year-old.

“It’s exciting,” he explained. “I’ve come a long way, so it’s a special honor to be able to start among the best players in the world. To be named a starter, it’s an unbelievable accomplishment. So, it’s cool.”

Cool enough to put the team on his back against the Orlando Magic with a 37-point performance while both All-Star reserve hopefuls Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum sat recuperating from non-serious injury.

There’s a good chance at least one will join Walker in Chicago for the event, with results to be revealed Thursday. And it’s not impossible that both — or neither — could get a nod.

“Jaylen and Jayson are both very deserving,” offered head coach Brad Stevens. “And at the same time, as I’ve told them many times, it’s not about being named an All-Star, because that’s very subjective. It’s about playing like one.”

With some short exceptions, both have been this season. But with many other excellent candidates competing with them in one of the strongest East seasons in years, the risk of being passed over is not a small one.

For Brown, it’s just an honor to be considered.

“I think it’s dope … especially coming off a season like last year, being in the mix is a win for sure.”

“For me, it’s just continue to get better, continue to play the right way, and everything else will take care of itself,” he added.

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Tacko Fall gets 7 All-Star votes from other NBA players

Boston Celtics rookie two way center received seven votes from fellow NBA players to represent the East frontcourt in the 2020 NBA All-Star game.

While for many NBA players, Boston Celtics center Tacko Fall’s All-Star candidacy might not have been a serious bid, for seven of them, it was.

The Senegalese two way center has yet to play as many games at the NBA level as the number of players who voted for him as an East representative in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, which could have been a problem on several levels had he somehow managed to secure an unlikely bid.

That lack of experience in the league’s midseason exhibition honoring the most outstanding players of the season so far has had some concerned Fall’s candidacy has been more of a novelty in an event that impacts player salaries and Hall of Fame bids.

“While the campaign itself was a harmless goof, it genuinely wouldn’t be fair for him to take up an All-Star roster spot away from a more deserving candidate, potentially even one of his own teammates,” relates Forbes SportsMoney’s Hunter Felt, reflecting the popular sentiment.

With the risk of bumping one of his own teammates out of contention for their first nod to the career-changing event in the rear-view mirror, one such All-Star hopeful, Jaylen Brown, even considered changing his player vote on hearing seven of his peers gave theirs to the UCF product.

“It would have been eight [expletive] votes for Tacko. No question,” offered the Cal-Berkeley product, reports MassLive’s John Karalis.

Jokes aside, this is he right outcome — for the league, for the team, and for Fall.

While he may be getting interest more from the size of his standing reach than what he can do with it, the 7-foot-5 big man will leave his mark on the league soon enough.

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Lakers coach Frank Vogel to be head coach of Team LeBron in All-Star Game

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has qualified to be one of the two All-Star head coaches in the 2020 All-Star Game.

Thursday night was a banner day for the Los Angeles Lakers franchise and only part of it had to do with the victory they scored at Barclay’s Center against the Brooklyn Nets. Only a few hours after their leader LeBron James was named a captain for the 2020 All-Star Game and that his running-mate Anthony Davis was also named a starter, their head coach also earned All-Star honors.

With the win over Brooklyn, Lakers coach Frank Vogel secured his place as the head coach of Team LeBron in the 2020 All-Star Game. That presumably opens the door for an All-Lakers trio on Team LeBron, provided James picks Davis like most to expect he will with the No. 1 overall pick.

2020 marks the second NBA All-Star Game head coaching honor for Vogel, who coached the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the 2014 All-Star Game. LeBron James, then with the Miami Heat, was a member of that All-Star team as well.

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Celtics get a 2020 East backcourt starter in Kemba Walker

The Boston Celtics secured a starter position for All-NBA point guard Kemba Walker among East frontcourt fan vote recipients.

The Boston Celtics will have at least one starter in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.

The NBA revealed the final results of fan voting, and Boston’s All-NBA point guard Kemba Walker has secured one of the two starting backcourt positions in the February exhibition.

The UConn product beat out Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets despite being behind in fan voting for much of the voting period. Walker will be joined by the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young in the backcourt.

The East frontcourt starters include the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will be the East captain with the most overall fan votes.

He will be joined by the Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid as East frontcourt starters.

Other Celtics making an appearance in the top ten voting for each category include just wing Jaylen Brown (seventh overall) for backcourt voting, and swingman Jayson Tatum (fifth overall) and rookie center Tacko Fall (sixth overall) for frontcourt voting.

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Athletic’s John Hollinger projects just one Celtic 2020 All-Star

The Boston Celtics could realistically see as many as three players in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, but one renowned analyst is much more bearish about their prospects.

If the Athletic’s John Hollinger is right, the Boston Celtics may be a bit disappointed with their representation at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.

The former Memphis Grizzlies executive and analytics guru sees but one Celtic making the cut, though as consolation, he’ll be a starter.

That would be UConn product Kemba Walker, getting the nod as a starter in the East backcourt alongside the Philadelphia 76ers’ floor general Ben Simmons.

While former Celtic Kyrie Irving may have held a lead over the Bronx native for the entire span of fan voting, his extended absence to injury and general prickliness of late led Hollinger to leave the Australian off his All-Star list entirely.

He also thinks Trae Young — who was also ahead of Walker in fan voting — belongs in the All-Star game, though not as a starter, as he relates here:

“I can’t vote Young as a starter ahead of Walker when Walker is playing much more meaningful minutes and not padding his numbers in garbage time the way Young is. But against the next tier of guards, Young clearly has the advantage. He’s a one-man offensive engine who makes virtually every decision for a team that essentially has no other serious threats.”

It seems likely Young will end up a starter, though, and Irving’s situation is hard to read on a game-to-game basis, never mind weeks in the future.

Wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum didn’t make the cut, the former not even in the running from Hollinger’s perspective.

No rationale for that series of decisions, but the field is crowded, and both Brown and Tatum are competing against a number of other solid cases in their respective side of the court.

Hollinger named Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat to his starting East backcourt, with the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, Bucks’ Chris Middleton and Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam filling out the frontcourt reserves.

He also has the Bucks’ Eric Bledsoe joining Atlanta’s Young as a backcourt reserve, and the Indiana Pacers’ Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon for the final two wildcard nods.

While this is a reasonable selection, it feels a little heavily slanted towards Milwaukee, Miami and Indiana, particularly given the Pacers have clearly produced numbers in the win column well behind teams like Boston and Toronto.

We’ll find out the results soon enough, with NBA All-Star Game starters, including team captains, to be revealed Thursday, Jan. 23 on TNT NBA Tip-Off. The same network will announce the reserves selected by NBA coaches a week later on Jan. 30.

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Celtics hold steady with third returns of 2020 NBA All-Star voting

The Boston Celtics continue to have five players among the top-10 for the Eastern Conference’s representatives to the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.

The Boston Celtics continue to have five players turning up in the third returns of the fan vote for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.

In the East frontcourt race, swingman Jayson Tatum came in fifth with 1,622,635 votes, behind the Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler’s 2,046,257 votes, and just ahead of teammate Tacko Fall.

The Senegalese center garnered 757,375 votes despite his status as a two way player, yet to start a game in his limited NBA career to date.

Veteran forward Gordon Hayward also registered 398,213 votes for an eighth-place finish among frontcourt nominees.

As for Boston’s representatives in the East backcourt race, with 1,797,633 votes All-NBA point guard Kemba Walker continues to trail second-place ex-Celtic Kyrie Irving (now with the Brooklyn Nets) by about 20,000 votes, with close to a 400,000 vote lead over the Detroit Pistons’ Derrick Rose.

He is joined by fourth-year shooting guard Jaylen Brown, in seventh place with 718,355 votes, about 120,000 behind the Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine and close to 90,000 ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons.

While there’s still time for Walker to be elevated to a starter by the fan vote, it’s looking more and more like Boston will have to depend on the coaches selecting reserves to send a multiplayer bid from their roster to this year’s All-Star game.

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