Devin Booker is averaging 24.7 points, 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game this season while shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range. Phoenix was fourth in the West standings (20-10) entering Tuesday’s slate of games, so the stats were hardly empty. Yet NBA coaches, who choose the reserves for the All-Star Game, didn’t feel that was enough to put Booker ahead of Paul, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Rudy Gobert, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell and Zion Williamson.
NBA ALL-STAR 2021: Full list of starters, reserves
Lakers forward LeBron James, who is one of the All-Star captains along with Kevin Durant, voiced his support for Booker and declared he is “the most disrespected player in our league.” He also gave a shoutout to Lillard, who lost a tiebreaker with Luka Doncic for one of the West’s starting guard spots.
James was hardly alone in his frustration. A few current and former NBA players were shocked that Booker’s name wasn’t called.
Booker may still have a chance to be an All-Star, though.
In the case of an injury, NBA commissioner Adam Silver can choose a replacement player. It is unlikely Davis will be able to appear in the All-Star Game as he continues to recover from a calf injury, so that opens the door for Silver to undo a perceived snub. As Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News noted, Silver doesn’t have to select a frontcourt player to fill Davis’ slot, but the replacement must be a Western Conference player.
Booker, perhaps? (UPDATE: Booker, yes. The league announced Wednesday that he would replace Davis.)
