New Orleans forward Zion Williamson can now be called an NBA All-Star, and only three others in the game’s 70-year history got there at a younger age.
Williamson is one of four first All-Stars, announced Tuesday night when the league announced the reserves for the March 7 game in Atlanta. Joining him as fellow All-Star rookies: Jaylen Brown of Boston, Julius Randle of Knicks and Zach LaVine of Chicago.
Chris Paul of Phoenix is an All-Star for the 11th time and James Harden of the Nets is one for the ninth consecutive year. The rest of the reserves include Ben Simmons, Philadelphia, Jayson Tatum and Orlando, Nikola Vucevic of the Eastern Conference, along with Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers, Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, Utah teammates, and Portland’s. Damian Lillard of the Western Conference.
“It’s definitely an honor,” Mitchell said.
The leaders of the team, LeBron James, of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets, will line up their teams next week, with the roster to be unveiled on March 4th. and a media panel.
Reserves were selected by voting through the league’s head coaches.
“You’re doing the best you can,” Orlando coach Steve Clifford said. “It’s not easy. … Every year it’s hard, and if you look at this year in the East, there were a number of guys who deserved it. So it’s hard every year.”
Trae Young of Atlanta, an All-Star last season, is not one this year, despite scoring 26.9 points on Tuesday, the most among no one selected. The forwards from Miami, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, did not make the point, nor did Devin Booker from Phoenix.
“Devin Booker is the most disrespectful player in our league !!!! Simple as that, ”James tweeted.
Utah’s Mike Conley – someone who desperately wanted to see the NBA – leading Jazz come there for the first time – would also miss the nod.
“For a man like him who has done so many things on and off the floor in his career, he deserves it,” Mitchell said of Conley.
Not enough coaches agreed. There’s still a chance for Conley, as Davis is likely to miss the game due to injury. NBA commissioner Adam Silver will choose any replacement for injuries; a player who bends will be replaced by someone else from his respective conference.
Williamson is 20 and only Kobe Bryant, James and Magic Johnson were younger in their All-Star debut. Six other 20-year-olds have been selected for the All-Star Games in the past, but all were closer to their 21st birthday at the time than Williamson is now.
Randle was the best player for the Knicks, trying to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Brown scored a career-best 25.5 points for Boston. And LaVine has been to the All-Star weekend several times before, winning two dunk games and an MVP award during the Rising Stars game. But this will be his first time in the All-Star Game itself.
James and Durant will only choose from eight other starters for their teams when the draft takes place: Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Washington’s Bradley Beal, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Dallas’s Luka Doncic, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving, Denver ‘s Nikola Jokic and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard.