The NBA on Thursday announced the reserves for next month's NBA All-Star Game and Kyrie Irving's name was nowhere to be found.
The West Orange, N.J. native and former St. Patrick High School star was left off the list of reserves despite a brilliant season in which he's averaging 24.2 points, 4.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 48% from the field and 42% from deep.
The Athletic ranked the snubs and Irving topped the list ahead of Tyrese Maxey, Domantas Sabonis, Trae Young, Devin Booker, Jarrett Allen, Josh Hart, and LaMelo Ball.
"Irving has been a ballast for the injury-riddled Mavericks this year as they hang tough in the brutal West," wrote The Athletic. "They've only received 22 games from Luka Dončić and 32 from center Dereck Lively II, yet they're 26-22 and eighth in the conference. Irving has driven the Mavericks' offense, and while his overall numbers are down from his peak (or even last season), he's supplied reliable production for a team often starved of top options. He's shooting the 3 at a career-high 42.2 percent, and Dallas is 23-15 when he plays.
"There are a lot of guards in the West who had a case to make the team, but it's still hard to understand why Irving didn't make it, especially as his experience as a multi-time All-Star should have given him a tiebreaker over the competition."
Some on social media pointed out that Irving was also left off the NBA's 75th anniversary team and the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.
Of the Olympic snub, Irving said last April he "just didn't fit" into the 12-man roster.
Among other notable snubs were Young of the Atlanta Hawks, also averaging a double-double of 22.5 points and an NBA-best 11.4 assists; Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers, who is averaging 27.1 points, sixth-best in the NBA, and 6.0 assists; Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings, averaging a double-double of 20.0 points and 14.5 rebounds with 6.6 assists.
Young wrote on social media: "It's no longer getting "snubbed" it's getting "Traed" at this point Sorry to my fans.. it'll change eventually! All right, talk soon!"
Of course, if you added one or more of these players, you would have to remove others. James Harden of the L.A. Clippers, Alperen Senguin of the Houston Rockets and Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat were among those chosen who some fans questioned.
With the additions of Herro and Anthony Davis of the Lakers as reserves, Kentucky has four former players in the game: the most of any school.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Jersey native Karl-Anthony Towns of the Knicks were previously named as starters.
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