Many fans want to see Dwyane Wade in the NBA All-Star Game this year simply because it is his last season in what has been a Hall of Fame career, but the 16-year veteran does not think that is enough of a reason for him to get the nod.
Wade finished second overall in Eastern Conference fan voting among all players this year, but he finished tied for third place among East guards with player and media votes also factored in. That means he did not earn a starting spot and would have to make the team as a reserve, and Wade admitted on Friday that he does not believe he should.
Dwyane Wade shares his thoughts on not being an All-Star starter: pic.twitter.com/DLqHyU2qnk
— Miami Herald Sports (@HeraldSports) January 25, 2019
“If I’m choosing an All-Star, I’m not picking me,” Wade said. “It’s not an indictment on anything, but guys that deserve to be All-Stars will be All-Stars.”
Wade is averaging 13.8 points and 4.2 assists per game this year. During Thursday night’s TNT broadcast, Charles Barkley said he is against Wade getting a reserve spot as part of his farewell tour because that means snubbing a player who deserved it more. Wade joked on Friday that he actually agrees with Barkley “for the first time.”
“There’s a lot of guys that get their first chance to be All-Stars, and if they deserve it then they deserve it and they should have those spots,” Wade added. “I appreciate the love from my fans to even vote me, to have as many votes as I did. But from an All-Star standpoint, there’s multiple guys that deserve to be in there and I hope they get their opportunity.”
Ben Simmons and Eric Bledsoe are two other guards who would be making their first All-Star appearance, and both have played better than Wade this season. Another player who would have been a candidate suffered a gruesome knee injury this week, but there are still seven other players who deserve to be picked over Wade.
On one hand, the All-Star Game is a largely meaningless event that can provide a nice send-off for players in their final season, kind of like what we saw with Kobe Bryant in 2016. On the other, you’d hate to be the player who got overlooked simply because a guy like Wade is retiring.
