James Harden was openly unhappy last season when he was not voted to the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in a decade, but apparently he could have continued the streak if he were willing to swallow his pride.
Harden was not named an Eastern Conference reserve back in February despite averaging 21.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 11.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game at the time. He seemed to express his frustration with a two-word response on social media.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Harden still had a chance to play in the game. NBA commissioner Adam Silver planned to name Harden as an injury replacement for Kevin Durant. Silver just wanted assurances that Harden would actually show up and play.
Sources told Shelburne that Silver tried to get in touch with Harden for days, but Harden did not answer because he was “pouting” about the original snub. By the time Harden finally agreed to accept the invitation, Silver had already named Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam as the replacement for Durant.
While Harden was right to assume he would at least have been named a reserve, he still could have made it 11 straight All-Star Games had he answered Silver’s call.
