After narrowly missing out on the MVP award in back-to-back years, one top NBA star is missing out yet again.
The NBA announced on Thursday the official starters for this year’s All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. LeBron James (the captain), Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, and Nikola Jokic were named the starters in the West. Giannis Antetokounmpo (the other captain), Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Donovan Mitchell got the nods in the East.
There was one major snub out East though — Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid did not earn a starting spot this year.
Many on Twitter, including Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, expressed outrage over the omission of Embiid.
Ngl .@JoelEmbiid not starting is nuts
— kuz (@kylekuzma) January 27, 2023
NBA has to make the all-star game positionless bc in what world is joel embiid not a starter
— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) January 27, 2023
Joel Embiid not starting in the All-Star game is an embarrassment for the NBA
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 27, 2023
So Joel Embiid isn't an All-Star starter . . . but Zion Williamson is?
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) January 27, 2023
There were only three frontcourt spots up for grabs, so one of Tatum, Antetokounmpo, Durant, and Embiid (all of whom are having fantastic seasons on top-four teams in the conference) was inevitably going to get snubbed. But for Embiid to be the one who got shut out (when he is leading the East with 33.4 points per game and has had arguably a greater two-way impact than any of the others except for maybe Antetokoumpo) did not sit right with many.
Embiid will obviously make it in as an All-Star reserve and had been named an All-Star starter for the last five straight seasons before this one. Still, it should fun to see how the notoriously petty Embiid responds to his snub.
