The 72nd annual NBA all-star game festivities will be held in Salt Lake City this year. It will feature games, challenges, and events happening all throughout the weekend on 2/17- 2/19. Throughout the last week it was announced that Steph Curry, Zion Williamson, and Kevin Durant will all be missing the all-star game. Pascal Siakam, De’Aron Fox, and Anthony Edwards were all chosen to be all-star reserve injury replacements in 2023.
Curry, Williamson, and Durant were all voted starters, but injuries are keeping them out of the all-star game. Those upgraded from reserves to starters this year with that news were Joel Embiid for the East, along with Ja Morant and Lauri Markkenan for the West.
All-star weekend is always a special time for the players involved and their families. It especially means a lot to those like Fox and Edwards that are first-time all-stars this year.
All Star replacements 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UdyzxnEtrn
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) February 10, 2023
Siakam, Fox, and Edwards were chosen as replacements for the 2023 NBA all-star game
Making his second all-star appearance in his career is Pascal Siakam representing the Eastern Conference. Back in the 2019-20 season he earned his first all-star selection and was the first-ever G League alumni to start in an all-star game. The team success may not be their for the Raptors this season, but Siakam is having another strong season.
In his seventh-year as a Raptor, Siakam is averaging a career-high in point (25.0) and assists (6.2) per game as well as a team-leading (8.0) rebounds per game. This is also the second season in a row that he’s leading the NBA in minutes player per game.
Making his 2nd #NBAAllStar appearance… @pskills43 of the @Raptors has been added as an injury replacement! pic.twitter.com/5OtnGq0aWy
— NBA (@NBA) February 10, 2023
Making his first all-star appearance representing the Western Conference is PG De’Aaron Fox. He’s been snubbed out of more than a few all-star games in the past and the 25 year old is finally getting his chance to be honored with being an all-star reserve.
He’ll be joining his teammate Domontas Sabonis as the players representing the Sacramento Kings in the all-star game. Fox should be a two-time all-star as he was snubbed from the game in the 2020-21 season where he averaged a career-high in points, assists, and minutes played per game.
This season he’s averaging (24.2) points, (4.3) rebounds, (6.3) assists, and (1.1) steals per game. He’s also shooting a career-best (.504) percent from the field this season as well.
Making his 1st #NBAAllStar appearance… @swipathefox of the @SacramentoKings has been added as an injury replacement! pic.twitter.com/ywCgAJwg73
— NBA (@NBA) February 10, 2023
Joining Fox in representing the West and making his all-star debut is 21 year old Anthony Edwards. He may have been one of the biggest all-star snubs this year before he was added as an injury replacement. Edwards is having another stellar season for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
His points, rebounds, assists, steals, field-goal, and three-point percentage have all gone up in each of his first three seasons. There’s a reason why he was the number-one overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. For the 2022-23 season he is averaging (24.7) points, (6.0) rebounds, (4.6) assists, and (1.5) steals per game.
On top of that he’s leading the league in games played with 58 and hasn’t missed one yet this season. He also leads the league with 96 steals so far this season.
Making his 1st #NBAAllStar appearance… @theantedwards_ of the @Timberwolves has been added as an injury replacement! pic.twitter.com/RaCDCpRPts
— NBA (@NBA) February 10, 2023
