Domantas Sabonis snubbed from 2024 NBA All-Star Game
Sacramento Kings All-NBA forward Domantas Sabonis was notably left off the Western Conference roster for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, as the league announced the 14 reserves on TNT Thursday night.
Instead, the three frontcourt spots went to Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Minnesota Timberwolves big Karl-Anthony Towns. Leonard and Towns are joined by their teammates Paul George and Anthony Edwards, respectively, as well as Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
Sabonis was snubbed of the fourth All-Star honor of his career while averaging 19.9 points, a league-best 13.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists. His numbers are even better since the start of the 2024 calendar year — 20.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game while shooting 66.5% from the floor. Per StatMuse, he has led the NBA in rebounds plus assists since Jan. 1.
Sabonis finished with 19 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists in his last outing on Wednesday against the Miami Heat. His 13 triple-doubles are second in the NBA behind reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
Just a few days prior on Monday, he dropped an absurd 20 points, 26 rebounds and five assists while shooting 10-of-11 from the floor. The only other player in NBA history to have a 20-25-5-90% line in a game was Wilt Chamberlain, who was known for putting up crazy numbers throughout his 14-year Hall-of-Fame career.
And it wasn't the first time Sabonis and Chamberlain's names crossed paths. Sabonis' historic 2022-23 campaign saw him join Chamberlain as the only player to average at least 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists while shooting 60% or better from the field in a single season. The past doesn't impact this year's All-Star choices, but it's still true that Sabonis is on pace to duplicate those numbers once again.
This season, of the top 10 players in "player impact estimate" — the NBA's official way of determining a player's impact considering all traditional statistics — Sabonis was the only player not to be named an All-Star. In fact, the only big man from the West who has a higher PIE is Jokic.
It is true, every year someone is supposedly snubbed from the All-Star game or an All-NBA team selection. There's probably some advanced metric or stat that would support other players' cases to be an All-Star. Sabonis' Kings teammate De'Aaron Fox is averaging a career-best 27.2 points — ninth-most in the NBA — and is shooting 38.0% on 3-point attempts.
But in the case of Sabonis, a player who has put up historic numbers once again was not viewed as one of the best frontcourt players in the Western Conference. It'll be interesting to see how the All-NBA teams shape out at the end of the season if the Kings (27-19) keep pace in the West with Sabonis in the team's driver's seat.
The Western Conference starters include Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic, OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic.
The Eastern Conference starters feature Milwaukee Bucks duo Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, reigning MVP and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.
The 77th NBA All-Star Game is on Feb. 18 at 5 p.m. PST in Indianapolis, Indiana, and will be broadcast on TNT.
