Sixers’ James Harden Left Out of 2023 NBA All-Star Game
The third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers will only have one player in the 2023 NBA All-Star game. After the team was represented by Joel Embiid and James Harden at last year’s All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, only Embiid will make the trip this time around.
Last week, the NBA announced the starters for the big game. While Harden wasn’t expected to crack a spot in the starting lineup this season, many were shocked to see Embiid lose out a spot as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Jayson Tatum were named starters from the Eastern Conference.
However, Embiid’s spot in the game as a reserve was expected. While Harden was in the conversation as well, he was left out of the Eastern Conference’s reserve pool on Thursday.
Donovan Mitchell and Kyrie Irving will represent the Eastern Conference in the starting lineup. Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Haliburton, and Jrue Holiday beat out Harden to join the reserve pool.
This season, Harden’s been a key contributor for the Sixers. Although he missed out on a month’s worth of games due to a tendon strain in his foot, the star guard has still appeared in 34 games. Over that span, Harden has averaged 21 points, six rebounds, and 11 assists while knocking down 39 percent of his threes and 45 percent of his shots.
Following the Sixers’ Wednesday night win over the Orlando Magic, Harden addressed the possibility of becoming an All-Star once again while refusing to campaign for himself.
“I’m not going to sit up here and say I should be an All-Star and make a case,” said Harden. “The numbers show it, and our seed shows it.”
Harden and the Sixers are currently in the Eastern Conference’s third seed, half a game back from the second-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. While Harden made it clear he would’ve been honored to make the All-Star game again, he mentioned he wouldn’t sweat it if he doesn’t.
“If my name is called great. If not, then I just got bigger and better goals for the season,” he finished.
This season would’ve marked Harden’s 11th All-Star appearance. It will be the first time Harden isn’t in the big game since 2012.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
