Miami Heat guard Norman Powell makes All-Star switch

The first-time All-Star will represent the World Team in his home state, moving over from the USA squads due to his Jamaican heritage.

Jan 29, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) drives to the basket against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

If Miami Heat fans are rooting for Norman Powell to represent well by coming out victorious in the All-Star Game, they’re going to be cheering on the World team instead of either of the two U.S. squads taking the court in L.A.’s Intuit Dome for Sunday’s big event.

After Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) was officially ruled out of All-Star, the NBA could’ve selected a worthy international option like Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (Australia) or Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (Finland) to even out the teams, but rewarded San Antonio Spurs star De’Aaron Fox instead. Powell, of Jamaican descent, will now play with the World squad.

Powell pledged his allegiance to Jamaica in international competition last April, participating in some offseason tournaments and training in the preseason with the National Team ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Americas pre-qualifiers this August. He’ll now represent the island nation at All-Star in his home state in the city where he attended college.

Represent.
🇯🇲 🇯🇲 🇯🇲 🇯🇲 🇯🇲 🇯🇲 🇯🇲 🇯🇲 pic.twitter.com/eRgISe2J2x

— Dat Guy (@__DatGuy__) February 12, 2026

The San Diego native and UCLA product will be a first-time All-Star. Powell got the call after being chosen by Eastern Conference coaches as one of seven reserves, continuing the tradition of the Miami Heat represented at All-Star for a fifth straight season and for the 20th time in 22 events since 2004-05. 

Powell follows in the footsteps of Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and last year’s first-timer, Tyler Herro.  

He’s averaging a Miami-high 23 points per game and shooting just under 40 percent from 3-point range over his first 45 games and last played Sunday after sitting due to back soreness. 

Powell, 32, had an All-Star caliber season for the Clippers last season and was among those snubbed last year when he wasn’t named to the Western Conference squad. This season, East head coaches selected him as the veteran of a group of first-timers that included Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren and Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson.

Powell will now face the USA Stars and the USA Stripes teams, playing for Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic. With reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada/OKC Thunder) also sidelined due to abdominal strain and Luka Doncic (Slovenia/L.A. Lakers) aiming to play but not fully healthy due to a hamstring issue that has kept him out the past few games, there figures to be plenty of time on the wing for Powell to shine.

Denver Nuggets’ first-time All-Star Jamal Murray (Canada) is the only true guard on the roster, although Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (Israel) is versatile enough to play at the two. The rest of the roster is comprised of bigs Nikola Jokic (Serbia/Nuggets), Victor Wembanyama (France/Spurs), Karl-Anthony Towns (Dominican Republic/Knicks), Pascal Siakam (Cameroon/Pacers) and replacement Alperen Sengun (Turkey/Rockets), who took SGA’s spot.