LaMelo Ball fell three votes shy of starting the All-Star Game

LaMelo Ball's All-Star Game candidacy took a huge blow last night. The Charlotte Hornets point guard was left off the starting five in the East, with Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson getting those two spots ahead of him. This was despite a dominant showing in the fan vote, where he was the only guard with over two million votes. He led the next-highest vote-getter, Mitchell, by nearly 500,000 votes.

The ballots were released last night to show the breakdown of votes. According to Rob Perez, Ball fell three media votes shy of securing one of the two backcourt spots. This is not all that surprising given how the media has treated Ball all season. Whenever possible, they've tried to make it seem like his numbers aren't actually good or that he's not a winning player, as if one player can make a team win all on his own.

Wow. LaMelo was three media votes away from starting. https://t.co/wWAgzRGRtk
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 24, 2025

NBA insiders like Tim McMahon and former players like Chandler Parsons have taken plenty of opportunities to state that they don't feel that Ball is an All-Star. Parsons claimed yesterday that anyone can put up good stats on a bad team, though it's worth noting that only three players have more points per game than Ball. Whether or not Ball is an All-Star has been the subject of debate all season, and that likely won't end until the reserves are announced.

Will LaMelo Ball make it in as a reserve?

There are 14 reserve spots up for grabs now. There will be 24 total players in the All-Star Game, and 10 have already been named. LaMelo Ball has to be picked by coaches, who've been a little kinder to Ball than the media has. However, there are a lot of players to choose from.

There will probably be roughly seven guards picked for the league, and three or four from the East, which means Ball has to be considered a top nine or 10 guard overall by the coaches to make it in. He has some stiff competition in Cade Cunningham, Trae Young, Damian Lillard, and Darius Garland.

Given the fact that the league very much knows how good Ball would be for the game since he got almost 2.5 million votes, it would be a surprise if he didn't make it in. However, he has to be picked by coaches. The coaches also know that the fans clearly want to see Ball, but their responsibility is not to create the most interesting roster from a fan perspective but to win.

Being named a starter was the simplest and most likely path into the All-Star Game for a player who's on a 29-loss team. It isn't the only path, though, and there is certainly a good chance he does end up making it in as a reserve or even an injury replacement if it comes to it.

- MORE STORIES FROM HORNETS ON SI -

Did LaMelo Ball get snubbed from the Eastern Conference All-Star starting five?

LaMelo Ball not named a starter for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game

Hornets officially rule out Brandon Miller for the remainder of the 2024-25 season

One recent rule change might keep LaMelo Ball out of the All-Star Game