NBA reporter puts an end to LaMelo Ball All-Star Game conversation: 'Not going to make it'

LaMelo Ball didn't make it into the All-Star Game as a starter, but he still has a chance to be named a reserve. The Hoop Collective, an ESPN basketball podcast made up of NBA insiders Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and Tim McMahon, discussed the perceived snub of the Charlotte Hornets guard and whether or not he would be added to the roster as a reserve.

ESPN's The Hoop Collective discuss NBA All-Stars:@WindhorstESPN: "That's why they split the vote up, to give the media... Zaza Pachulia almost got voted in as a starter one year."

"(LaMelo Ball) didn't get the media or player vote, I'm doubting he's getting the coaches vote." pic.twitter.com/V6nEFFuK03
— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) January 24, 2025

Windhorst and Tim McMahon referred to the league splitting the vote. They noted that ZaZa Pachulia nearly getting voted in was an egregious oversight that forced the league to split up the vote, but Bontemps came to Ball's defense. "LaMelo is also averaging 30 points a game, I wouldn't quite put him in the ZaZa Pachulia category," he said.

Windhorst plainly replied that Ball "is not going to make the All-Star team," which is a bold claim about a player who dominated the fan vote and is averaging 29 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. "He didn't get the media or the player vote, I'm doubting he's getting the coach's vote."

Jan 22, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) talks with an official during the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

It's down to the coaching staff for the All-Star Game reserves. Ball finished first in fan voting and third in player voting. He was seventh in media voting, which isn't a big surprise given how they've all talked about Ball all season long. The last hope is for the coaches to pick him, which may or may not happen.

Ball had over 2.4 million votes and was overwhelmingly the top vote-getting guard in the East. Had he received three more media votes, he would be starting over Jalen Brunson. Ball is fourth in the NBA in points per game and eighth in assists, but his All-Star fate hangs squarely in the balance.

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