Spurs Rookie Victor Wembanyama Officially Misses Out on NBA All-Star Berth
San Antonio Spurs rookie star Victor Wembanyama has captured the eyes of the NBA and its worldwide following this season after being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. He's just cracking the surface as a 20-year-old, but has already shown he was worth the top-pick hype and then some.
He'll be busy at the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend, but he missed out on a major accolade Thursday night.
Jan 7, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
© David Richard, USA TODAY
The NBA revealed the full 2024 All-Star rosters for the Eastern and Western Conference on Thursday, and Wembanyama officially missed out on being a reserve for the West. He would have been the first Spurs player to make the All-Star game since Dejounte Murray in 2021-22 and the first San Antonio rookie All-Star since Tim Duncan in 1997-98.
The starers for the West are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The reserves are Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Anthony Davis. Notable players to miss the cut included De'Aaron Fox, Domantis Sabonis, and Zion Williamson.
Through his first 42 career games, Wembanyama is averaging 20.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He leads all rookies in points, rebounding and blocks and is the NBA's current leader with 3.2 blocks per game.
Wembanyama has been met with endless attention from the American media since getting drafted, but said after the loss to the Boston Celtics on Jan. 17 that he's "built for this."
"I noticed that there was a whole lot of cameras on our side," Wembanyama said. "It just felt funny how I really don't care... It doesn't change my routine... I'm built for this."
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, Feb. 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
