Spurs 'Leader' De'Aaron Fox Earns Well-Deserved NBA All-Star Nod

LOS ANGELES — De'Aaron Fox had to turn his car around.

About 20 minutes away from his home in Houston, the San Antonio Spurs star got the call. In wake of Milwaukee Bucks frontman Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury, Norman Powell moved from USA Stripes to Team World, citing his Jamaican ties.

Fox was an All-Star, in place of Powell, which marked the second nod of his career: A well-deserved, overdue honor in the Spurs' eyes.

“The season we're having," Stephon Castle told the San Antonio Express-News on Thursday, "He's a big part of that. (He’s) one of our leaders, so with other teams that we see have two All-Stars, I don't see why we shouldn't.”

Prior to his selection, San Antonio campaigned for a second All-Star to complement Victor Wembanyama. Harrison Barnes and Mitch Johnson, especially, made their gripes known. The second seed in the Western Conference deserved multiple selections.

"For what we've done," Barnes began, "for the teams that have been below us with two All-Stars, I don't (see) a case ... why either of them shouldn't be selected and/or highly in consideration ... It'd be criminal if (Castle) and Fox didn't get a look. "

Feb 1, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) and guard De'Aaron Fox (4) celebrate with forward Victor Wembanyama (1) in the second half against the Orlando Magic at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Detroit (Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren); Denver (Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray); Oklahoma City (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren); Los Angeles Lakers (Luka Dončić, LeBron James); Houston (Alperen Şengün, Kevin Durant); New York (Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns); and Toronto (Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram) are the culpits.

Toronto joined the list Tuesday morning after NBA commissioner Adam Silver named Ingram, averaging 22 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 47 percent shooting from the field, a replacement reserve for injured Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry.

"I do think it's interesting that De'Aaron Fox and Steph Castle have not been named All-Stars," Johnson said prior to facing the Los Angeles Lakers.

🇺🇸 USA STARS. USA STRIPES. WORLD. 🌍

Presenting the 2026 NBA All-Star Game Rosters!

The three teams will compete in a round-robin tournament with the top two teams advancing to the championship game.

🌟 Sunday, Feb. 15, 5pm/et, NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/lhwz8lY9Wu
— NBA (@NBA) February 4, 2026

The second snub seemed to cut the Spurs deeper. And Johnson did offer a theory of his own to conclude his press conference.

"The only way that I can think that we are (only) deserving of one All-Star must mean there must be a lot of people have Victor Wembanyama as one of the frontrunners for MVP," he said, smiling before leaving the room.

This season, Fox is averaging 19.5 points, four rebounds and 6.2 assists per game on 48 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from 3. Prior to Thursday, his lone All-Star nod came during the 2023 season.

If you asked him, being an All-Star or not wasn't on his radar.

"I saw a guy (on the team) with the worst record in the league (be) an All-Star," Fox said in early shootaround. "I couldn't care less."

Jan 25, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) shoots in the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Fox will join Donovan Mitchell, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jalen Brunson and Jaylen Brown on USA Stripes in a new All-Star Game format. All three of USA Stripes, USA Stars and Team World will compete in a round-robin tournament on Sunday evening.

Four nights later, he and the Spurs — currently the hottest team in the NBA — will continue their trek toward the postseason. That much he made clear after a sixth straight win over the Warriors late Wednesday night, prior to his All-Star selection.

“I just asked the guys: ‘Do we want to be the team that every (opponent) wants in the playoffs?’” Fox said. "We don’t have a lot of guys who’ve been there before.”

2026 NBA All-Star Weekend is set to run from February 13-15 at the LA Clippers' Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is set for 4 p.m. Central Feb. 15.