How rookie Luka Doncic could end up an NBA All-Star after all
Maybe Luka Doncic will be an All-Star after all.
Anthony Davis left Thursday’s New Orleans Pelican’s game with a left shoulder injury. ESPN reported that Davis, who is scheduled to play in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game for Team LeBron, is coming to Charlotte and will get treatment on the shoulder. He’ll wait to see how he feels before deciding on playing.
If he can’t go, the Dallas Mavericks’ rookie, who is part of the All-Star Weekend festivities, including Friday’s Rising Stars Game and Saturday’s Skills Challenge, could be the replacement. NBA rules require commissioner Adam Silver to choose a replacement player from the same conference.
Reports of the possibility intrigued Doncic, who said he’d love to do it, if asked. The thought, he said, prevented him from getting a good night’s sleep on Thursday.
“There’s a lot of amazing players,” said Doncic, when asked how he felt when he was left off the roster. “I’ll go hang out at the beach and I’m good with that.”
Only LeBron James (3.7 million) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (3.6) garnered more fan votes than Doncic, who had 3.3 million. The fan vote accounts for 50 percent of the roster, which is also decided by NBA coaches and an All-Star draft by the team’s captains (James and Antetokounmpo).
The last rookie to earn an All-Star spot was Blake Griffin in 2011.
Doncic has earned the first three Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards and is averaging 20.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists.
This story was originally published February 15, 2019 at 3:33 PM.
