The NBA has released the list of the seven reserves selected by conference to play in the All-Star Game, which will take place on February 16 in San Francisco (United States).
The players were chosen by a vote of the league’s coaches after the starting lineups were selected on January 23 by fans, media and players.
The surprising absences of Domantas Sabonis and Trae Young in the NBA All-Star Game
The most notable and surprising absences are Domantas Sabonis (NBA leader in rebounds and double-doubles) and Trae Young (NBA leader in assists).
NBA All-Star Game 2025 coaches
The All-Star Game coaches will be Spaniard Kenny Atkinson (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Mark Daigneault (Oklahoma City Thunder).
Western Conference team for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game
The Western Conference reserves are Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), James Harden (Los Angeles Clippers), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Alperen Sengun (Houston Rockets) and Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder).
The ideal Western Conference quintet was made up of LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Shai Gilgeous Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) and Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns).
Eastern Conference team for the 2025 NBA All-Star
The Eastern Conference reserves are Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers), Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers), Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers), Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons), Damian Lillard (Milwaukee Bucks) and Tyler Herro (Miami Heat).
The ideal Eastern Conference quintet was made up of Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Karl Anthony Towns (New York Knicks), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics).
The list of major absentees from the NBA All-Star Game: healthy stars not selected
Trae Young, Devin Booker, Zach LaVine, Kyrie Irving, LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Maxey, Franz Wagner, Norman Powell, Tyrese Haliburton, Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox.
Why is Kenny Atkinson the NBA’s hottest coach?
Kenneth Neil Atkinson was born on June 2, 1967, in Northport, New York.
As a player, he was a 6ft 1in point guard who attended Richmond University.
After going undrafted in the NBA Draft, he played professionally from 1993 to 2004 in Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands… and Spain.
In his four years playing in Spain, he played for Canoe, Zamora, Salamanca (with whom he made his ACB debut) and Calpe Aguas Valencia.
Four years in which he met his Spanish wife and obtained dual nationality, becoming the first coach with Spanish nationality to sit as head coach on an NBA bench.
“He’s a real fan of our country,” revealed Calderon about Atkinson.
In his NBA coaching career, he has been an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks (2012-2016), Los Angeles Clippers (2020-2021) and Golden State Warriors (2021-2024), and head coach of the Brooklyn Nets (2016-2020) and Cleveland Cavaliers.
On June 28, 2024, the Cavaliers announced the hiring of Spaniard Kenny Atkinson as their head coach