The reserves for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game were announced Thursday, sparking spirited social media posts about who was snubbed.
The reserves in each conference are selected by NBA head coaches, different from the process for starters, who are determined by 50% fan vote, 25% current NBA players and 25% media panel.
Of the 14 reserves, there were six first-time All-Star selections: San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro and Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun.
Those names rounded out a group that included All-Star veterans such as LA Clippers guard James Harden, Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis and Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard.
The small number of reserves meant some big names would miss out on an All-Star slot.
One of the omissions was Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, who — heading into Thursday — averaged 22.7 points and a league-leading 11.4 assists.
Atlanta made its thoughts known on Young not being named an All-Star, posting a photo of him giving a thumbs down plus a breakdown of his stats.
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 30, 2025
Trae Young leads the NBA in:
Assists per game (11.4)
Point/Assist double-doubles (27)Trae Young leads the East in:
30-point, 10-assist games (7)
20-point, 10-assist games (19)— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 31, 2025
The Phoenix Suns followed a similar theme while arguing for guard Devin Booker‘s case.
Book is 1-of-3 Western Conference guards with at least 14 30-point games this season (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Anthony Edwards) pic.twitter.com/dPBC0fHHzn
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 30, 2025
Book is 1-of-2 players in the West to rank in the top-15 in BOTH scoring & assists (Nikola Jokić) pic.twitter.com/QQsESByNio
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 31, 2025
After leading the first fan voting returns earlier this month, Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball was also not selected. Ball is averaging 28.2 points, 7.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds.
However, the Hornets announced Wednesday that he is out for at least one week due to an ankle sprain. Charlotte posted a meme without a caption to express its displeasure.
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) January 30, 2025
The Sacramento Kings chimed in too after center Domantas Sabonis didn’t earn a spot. Sabonis leads the league in double doubles (42) and rebounds per game (14.2) alongside 20.9 points. TNT’s Ernie Johnson said he was surprised he didn’t hear Sabonis’ name as a reserve.
Sacramento made sure to reference those comments.
Ernie Johnson knows ball.
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) January 30, 2025
The All-Star starters were announced last Thursday, led by LeBron James — his record-extending 21st selection — and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led all players in fan voting.
Festivities begin Feb. 14 in the Bay Area.