In what comes as an absolute shocker, Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid was snubbed as an All-Star starter. The Sixers’ center was not among the five players announced Thursday night as East’s starters.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Jayson Tatum finished ahead of him in East frontcourt voting. Donovan Mitchell and Kyrie Irving were the starting backcourt.
Per NBC Sports, Embiid finished fourth in fan voting for the East’s frontcourt, getting just over 4.9 million votes. Embiid ranked third in both the player and the media voting. In the West, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Zion Williamson, and Nikola Jokic are the starters.
This led to serious outrage on social media with players and fans taking to Twitter to express their shock and disappointment. One of them was Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma.
Ngl .@JoelEmbiid not starting is nuts
— kuz (@kylekuzma) January 27, 2023
Ngl .@JoelEmbiid not starting is nuts
Following these developments, the NBA’s head coaches will also pick seven reserves — two guards, three frontcourt players, along with two wild cards — per conference and these will be announced next Thursday, Feb. 2.
NBA Fans React To Joel Embiid Not Named As An All-Star
It was pure displeasure that was expressed on social media after the 2023 NBA All-Star Starters were revealed. Embiid has been the cornerstone for the Sixers averaging 33.4 points this season coupled with 9.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
The stellar run has put him in MVP contention, and it’s worth noting that Embiid had back-to-back MVP runner-up years. Needless to say, fans were furious.
Him and Book the most disrespected stars in the league can’t wait until they playin together 🔥 https://t.co/FlesHUFIRB
— Chrispy (@ChristianStec_) January 27, 2023
Listen, I stopped caring about accolades a long time ago but this is absolutely ridiculous. The NBA continues to embarrass themselves more and more everyday. What a terrible product this league is becoming. 🤦♂️ https://t.co/arLdcIFfcj
— 𝙋𝙖𝙪𝙡𝙍𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙁𝙖𝙣 (@paulreedfan) January 27, 2023
All star game continues to be a joke @JoelEmbiid #NBAAllStar https://t.co/OZXYCXIKIj
— Bob Vicario (@watsbotherinbob) January 27, 2023
insane best scoring big in the game https://t.co/llUmOIDor2
— ♛ (@suckkafreejay) January 27, 2023
Blame the system. He obviously deserves it but not any more than KD, Tatum, or Giannis. Should just be best 5 players regardless of position. https://t.co/Ehhd3D0jGV
— Wilhem (@WilSchmidt14) January 27, 2023
Further proof position and conference voting needs to come to an end. It only serves to cause snubs like this https://t.co/OreyizqCeD
— Rusty Buckets 🇵🇸 (@RustyBUCKETS321) January 27, 2023
The Philly disrespect continues. We will remember this. https://t.co/kbXb5ewt51
— 🦅Go Burds DH🦅 (@dvme_WillBarYou) January 27, 2023
he is literally better then Tatum lol https://t.co/R4F6PXFHbI
— . (@NotScytx_) January 27, 2023
i’m sorry what https://t.co/hT8iw673jE
— rj (@sunburner_ray) January 27, 2023
😂😂 lead the league in scoring and not an ASG starter 😂😂what a joke https://t.co/inLi0wtRYd
— Kansas Dad/PA Sports Fan (@todd_winger) January 27, 2023
Embiid’s omission isn’t the only startling news for fans as they even had their thoughts on the likes of Jaylen Brown, Ja Morant, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander not making the cut.
The All-Star Game is set to take place on February 19 in Salt Lake City. Team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will draft their teams immediately before the game.
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