LaMelo Ball not named a starter for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game

Thursday night, Charlotte Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball was left out of the group of starters for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game in San Francisco. Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks) and Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) secured the two starting spots out of the Eastern Conference. Ball had the most fan votes, but the media and players went in another direction. He finished third in the combined voting.

Ball will have to wait until January 30th to see if he will make his second All-Star appearance as a reserve, which will be selected by the coaches.

In 29 games this season, Ball has averaged 29 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game while shooting 41.9% from the floor and 33.5% from three-point range.

This year's All-Star Game will feature a new four-team mini-tournament rather than East vs. West or two teams that were drafted.

From the NBA:

"Two teams will meet in one semifinal (Game 1), and the remaining two teams will meet in the other semifinal (Game 2). The winning teams from Game 1 and Game 2 will advance to face each other in the championship (Game 3). For each game, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 40 points."

Each team will have eight players, who will be drafted by honorary team general managers Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith of TNT's Inside the NBA. The draft will take place on February 6th at 7:30 p.m. EST on TNT.

The three-game All-Star tournament will take place on February 16th, beginning at 8 p.m. EST.

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