Over the weekend, the NBA unveiled the player pool for the upcoming All-Star Game, which is only a few weeks away. While there were some obvious names in the pool, like the reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or the league's leading scorer, Luka Doncic, there were also some potential snubs.
One of which was the Los Angeles Clippers' leading scorer, Kawhi Leonard, who has been on a tear this season, averaging 27.6 points per game, which is on pace to be the two-time Champion's career high in that offensive category. Leonard's production on the offensive end of the court has been a large reason for the Clippers' turnaround this season, posting a record of 23-26, which sees them sitting at the ninth seed in the Western Conference.
While the 34-year-old was not initially selected for the event, that changed on Tuesday night. As reported by ESPN's Shams Charania, Leonard has been selected for the All-Star game, which will make it his tenth time being named to the prestigious team in his career. The reason for his selection appears to be based on the roster requirements for the World vs. USA aspect of the festivities, with one team composed of international players and two teams centered on American talent.
This is something that was explained in the league's announcement of the new format in Nov. 2025, with the post reading, "If NBA All-Star voting does not result in the selection of 16 U.S. players and eight international players (which can include American players with ties to other countries if necessary), then NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will select additional All-Stars to join either group to reach that minimum."
Charania would later report that the potential opening for Leonard to fill in for the United States team was the spot of Karl-Anthony Towns, who could feature as an international player. If it is the case, this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given that Towns has featured for the Dominican Republic's national team in previous events, such as the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The 2026 NBA All-Star game will take place on Feb. 15 with tip-off from the Inuit Dome slated for 5:00 p.m. EST.
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