The NBA is getting ready for one of its biggest events of the season, which is the NBA All-Star Game, which is scheduled to take place on Feb. 15. Fans already know who the starters are from both conferences.
Now the All-Star reserves have officially been revealed as well. As expected, the announcement has created plenty of buzz. But along with the excitement, there is also frustration. This is because several big-name stars were left out, and this has led to strong reactions across social media.
Basketball Skills Trainer Didn’t Hold Back His Thoughts Regarding the All-Star Reserves List
The Western Conference reserves include Deni Avdija, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, Jamal Murray, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Chet Holmgren.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference reserves feature Donovan Mitchell, Norman Powell, Pascal Siakam, Jalen Duren, Scottie Barnes, Jalen Johnson, and Karl-Anthony Towns. These are all deserving players. There is no doubt about it. But here’s where things get interesting.
If we see one thing that has been making serious rounds on social media regarding these reserve selections, it’s that big names like Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo, and James Harden didn’t make it as reserves. They weren’t named as starters either. They’ve been completely snubbed from the All-Star roster. People are not happy about it.
As soon as the snub discussion took over the internet, a well-known basketball skills trainer spoke out. Drew Hanlen took to X to express his frustration.
Joel & Kawhi not being named All-Stars is an absolute joke
— Drew Hanlen (@DrewHanlen) February 1, 2026
“Joel & Kawhi not being named All-Stars is an absolute joke,” Hanlen wrote on X.
Hanlen is a renowned American basketball skills coach and trainer. He is also the CEO of Pure Sweat Basketball, which is an intense basketball training program focused on elite skill development. Over the years, Hanlen has worked closely with several NBA superstars, including Jayson Tatum, Embiid, Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, Tyrese Maxey, and Tyrese Haliburton.
For his experience of working directly with top-level talent, Hanlen felt that the snubs of Leonard and Embiid simply did not make sense.
Let’s look at the numbers. Leonard is currently averaging 27.6 points per game this season. On the other hand, Embiid is putting up 26.2 points per game. These are really good numbers that would normally be more than enough to secure an All-Star spot. So what went wrong?
The answer might be their poor availability. Both players have dealt with consistency issues this season. So the coaches likely held that against them when voting. If we see that the Clippers have played a total of 48 games this season, but Leonard has only suited up for 35 of those games.
The situation is even more dramatic with Embiid, as the 76ers have played 48 games this season, but Embiid has only appeared in 28 of them. That’s barely more than half the season.
Still, the debate is far from over. With respected voices like Hanlen speaking out, the All-Star snub conversation is likely to continue right up until tip-off in February.
