The 2025 NBA All-Star participants have been announced, and while the spectacle is always exciting, I can’t help but question the format. A tournament featuring the league’s best players sounds great on paper, but does it really elevate their status? If anything, this year’s biggest headline isn’t the game itself—it’s the sheer number of All-Star snubs.
Set for February 16 in San Francisco, the West All-Stars are headlined by LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Nikola Jokic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Among them, SGA is the only one without an MVP to his name—though that could change soon, with OKC looking like a serious contender this season. On the East side, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jalen Brunson lead the charge. Cleveland boasts the most selections, with Mitchell joined by Darius Garland and first-time All-Star Evan Mobley. Other newcomers include Cade Cunningham, Tyler Herro, Jalen Williams, Alperen Sengun, and Victor Wembanyama.
The East reserves feature Garland, Mobley, Cunningham, and Herro, alongside Damian Lillard, Jaylen Brown, and Pascal Siakam. Meanwhile, the West bench includes Anthony Davis, James Harden, Anthony Edwards, and Jaren Jackson Jr. LeBron tops the selection count with his 21st appearance, followed by Durant, Curry, Harden, and Davis, all in double digits. Over in the East, Tatum and Mitchell lead with nine each. However, Anthony Davis is expected to sit out the tournament format, meaning a Western Conference player will take his spot.
But here’s the real issue—despite 30 teams in the league, only 17 are represented in the All-Star Game. That leaves out several notable names, including Domantas Sabonis, Nikola Vucevic, Trae Young, Josh Hart, De’Aaron Fox, Ivica Zubac, Tyrese Haliburton, Devin Booker, and Tyrese Maxey. Popular stars like Kyrie Irving and LaMelo Ball, as well as breakout candidate Norman Powell also got lost in the shuffle. Meanwhile, eight players from the Rising Stars Challenge are expected to round out the tournament lineup.
If the NBA is committed to this tournament-style format, wouldn’t it make more sense to simply have the East and West select 16 players each? It’s understandable to exclude struggling teams, but competitive squads deserve proper representation. Take Dallas and Sacramento—both in play-in contention. If an All-Star gets injured during the event, a fresh Luka Doncic returning alongside Kyrie Irving or a Fox-Sabonis tandem could drastically shift the playoff picture. The same goes for the East, where Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, and Philadelphia are all left without representation.
Fans want high-level competition, but should that come at the cost of player health and a team's postseason ambitions? That’s a tough sell. So, as exciting as All-Star Weekend promises to be, I’d rather see this level of action when it truly matters—in the playoffs.