Sixers’ Joel Embiid to start NBA All-Star Game as an injury replacement
Embiid, who is second in the league in scoring at 33.3 points, will start for the sixth consecutive time.
Joel Embiid became an NBA All-Star Game starter, after all.
The league announced Friday that the 76ers center, along with the Utah Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant, will start in place of sidelined All-Stars Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns), Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans), and Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors).
The All-Star Game will be played Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City.
Friday’s news enabled Embiid to be named an All-Star starter for the sixth consecutive season. The seventh-year veteran did not play in the 2021 All-Star Game in Atlanta because of COVID-19 contact tracing.
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Embiid is second in the league in scoring at 33.3 points. He also averages 10.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks.
On Feb. 3, he was named the Eastern Conference player of the month for January. It’s the second straight month that he has been selected as the conference’s best player.
He averaged 34.9 points on 54.9% shooting along with 10.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.6 blocks, and 3.4 turnovers in 10 games last month. He also shot 42.1% from beyond the three-point line.
Embiid had finished fourth in the East voting last month, leading to him initially being selected as an All-Star reserve.
» READ MORE: Sixers center Joel Embiid is NBA’s Eastern Conference player of the month
Fans accounted for 50% of the votes to determine the 10 starters for the game. A selected media panel and current NBA players each account for 25% of the vote.
Embiid finished third among media voters and players voters. Where he lost out was with the fans, who voted him fourth. That led to Celtics forward Jayson Tatum getting the start over Embiid.
Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, the East’s leading vote-getter, and Durant were also named conference frontcourt starters. At the time, Durant played for the Brooklyn Nets. His trade to the Suns was announced Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards, Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox, and Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam were named All-Star injury replacements since Curry (left superior leg sprain), Durant (right knee MCL sprain), and Williamson (strained right hamstring) are unable to play.