With the NBA all-star game coming up, who are the players that are missing from the event?

This will be the second time that the all-star game will not be East vs West. Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James will be the captains of the teams this year. This year there are 14 all-star players selected by the NBA’s head coaches as reserves in the game.

The game will take place will take place in Charlotte on Sunday, Feb. 17. The game is guaranteed to be exciting.  James, when asked if the game will be as competitive as last year’s game said, “I think this year will be as competitive if not even more due to the leagues shifting and player’s personal lives being brought into the games these days.”

This game will feature stars from all over the country with Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Pelicans forward-center Anthony Davis, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, and many more impressive representatives from the Western conference.

The Eastern Conference reserve pool selections are Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin, Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, and many more stars. All our usual stars will be included in the event but some unusual players have managed to make their way to the big stage. Khris Middleton, Ben Simmons and, Nikola Vučević are all first time all-star participants in 2019.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James drafted their reserves and starters on February 7^th. There is great controversy surrounding the topics of who their going to draft and who will be a starter and who’s not. Some say that LeBron will draft players he possibly sees joining in in Los Angeles during the off season. The two captains each will choose 11 players to join them on their respected teams and you can be sure that LeBron will try to select his former teammate; Kyrie Irving and maybe potential teammate Anthony Davis.

While the all-star game features many stars there were some surprises when the names were released. Players Jimmy Butler, D’Angelo Russell, and Luka Doncic all were excluded from the events. Jimmy Butler has been an annual participant in this event so not being included was a league wide shock.

But the biggest shock of all though would have to be the absence of Luka Doncic. Doncic has stood out due to his game winning and impressive attributes that have landed him the favorite and virtually guaranteed to win the Rookie of the Year award.

How he did not get selected with his fan base has some students here at Elder furious. Junior Montana Klayman an outraged Luka follower had a lot to say about this mistake. “It’s not right, Luka is the best player in the league and needs to be shown the respects that not only he deserves but, has earned. There has never been someone so clutch in the history of the NBA.”

Montana hopes to one-day join Luka and be his yin to his yang.