In his first full season with the Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant has been named an NBA All-Star Game starter, his 14th career appearance in the game.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Durant is averaging 29.1 points on 52.9% shooting and 45.5% 3-point shooting, 6.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.2 blocks in 37 games for the 26-18 Suns. Phoenix is currently in fifth place in the Western Conference.
Making his 14th #NBAAllStar appearance… Kevin Durant of the @Suns.
Drafted as the 2nd pick in 2007 out of Texas, @KDTrey5 is averaging 29.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 5.7 APG for the Suns this season. pic.twitter.com/r6hypftfce
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) January 26, 2024
Durant becomes the Suns’ first All-Star starter since 2010, when both Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudamire got starting nods. He is the 11th player in NBA history to reach 14 All-Star appearances.
Due to injuries, Durant has not played in the All-Star game since 2019, when he was named MVP of the game.
Kevin Durant is your 2019 All-Star Game MVP. 🏆 (via @warriors) pic.twitter.com/FmeqKgQpCk
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 18, 2019
Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James (captain), Durant and Nikola Jokic are the five starters in the West.
Rest of Western Conference starters:
Luka Doncic
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
LeBron James (C)
Kevin Durant
Nikola Jokic https://t.co/63tXto55r9— Brendan Mau (@brendan_mau) January 26, 2024
The voting criteria for starters consisted of fans (50%), media (25%) and players (25%). Durant finished in third place among the Western Conference frontcourt for all three.
Three voting groups determined the starters:
▪️ Fans (50%)
▪️ NBA players (25%)
▪️ Media panel (25%)Complete voting results here: https://t.co/7NuxV72HZh
Below are the overall scores for the top finishers at each position. pic.twitter.com/nTZD7buDOG
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 26, 2024
The NBA named Durant the Western Conference Player of the Week Monday. Durant has been a crucial piece on both sides of the floor for the Suns’ current seven-game win streak.
The rest of the All-Stars will be released one week from today, so we will see if Devin Booker can get in then. Coaches pick the reserves, which will consists of two backcourt players, three frontcourt players and two wildcards per conference.
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will take place in Indianapolis on Feb. 18.
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
