It’s one thing to be named an NBA All-Star.
It’s quite another to be appointed one of the 10 starters.
The players who will be on the floor for tip-off of the 2025 NBA All-Star Game in San Francisco on Feb. 16 were announced Thursday night on TNT, ahead of a doubleheader featuring the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
As always, there are players who made strong cases to start the game, or at least deserved very serious consideration. Still, with only five starting spots per conference, the margins between starting and appearing as a reserve are exceptionally thin. All-Star reserves will be announced Jan. 30 on TNT.
Here are the players who are 2025 NBA All-Star Game snubs:
Eastern Conference
Cade Cunningham
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham has been a revelation and his play has sparked Detroit’s surge up the standings; entering Thursday, the Pistons were sitting in the No. 6 spot in the East — the final guaranteed playoff spot. Cunningham is averaging career bests in points (24.6), assists (9.4) and rebounds (5.6) per game, and he has been the catalyst for the Pistons (23-21) to surpass their wins total from last season by nine victories at the midway point.
Western Conference
Anthony Davis
Los Angeles Lakers forward-center Anthony Davis often is the anchor through which the offense runs, as much as LeBron James serves as a scorer and facilitator. Davis, though, stabilizes Los Angeles and provides a steady, consistent threat in the paint. So far this season, he also has helped space the floor with his 3-point shot, which he has embraced in recent games. Among players with at least 20 games played, Davis ranks fourth in player impact estimate (17.9), which is a statistic that measures a player’s comprehensive contributions (positive and negative).
Anthony Edwards
Despite a downtick in efficiency, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards remains the most explosive two-guard in the NBA, and one who can soar for powerful dunks. Edwards transformed his shot portfolio this season, leading the league in 3-pointers (184), and has the best 3-point shooting percentage (42.6%) among the top 25 players ranked by 3s attempted.
Victor Wembanyama
San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama is the best defender in the NBA, and with increased responsibility offensively and defensively in his second year, he has improved over his Rookie of the Year season. He averages 24.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, a league-best 4.0 blocks, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and shoots 47.3% from the field, 35.4% on 3s and 84.5% on free throws. The Spurs are a better team and in postseason contention with his development.