Kawhi Leonard is an All-Star after all.
The NBA announced on Tuesday that commissioner Adam Silver had named Leonard an All-Star after he failed to make the cut for starters as voted on by fans, players and media, or for the reserves named by NBA head coaches.
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Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Silver added Leonard to the player pool to bring the number of U.S. All-Stars up to 16 for the new U.S. vs. the World All-Star game format. The format will feature two U.S. teams of eight players and a third international team that compete in a tournament-style format at the Feb. 15 All-Star game. Leonard will be part of the USA Stripes team, with full rosters announced Tuesday.
Leonard’s addition to the roster will also give the host Clippers an All-Star representative, as they did not have one before.
Kawhi Leonard is the only All-Star representative for the host Clippers at the Feb. 15 All-Star game.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Leonard’s omission from the initial All-Star roster caused an uproar as the six-time All-NBA selection and two-time Finals MVP is in the midst of one of his best seasons.
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Leonard is having the best scoring season of his career with 27.6 points per game. He’s tied for the league lead with 2.1 steals per game and is also averaging 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.6 blocks.
The Clippers got off to a 6-21 start, which may have played an impact in neither Leonard nor teammate James Harden making the initial cut. But they’ve gone 17-5 since that start to surge back into playoff contention in the Western Conference.
As usual, availability is an issue for Leonard. But he’s remained relatively healthy by his standards, having played in 36 of the Clippers’ 49 games as of Tuesday.
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