On Thursday, NBA fans were excited to get a look at the starters for the upcoming All-Star Game.
There were many of the usual suspects on the list: athletes like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Luka Doncic made the cut.
But there were missing names that immediately garnered a strong reaction from fans across the league.
As always, the snubs stung hard this year.
One of the biggest snubs was Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, who wasn’t granted a spot as a starter despite having one of the best seasons of his career.
People were irate about this choice by the fans and All-Star voters.
Kyle Kuzma of the Washington Wizards called out the lack of Embiid on Twitter, saying plainly, “Ngl. @JoelEmbiid not starting is nuts.”
Ngl .@JoelEmbiid not starting is nuts
— kuz (@kylekuzma) January 27, 2023
It is astonishing to not see Embiid’s name on the list of starters.
His numbers this season have been jaw-dropping: 33.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 threes a game.
Plus his 76ers are now ahead of the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, home to Durant and Antetokounmpo.
Embiid is surely a bit steamed about this move, especially as it comes after finishing second for league MVP two seasons in a row.
However, he has his eyes set on a different prize: making it to the NBA Finals for the first time.
The season has been rocky since the start but the 76ers are now better positioned to make that dream a reality.
They are currently the second team in the East with a 31-16 record and are sneaking up on the Boston Celtics.
While Embiid will miss out on being an All-Star starter, he might finally achieve something better.
NEXT: New NBA All-Star Teams Are Turning Heads This Week
