OKC Thunder’s hyped-up rookie Chet Holmgren receives four player votes to be an All-Star STARTER… despite the No 2 pick not playing a single MINUTE in the NBA this season due to a foot fracture
Chet Holmgren may not have played a single minute of NBA basketball yet – but that didn’t stop four of his peers voting for him to be a starter in the All-Star Game next month.
NBA players are often unserious when it comes to picking out their peers to be All Stars or, in this case, All-Star starters.
But four players have some explaining to do after fans spotted four votes had been awarded to 2022 No 2 pick Holmgren, who has been out of action since suffering a foot fracture in a pro-am game in Seattle in August.
OKC Thunder’s No 2 pick, Chet Holmgren, received votes to be an NBA All-Star starter – despite suffering a foot fracture (right) and sitting out the entire 2022-23 season
Fans spotted Holmgren (bottom) with four votes from his peers to be a starter in the West
The wiry center took it well, tweeted ‘love my supporters’ following the four surprise votes
The Oklahoma City Thunder center, who was hyped as one of the best prospects in recent years coming into last year’s draft, is having to watch this entire 2023 season from the bench in street clothes.
And so even he must have been surprised to see four of his fellow players take the unorthodox route of picking him as one of the Western Conference’s three frontcourt starters.
In the end the victors in the voting were Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Lakers’ LeBron James and New Orleans Pelicans phenom Zion Williamson.
Player voting accounts for 25 per cent, media votes count for 25 per cent and fan vote counts for 50 per cent, after a tweak to selecting All Stars in 2017.
Holmgren’s injury means he has yet to play a single minute of NBA basketball in his career
Holmgren pictured here with LeBron James during the pro-am where he suffered the fracture
Jae Crowder, of the Phoenix Suns, has also not featured this season but he received two votes.
Holmgren has not played competitive basketball since March 24, 2022, when his Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated Arkansas in the NCAA tournament.
Holmgren took the votes well, tweeting ‘love my supporters’ – but much of his energy was channeled into arguing the case for teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was unfortunate to miss out on a backcourt spot in the west.
‘Smh (So much hate) we all know he deserves it,’ Holmgren tweeted about SGA.
Fellow Thunder star Josh Giddey added that SGA was ‘robbed’ of a spot, which Holmgren endorsed by retweeting.
Advertisement