OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Reacts to Not Being Named 2023 All Star Starter

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has reacted to not being named an All-Star starter
• The Oklahoma City Thunder finished fourth in all three categories of voting
• Some fans believed he should have started in place of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry

Ahead of the 2023 Al-Star starters announcement, there were rumblings in the NBA fan base that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should be a starter in place of Stephen Curry.

Those arguments were quickly put to bed when Curry was named as a starter a few days ago. The young guard says he wasn't focused on the calls and that he should be a starter.

One of the starting spots for guards was guaranteed to go to Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic who is having an epic season. Many fans believe the second starting spot for guards in the West was between Curry and the OKC star.

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However, Gilgeous-Alexander finished fourth among Western Conference guards in all three voting categories; fans, players and media. He finished behind Curry, Doncic and Grizzlies star Ja Morant.

The fan vote accounted for 50% of the starters vote, while players and media each accounted for 25%.

Gilgeous-Alexander reacts to All-Star announcement

Gilgeous-Alexander averages 30.8 points on 51.1% shooting and some felt he had an edge over Curry who missed just over a month with injury. Team-wise, OKC and the Golden State Warriors are close in the West standings.

The 24-year-old said he's not mad he's not starting.

"Obviously my friends, family and social media brought it to my attention. I'm not too focused on it. I'm not mad that I'm not starting or anything like that."

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Although he wasn't named as a starter Gilgeous-Alexander will surely make his All-Star debut on February 19 in Salt Lake City as a reserve. The reserves will be decided by the coaches’ vote, per The Oklahoman.

Fans reactions to Gilgeous-Alexander missing out

There were mixed reactions on social media about the young star not making it as a starter. Here are some reactions.

@keesxn:

"Curry only made it because of politics let’s be real lol."

@GibbyLowen"

"Oh no, Shai isn’t starting over two MVP caliber players. Whatever are we going to do?"

@sportcitychefs:

"Not snubbed at all. He’s putting up numbers on a team under .500."

@RoweSean:

"Nah he’s def an all star but i don’t think he was snubbed. Steph and Luka were both worthy choices. I would have selected Ja as a starter before SGA because of team success. But SGA should def be an all star."

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@bballbby:

"Yes, Steph got in due to popularity. It should have been SGA & Luka."

LeBron James makes All-Star history

Sports Brief earlier reported on LeBron James tying Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with his 19th All-Star selection.

No other NBA player has more All-Star appearances than James and Abdul-Jabbar, who retired in 1989 at age 42. He received 7,418,116 fan votes and will be captain for the 6th consecutive year.

The former Cleveland Cavaliers star also has the most consecutive appearances in NBA history and has the most selection among active players by some distance.