Congratulations Wemby! The Alien has been officially announced to his first All-Star Game! Victor Wembanyama will headline the Western Conference reserves in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game in San Francisco, California. The sophomore sensation is averaging 24.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 3.9 blocks per game.
Victor Wembanyama has been named a 2025 NBA All-Star. He's the first Spurs selection since Dejounte Murray in 2021-22.
— Josh Paredes (@Josh810) January 30, 2025
Wemby is averaging 24.4 PTS, 10.8 REBS, 3.7 ASTS, and 3.9 BLKS on shooting splits of 48 FG / 36 3P / 84 FT. pic.twitter.com/9crzLeYb4E
The NBA is in luck. It's a good thing Wemby is a global phenom with superstar production in his second year because they need help. The conversation about the NBA's ratings has been explained away with several excuses about why they've been falling. There have been debates about the quality of the game and whether or not it's actually declined, but put that aside.
The one thing that can't be argued is that what fans have been receiving on All-Star Sunday has been abysmal for years. It's not the fault of the league. It solely rests on the shoulders of the players to give enough effort to make for an intriguing game, but they haven't felt compelled to do that. Maybe when a Martian hell-bent on domination enters the locker room, they'll get their act together.
Wembanyama's competitive edge may fuel the All-Star Game
Remember last year's All-Star Weekend? Wemby participated in Saturday's Skills Competition alongside Orlando's Paolo Banchero and Minnesota's Anthony Edwards. They lost the challenge, and despite the contest being one of the least interesting events of the weekend, you could tell that Vic was bothered by the defeat.
Edwards and Banchero didn't take the competition seriously, and that rubbed the 7'4" competitor the wrong way. If he's going to take part in anything, he's going to want to win. If that drive to be the greatest translated to the Saturday Skills Competition, it will likely be present in the All-Star Game.
That's exactly what they need, and maybe if they had put him in the game last year, he could have gotten a jump on coaxing the dog out of the other NBA stars. They have to have some semblance of a competitive fire in them to reach this point. They just need a push to get them back on track.
Unfortunately, for players, the league has taken it upon themselves to be the catalyst. This is the first year with a radically different, tournament-style format for the All-Star Game. The NBA announced it recently as a way to spice up what has otherwise become a dull, skip-worthy event during Adam Silver's treasured weekend.
Players used to take pride in playing in the All-Star Game. It was fun as a fan to debate who may win the MVP and what battles would take shape as the best of the best stood across from one another. The time for those discussions has long passed as nobody really cares anymore, matching the energy of the effort given in a once-storied event.
I'm not sure if the new format will motivate the players to play hard, but if Wembanyama is sending their shot attempts into the stands, it may get the competitive juices going. Embarrassment may be the league's true last chance to revive the All-Star Game. Thankfully, humiliating opponents is one of the Alien's specialties.
Western Conference All-Star Reserves:
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 30, 2025
- Victor Wembanyama
- Anthony Davis
- Anthony Edwards
- Jalen Williams
- James Harden
- Jaren Jackson Jr.
- Alpren Sengun
Eastern Conference All-Star Reserves:
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 30, 2025
- Darius Garland
- Damian Lillard
- Jaylen Brown
- Evan Mobley
- Tyler Herro
- Cade Cunningham
- Pascal Siakam