Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas was just selected to his first NBA All-Star Game
Isaiah Thomas is set to play in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game in Toronto.
The league announced Thursday that the Boston Celtics guard was selected as an Eastern Conference All-Star team reserve. It will be his first All-Star appearance.
Thomas, the only Celtics player selected as an All-Star this year, leads his 26-21 team with 21.6 points per game, 6.6 assists per game, and a plus/minus point differential of +4.2. Playing 32.4 minutes a game, he is also averaging 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
Only four other players in the league — Steph Curry, James Harden, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook — have averaged more than 21 points, 6 assists and 1 steal per game this season.
The 5-foot-9, 185-pound point guard is tied with Calvin Murphy for the shortest player to ever be selected to the All-Star Game. Murphy, a Houston Rockets guard, was an All-Star in 1979.
While the NBA All-Star Game starters — which were announced last week — are decided by a fan vote, the reserves are voted on by the coaches in each conference.
[fragment number=0]
Thomas thanked his teammates, coaching staff, and fans for their support in a series of tweets Thursday night following the announcement.
[fragment number=1]
[fragment number=2]
[fragment number=3]
[fragment number=4]
The last pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Thomas told ESPN earlier Thursday that he would be nervously watching to see if he was selected to the team.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s like the draft all over,’’ Thomas said. “You don’t want to watch it. Hopefully I get a call.’’
Along with Thomas, the Eastern Conference All-Star reserves include Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap, Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh, Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler, Washington Wizards guard John Wall, Detroit Pistons forward Andre Drummond, and Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan.
“I feel like I deserve it,’’ Thomas said Thursday afternoon. “Not just the individual success, but as a team. … Numbers don’t lie. You can stack the numbers up against anybody in the NBA and they’d be there.’’
The 65th NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Sunday, February 14 at 8:30 p.m.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com