NBA News Wire
Report: Aldridge to start All-Star game
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Western Conference coach Steve Kerr has reportedly decided to make Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge his fifth starter, replacing the injured Anthony Davis, in Sunday’s All-Star game.
ESPN.com earlier reported on Saturday that Kerr initially planned to start Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant in place of Davis, the New Orleans Pelicans star power forward. But league sources said Kerr later decided to go with Aldridge.
Aldridge is averaging 23.6 points and 10.3 rebounds in 47 games this season.
Davis is out because of a shoulder sprain that caused him to miss the Pelicans’ last two games before the All-Star break. Davis hurt his shoulder on Feb. 7 in the Pelicans’ loss at the Chicago Bulls when he lost his grip on the rim while completing an alley-oop dunk, falling to the hardwood.
“I just want to get back to 100 percent so I can get back on the floor with my team,” Davis, who plans to spend this weekend in New York watching from the sideline, said Thursday. “Without playing, it’s still a good experience. So I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
Davis, who is in his third NBA season out of Kentucky, has averaged 24.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game this season.
Aldridge is the third substitute starter that Kerr has had to pick for an injured All-Star player.
Earlier this week, Kerr chose Houston Rockets guard James Harden and Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson to start in place of the injured Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Durant, who missed the start of this season while recovering from a fractured right foot, is averaging 25.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 26 games.
