Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis earns NBA All-Star Game nod
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It turns out the 2021 NBA All-Star Weekend in Atlanta was worth the wait for star Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis.
The NBA on Friday announced Sabonis will replace Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, who the team says will sit out due to a lingering hamstring injury.
The March 7 game at State Farm Arena in Atlanta will be the second consecutive All-Star Game for Sabonis. He was also part of NBA All-Star Weekend in 2017 and 2018 as part of the Rising Stars Challenge, the NBA said.
This all comes as the 24-year-old is posting career-highs in points (21.5) and assists (5.7) this season.
He also is currently ranks second in the NBA with 24 double-doubles and recently set the Pacers franchise record, tallying his sixth career triple-double.
Sabonis is the sixth player in Pacers franchise history to be selected for multiple NBA All-Star Games. The others were Jermaine O’Neal (6), Reggie Miller (5), Paul George (4), Roy Hibbert (2) and Victor Oladipo (2).
The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.