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With the Rising Stars being incorporated into NBA All-Star Sunday night, players and fans alike had mixed emotions after the young stars of the league took the floor. Six-time All-Star Jayson Tatum said he had “mixed emotions” about the Rising Stars playing on Sunday night since it's supposed to be reserved for the guys that earned the right to be an All-Star outright. San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle spoke about the NBA incorporating the Rising Stars into the main event on Sunday night.
“I'm kind of 50/50 on it,” said the Spurs guard. “I like the opportunity for us to be able to play the All-Stars, but I feel like the All-Stars earned the right to play each other on Sunday, too.”
This was the first time in NBA history that non All-Stars competed on a Sunday night in ALl-Star Weekend. It does seem a little odd to feature players on a night that is supposed to be reserved for guys who earned the right to play on Sunday. That also probably feels like a slap in the face for players who were snubbed from the game. Norman Powell, LaMelo Ball, and others did not get a shot to compete just because they were short a few votes. Young players getting in because they won a tournament seems off.
The All-Star snubs should be upset
With that being said, the players that did miss it by a few votes should be the one who suffers the most by the decision. Technically the Rising Stars don't have an All-Star appearance, like Spurs' Castle, but getting to play on that night is enough to be unhappy about. There's no telling if those players who were a few votes away will ever come close to getting back to that point again. Instead, of the NBA doing something with those established players that were close to making it, they bestowed a heck of an honor to the young players to play on Sunday.
Maybe it's not such a big deal. Maybe the snubs wanted to play on Sunday night outright without any special All-Star rule to get them in. Either way, the reality was that they were home or on vacation somewhere witnessing young players play on a stage that some feel like they don't deserve.
The 2026 All-Star Game could look entirely different
It seems like changes will come every year to All-Star Weekend until they find something that sticks. It's possibly that extra roster spots could be added so that less snubs exist in the coming future. The NBA has proven that they are willing to try new things. Lets see what happens next.
