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The news was announced Friday night by ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski. This information was soon confirmed in a letter distributed by the NBA League itself.
Officially invited to replace the Brooklyn Nets star with the Lithuanian
it will be the second consecutive game of its kind.
It is reported that K. Durantas will not be able to heal his left ankle tendon injuries before the “All Stars” game, he will need more time to recover.
For this reason, the candidacy of D. Sabonis was chosen to replace him. It should be noted that the final decision here was made by NBA Commissioner General Adam Silver.
Pacers star Domantas Sabonis is expected to replace Kevin Durant on the Eastern Conference All-Star team, the source told ESPN.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 26, 2021
We remind you that D. Sabonis was left behind the event by the vote of the coaches of the NBA teams.
Domanto’s potential place in the star deck was filled by Nikola Vučevičius of Montenegro, whose Orlando Magic Club is one of the Eastern Conference outsiders.
Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kendrick Perkins, the brother of basketball player Tautvydas Sabonis and Jalen Rose did not understand such a choice of NBA strategists, even claiming that this situation was determined by the fact that both N. Vučevičius and other Lithuanian competitors Julius Randle is coached by former league members: Tom Thibodeau and Steve Clifford. His relationship with and influence over his peers appears to be far greater than that of fourth-ranked Indiana Pacers rookie Nate Bjorkgren.
On Friday, the attendance situation Delphi Lithuanian Linas Kleiza, who has been playing in the NBA league for many years, also evaluated the show.
“Yes, I was a bit surprised that Dome wasn’t invited. But it’s quite difficult to get there, even when you’re valued. A lot of players have good seasons. Sure, Domantas had to be among them, but the coaches decided to pick others. And he is. unrealistic for fans to choose him while playing in Indiana, he’s Lithuanian and doesn’t attract a superstar like Luka Dončičius, ”said the forward who played alongside Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony.
The fact that Domantas was worthy of the call-up is also evidenced by the fact that he became the first basketball player in NBA history to fail to qualify for the NBA All-Star Game, despite his averages surpassing 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game. match.
It should be remembered that K. Durantas ranked second among all basketball players in the vote of the fans of “All Stars”, receiving almost 5.57 million. votes. He was first in the East and defeated LeBron James in the West with $ 5.92 million. votes.
D. Sabonis received 555 thousand votes in the fan vote. votes, he ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference among front-line players. It is true that in the media vote, the Lithuanian ranked much higher, in fourth place.
It should be noted that Sabonis’ contract provides a prize of one million dollars for participating in the All-Star game.
The All-Star Festival will take place on March 7 in Atlanta.
In this NBA championship, D. Sabonis averages 21.5 points, rebounds after 11.7 balls and makes 5.7 assists.
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