DeMar DeRozan and Andrew Wiggins were both named 2022 NBA All-Star Game starters.
If you somehow missed it, the starters for the Eastern and Western Conference for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game were announced on Thursday night. Among that group were the usual suspects, such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry.
But two names also are in the mix that are either new or haven’t been seen in a while as All-Stars: the Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins and the Chicago Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan. The moments in which both players celebrated their All-Star nods were captured by their team’s social media accounts and they’re worth taking in.
Wiggins learned about his selection before arriving at last night’s home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It’s worth a watch for the round of high-fives he gives team executives and the telling quote at the end …
“I thought I was dreaming for a second.”@22wiggins is officially an #NBAAllStar 👏 pic.twitter.com/vK6hc7jFyE
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 28, 2022
Bulls guard Zach LaVine broke the news of DeRozan’s selection by announcing it on the team plane’s loudspeaker. It’s also worth watching and DeRozan’s understated acknowledgment of the accomplishment is priceless …
Zach broke the news of DeMar's All-Star announcement on our team plane ❤️ pic.twitter.com/AFcW9ShWrm
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 28, 2022
For Wiggins, this is his first All-Star appearance and he was perhaps the most surprising selection. The No. 1 pick of the 2014 draft has blossomed since being traded to Golden State two years ago and is averaging 18.1 points for the team with the league’s second-best record.
DeRozan is making his fifth career All-Star appearance and he is the first Bulls player selected as a starter since 2017. He has been instrumental in Chicago’s rise into the upper crust of the East and is averaging 26.4 ppg. DeRozan is one of four players in the East averaging at least 25 ppg, 5 rpg and 4 apg while making less than one 3-pointer per game.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
