NBA Fans Call Out LeBron James, Anthony Edwards Snubs as All-Star Starters Revealed

The first 10 honorees for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game were announced Monday, and fans wasted no time highlighting who missed the cut.

Here's who made it so far from the Eastern and Western Conferences:

Eastern Conference

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
• Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
• Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
• Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers

Western Conference

• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
• Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

In the East, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell has assembled a starter-worthy resume on the court. He's averaging 29.2 points on 48.9 percent shooting.

The fact the Cavs are fifth in the conference after being the No. 1 seed in 2024-25 isn't much of a reflection of Mitchell's contributions, either. They'd be even lower without his night-to-night consistency.

Slotting him in over the New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson wouldn't have been unwarranted:

The omission of the Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards in the West was a surprise. He's putting up 29.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, and he's setting career highs in field-goal percentage (50.4) and three-point shooting (41.8).

The absences of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant will likely grab more attention, though.

Neither is necessarily a snub on the merits, but both have been fixtures for so long that it's a little jarring when they aren't voted in as a starter.

The All-Star process is now firmly in the hands of NBA coaches, who will pick the reserves from each conference.

In general, the players who are perceived as the biggest snubs from the starters list wind up in the All-Star Game anyway. Either the coaches vote for them, or they're an injury replacement.

When it comes to James specifically, commissioner Adam Silver could wade in to ensure the four-time MVP is involved.