Kawhi Leonard Named to NBA All-Star Game, Why Was Clippers Star Added to Roster After Snub?
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard was selected to the 2026 All-Star Game by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, the league announced Tuesday.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Leonard was brought in after the initial selection of 24 All-Stars in order to to raise the total number of United States All-Stars to the minimum requirement of 16.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to suit up for the World team in the 2026 All-Star contest, which features a new U.S. vs. World format (via Charania).
As for Leonard, he wasn't included in the first list of All-Star reserves that was announced Sunday.
His initial omission came as a surprise to many, and it isn't difficult to see why.
While Leonard was sidelined earlier this season due to ankle and foot issues, his return and subsequent play has been a major reason for the Clippers' recent turnaround.
He's averaged 27.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and a league-leading 2.1 steals per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three-point territory.
Los Angeles owns a plus-3.6 net rating with Leonard on the court this season compared to a minus-5.8 net rating with him off (via NBA.com).
The Clippers opened their 2025-26 campaign with a mere 6-21 record, but quickly responded with 17 wins in their next 22 games to improve to 23-26.
Tyronn Lue, Los Angeles' head coach, was also surprised that Leonard was left out of the All-Star festivities prior to Tuesday's announcement.
"Yeah it was tough," Lue said Sunday, per NBA.com's Shane Young. "I mean, congratulations to all the guys who made it. They all deserved it as well. But Kawhi, I think to me, over the last six weeks has been the best player in the NBA. 50-40-90, averaging 28 points a game, and what he's done to bring this team out of a hole after we started 6-21, to be where we are today. It was just tough to see. I feel bad for Kawhi, but happy for all of the other guys who got selected."
The new All-Star format contains two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players competing in a tournament of four 12-minute games. After three games are complete, the two teams with the top records will face off in a championship contest.
With each team needing a minimum of eight players and Towns joining the World squad, the inclusion of Leonard will ensure that all three teams are balanced.
The 2026 All-Star Game is on Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. ET.
