The Brooklyn Nets announced on Friday that All-Star forward Kevin Durant will be sidelined through the All-Star break after further testing revealed that Durant will require an additional recovery period for his strained left hamstring. Sabonis has an incentive in his contract that pays him an additional $1.3 million if he is named an All-Star.
With that being the case, it did not take long for the league to decide on a replacement for Durant in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game as Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis has been tabbed as the next man up for the Eastern Conference. This will be Sabonis’ second All-Star Game selection.
While it remains to be seen what the league will do in terms of choosing a new captain to play against the roster selected by Team LeBron, we do know which player has been elevated from the pool of reserve selections to the pool of starters for the All-Star Game draft which will be held on March 4 as Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has received that honor. It will be Tatum’s first All-Star start.
Sabonis becomes the second injury replacement named by commissioner Adam Silver as the league tabbed Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker as the injury replacement for Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis earlier this week.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
