Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has arguably put together the most productive first half of an NBA season in his career.
But Young’s NBA-leading 11.4 assists per game were not enough to land the 26-year-old guard an All-Star nod.
Last week, the NBA revealed the starters for its revamped annual showcase of its 24 star players. While the list of starters did not feature a lot of surprises, the reserves raised some eyebrows.
Young’s name was noticeably missing when the 2025 NBA All-Star Game reserves were revealed Thursday.
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Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young reacts after a foul was called during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics April 23, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The omission sparked some spirited posts on social media about Young and other players who received a cold shoulder from voters. Young summed up his circumstances by putting a unique twist on his name.
“It’s getting ‘Traed’ at this point,” the former Oklahoma basketball standout wrote on X. He then offered an apology to his fans and took a more measured approach, saying, “Sorry to my fans.. it’ll change eventually! All right, talk soon!”
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Young has been an All-Star three times before, but his numbers do seem to back up the argument that he is one of this year’s top 24 players. Aside from his assist average, Young is averaging 22.5 points per game.
NBA coaches pick the All-Star reserves. Hawks coach Quin Snyder made it clear he believes the players who made the All-Star roster are deserving.
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks after Game 5 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics April 25, 2023, at the TD Garden in Boston. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
“That also doesn’t preclude me from feeling the way I do about Trae,” Snyder said. “I haven’t coached him for that long, but I feel like he’s had the best year of his career. … No disrespect to anyone that has made it, but as Trae’s coach, I am allowed to feel disappointment for him not making it. And that’s unfortunate.”
Young hasn’t been voted into the game since 2022. He was an injury replacement selected by Commissioner Adam Silver for last year’s All-Star Game.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time All-Star, is another notable player who did not receive an All-Star selection.
Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns during Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets May 5, 2023, at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz. (Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
“Obviously, something that I wanted to be a part of,” Booker said Friday. “But definitely not going to complain about taking a week to regroup with the family.”
Fan voting accounts for 50% of the formula for deciding which players start the game, and the Hornets’ LaMelo Ball was the backcourt player who got the most votes from fans in the Eastern Conference by a wide margin.
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However, he narrowly missed being a starter after finishing third in the East backcourt voting by players and seventh in the media balloting. Ball then missed out on being a reserve because he didn’t get listed on enough coaches’ ballots.
Ball ranks fourth in the league with 28.2 points per game. He is the first player under the current voting format to win the fan vote at his position but not get picked for the All-Star Game.
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