Alabama Roots: Waiting for the next NBA All-Star
The NBA All-Star Game will be played for the 72nd time on Sunday night. For the fifth year in a row, it doesn’t include any players from Alabama high schools and colleges.
Fourteen players from Alabama high schools and colleges have earned selection to play in the NBA All-Star Game or in the ABA All-Star Game before that league was absorbed by the NBA.
During the 2022-23 campaign, 15 players with Alabama basketball roots have played in the NBA, and all but two have yet to complete their third season.
The two 2022 first-round rookies on the state list – Walker Kessler and Jabari Smith Jr. – played in the Jordan Rising Stars event on Friday night as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend.
The players from Alabama high schools and colleges who have played in the NBA this season include:
· Boston Celtics guard JD Davison (Calhoun) has four points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal while playing 14 minutes in six games. Davison has spent most of his rookie season with the NBA G League’s Maine Celtics. He has averaged 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.5 assists in 36 games with Maine.
· Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (Alabama) has 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and one blocked shot while playing 36 minutes in nine games. Ellis has spent most of his rookie season with the NBA G League’s Stockton Kings. He has averaged 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 25 games with Stockton.
· Golden State Warriors forward JaMychal Green (St. Jude, Alabama) has averaged 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds while playing 14.7 minutes in 38 games this season.
· New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones (Hale County, Alabama) has averaged 9.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 steals while playing 28.8 minutes in 43 games this season.
· Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (Auburn) has averaged 8.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while playing 21.3 minutes in 57 games this season.
· Philadelphia 76ers forward Braxton Key (Alabama) has four points and one rebound while playing nine minutes in three games this season. Key has spent most of this season with the NBA G League’s Motor City Cruise. He has averaged 14.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks in 29 games with Motor City.
· New Orleans Pelicans guard Kira Lewis Jr. (Hazel Green, Alabama) has averaged 5.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists while playing 11.1 minutes in 14 games this season. A knee injury sustained on Dec. 8, 2021, delayed Lewis’ start on his third NBA season until Dec. 13, 2022.
· Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (Auburn) has averaged 5.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists while playing 17.8 minutes in 56 games.
· Orlando Magic forward Chuma Okeke (Auburn) has averaged 5.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists while playing 21.3 minutes in 19 games this season. A knee injury that required surgery kept Okeke out of the lineup between Nov. 21 and Feb. 14.
· Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (Auburn) has averaged 6.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists while playing 21.2 minutes in 61 games this season.
· Guard Josh Primo (Alabama) averaged 7.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists while playing 23.3 minutes in four games for the San Antonio Spurs before being released on Oct. 28.
· Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (Alabama) has averaged 14.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists while playing 24.0 minutes in 47 games this season.
· Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith (Auburn) has averaged 12.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 blocks while playing 29.9 minutes in 55 games.
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· Charlotte Hornets forward JT Thor (Auburn) has averaged 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds while playing 10.8 minutes in 47 games this season.
· Portland Trail Blazers forward Trendon Watford (Mountain Brook) has averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists while playing 16.2 minutes in 42 games this season.
The 2023 NBA All-Star Game is set for 7:30 p.m. CST Sunday in Salt Lake City. TNT will televise the game.
The NBA and ABA All-Stars from Alabama high schools and colleges (arranged chronologically by date of first selection) include:
Artis Gilmore, Carver High School in Dothan
11 All-Star Games: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976 with the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA, and 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1982 with the Chicago Bulls and 1983 and 1986 with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA.
Larry Kenon, Ullman High School in Birmingham
Five All-Star Games: 1974 and 1975 with the New York Nets and 1976 with the San Antonio Spurs in the ABA, and 1978 and 1979 with the Spurs in the NBA.
John Drew, J.F. Shields High School in Beatrice
Two All-Star Games: 1976 and 1980 with the Atlanta Hawks.
Eddie Johnson, Auburn
Two All-Star Games: 1980 and 1981 with the Atlanta Hawks.
Mike Mitchell, Auburn
One All-Star Game: 1980 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Andrew Toney, Glenn High School in Birmingham
Two All-Star Games: 1983 and 1984 with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Charles Barkley, Leeds High School, Auburn
11 All-Star Games: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992 with the Philadelphia 76ers, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996 with the Phoenix Suns and 1997 with the Houston Rockets.
Latrell Sprewell, Alabama
Four All-Star Games: 1994, 1995 and 1997 with the Golden State Warriors and 2001 with the New York Knicks.
Antonio McDyess, Alabama
One All-Star Game: 2001 with the Denver Nuggets.
Theo Ratliff, Demopolis High School
One All-Star Game: 2001 with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Ben Wallace, Central High School in Hayneville
Four All-Star Games: 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 with the Detroit Pistons.
Mo Williams, Alabama
One All-Star Game: 2009 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Gerald Wallace, Childersburg High School, Alabama
One All-Star Game: 2010 with the Charlotte Bobcats.
DeMarcus Cousins, LeFlore High School in Mobile
Four All-Star Games: 2015, 2016 and 2017 with the Sacramento Kings and 2018 with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.