The NBA released the reserves for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game on Thursday evening. For the first time since his rookie season, Luka Doncic is not an All-Star. Neither is Kyrie Irving, who misses out on the All-Star Game for the second straight season.

Injuries have hampered the Dallas Mavericks superstar, as he’s played in just 22 games this season thanks to a litany of ailments, including a calf strain he suffered on Christmas Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He hasn’t played since then, costing him his sixth-straight All-Star selection, but he should be returning in the next few weeks.

Irving, meanwhile, has had a tremendous season, averaging 24.2 PPG, 4.9 APG, and 4.6 RPG while nearly shooting 50/40/90. He’s played in the majority of the Mavericks’ games and has helped keep the team afloat, but the coaches felt differently. He’s still waiting to make an All-Star appearance as a Maverick; he technically made one in 2023, soon after being traded to Dallas, but most of his production came with the Brooklyn Nets. He’s an eight-time All-Star in his career.

Doncic got off to a slow start to the season by his standards but had rebounded to still be averaging 28.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 7.8 APG before going down on Christmas. His numbers are All-Star worthy, and if the initial starter ballots were still the deciding factor, he likely would’ve been in, as he finished third among Western Conference guards in voting. The starters are weighted from 50% of the fan vote, 25% of the player vote, and 25% of the vote from a media pool. All-Star reserves are selected entirely by the NBA coaches.

A Small Blemish on an Already Impressive Resume for Luka Doncic

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic makes a practice shot as center Dereck Lively II (left) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn ImagesDecades from now, people will be looking at Luka Doncic’s Basketball Reference page and wondering what caused the blip in All-Star and All-NBA appearances. He got off to a torrid pace in his NBA career, making five consecutive All-NBA First-Teams starting from his second season in the NBA, one of few players in NBA history to do so. He likely would’ve been on pace to make another First Team before the injuries, and the NBA’s new 65-game requirement disqualified Doncic for any awards at the end of the season.

But if Doncic returns soon and helps the Mavericks make another late regular-season run with a deep push into the playoffs, all will be forgiven. Doncic entered the season as the favorite to win the MVP, but he said his only goal was to be healthy in the playoffs so he could help bring a championship to Dallas as Dirk Nowitzki did before him.