As soon as the NBA revealed the Mavericks Luka Doncic and the Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard tied for the second starting guard spot in the 2021 All-Star Game voting, debate among fans and in the media began.
Doncic earned the start based on leading the fan poll, but was Lillard, who led Doncic on media and player ballots, a better choice based on 2020-21 production?
Talking to reporters after Saturday’s practice and for the first time since the announcement Thursday night, Doncic said he didn’t expect to receive the starting nod over Portland’s five-time All-Star, but he hopes the starter-versus-reserve controversy will settle with time.
“I was surprised I was tied, I’m going to be honest,” Doncic said. “I didn’t expect I was going to start this game. I know Lillard maybe deserved it more than me. … In a couple years, nobody [is] going to know who started the game. All they [are] going to know [is] you was an All-Star, and I think that’s important.”
Doncic will make his second consecutive start in the showcase March 7, matching Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki’s two All-Star starts. The 21-year-old point guard is the first Mavericks player to earn two All-Star starts via traditional votes. Nowitzki started in 2007 and 2010 as an injury replacement.
Click here to read more about the national reaction to the Doncic-Lillard All-Star tie.
Rick Carlisle on @1053thefan about two-time All-Star starter Luka Doncic: "It's a spectacular career for a young player. The progress, the trajectory, all those things. I mean, gosh. It's otherworldly."
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) February 19, 2021
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