Heat’s Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo bypassed in All-Star selections

There will be no doubling down again for the Miami Heat when it comes to the March 7 NBA All-Star Game. For that matter, there won’t be — barring an injury replacement — even one All-Star.

A year after both Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler were selected as All-Star reserves, the Heat were left without a 2021 All-Star when results of the balloting by Eastern Conference coaches for the seven reserves were announced Tuesday for the March 7 game in Atlanta.

With the Heat spending almost the entire season with a losing record, even the team’s recent gains were not enough to sway the coaches when it came to the defending conference champions.

For Adebayo, it proved to be a matter of several other Eastern Conference frontcourt players having breakout seasons. For Butler, he apparently was hurt by the extended time he missed due to NBA health and safety protocols, even with his recent run of four triple-doubles over a five-game span.

It marks the first time since 2017 that the Heat apparently will go without an All-Star. The Heat also did not have an initial All-Star selection in 2018, with Goran Dragic then chosen as an injury replacement.

With Butler and Adebayo unable to follow up their 2020 All-Star appearances, it still leaves only six players in the Heat’s 33 seasons to earn multiple selections: Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Bosh and LeBron James.

Adebayo said after Monday night’s road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder that a repeat selection would be particularly meaningful, but also was braced to potentially be bypassed.

“I mean, it’s important,” he said. “I want to be an All-Star. Two-time All-Star doesn’t sound bad. But I get it. It’s politics in there, so it’s a sliding scale.”

Butler had been an All-Star five of the past six seasons, also missing out in 2019, when he was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Conference coaches had to select at least three frontcourt players and two backcourt players among their seven reserves, not allowed to vote for players on their own teams. That balloting deadline was Monday.

Named starters from the Eastern Conference last week in the combined voting of fans, players and media were Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid in the frontcourt and Kyrie Irving and Bradley Beal in the backcourt.

Selected from the Eastern Conference as reserves were Julius Randle, Jayson Tatum and Nikola Vucevic in the frontcourt, and James Harden, Zach LaVine, Jaylen Brown and Ben Simmons in the backcourt.

Voted in as frontcourt starters from the Western Conference were LeBron James, Nikola Jokic and Kawhi Leonard, with Stephen Curry and Luke Doncic voted in as the West’s starting guards.

Selected as Western Conference reserves were Paul George, Rudy Gobert, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson in the frontcourt, and Chris Paul, Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt. Davis is injured and will require a replacement selection.

As the leading vote getters in their respective conferences, James and Durant next will draft their 12-player rosters from the 24 All-Stars.

With Adebayo bypassed, in question is whether he defends his 2020 championship in the Skills Challenge, which will be held in the hours before the All-Star Game. The event typically is held during All-Star Saturday, but amid the coronavirus pandemic the league consolidated all All-Star events into a single Sunday program.

The NBA announced earlier Tuesday that Gladys Knight will sing the national anthem at the All-Star Game.

The NBA also announced that throughout All-Star Sunday the league will pay tribute to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including an original rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing by the Clark Atlanta University Philharmonic Society Choir and performances by the Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band and Florida A&M University Marching 100 from their respective campuses.