Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant not voted a starter for NBA All-Star game
Ja Morant's chances of starting his second consecutive NBA All-Star game seemed bleak after the third round of fan voting. Thursday made it official. Morant will have to wait to see if he's going to Salt Lake City.
Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic were named the starting Western Conference guards as the All-Star starters were announced on TNT's "Inside the NBA." Morant finished third in the player, fan and media voting.
Fan voting makes up 50% of the selection process for starters, with players and a media panel each accounting for 25%.
Last season, Morant became the second Memphis Grizzlies player to be named an All-Star starter behind Marc Gasol. Morant's star power has grown since then as he ranked sixth in NBA jerseys sold during the first half of the season, the highest placement of his career. He also saw the debut of his first Nike signature shoe on Christmas, with a global release set for April
Morant still has a strong chance to reach the All-Star Game when reserves are announced on Feb. 2 on TNT. Reserves are chosen by the NBA's head coaches and Morant's case starts with the Grizzlies being in second place in the Western Conference.
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In his third season, Morant is 10th in the NBA in scoring (27.3 points) and tied for fifth in assists (8.0) with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland. He and Doncic are the only two players ranked in the top 10 in both categories ahead of Thursday's games.
The assists per game are a career-high for Morant and he also has three triple-doubles, the most he's had in a season.
All signs point to Morant being selected next week. If so, he'd be the third player in franchise history with multiple All-Star berths, joining Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.
NBA ALL-STAR GAME STARTING LINEUPS
Feb. 19
Salt Lake City, Utah
Eastern Conference starters
Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets)
Western Conference starters
Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ja Morant: Memphis Grizzlies star not an NBA All-Star Game starter
