For the first time in his NBA career, Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine is heading to the NBA All-Star Game, as he’s been named as a reserve player for the Eastern Conference squad.
LaVine is having one of the best seasons of his NBA career, averaging 28.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Bulls. He is also averaging 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals per contest, and his exploits have helped the Bulls into a playoff spot as the season approaches the All-Star break.
The news was first broken by The Athletic’s Shams Charania Tuesday afternoon.
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Jaylen Brown, James Harden, Julius Randle, Ben Simmons, Jayson Tatum and Nikola Vucevic will join LaVine as reserves on the Eastern Conference roster.
LaVine has been part of All-Star Weekend before, taking home the NBA Slam Dunk championship in back to back seasons in 2015 and 2016. This will be his first time participating in the game, which will be held in Atlanta.
The game, originally set to be held in Indianapolis, was moved to Atlanta during the COVID-shortened season. The game will take place on March 7, with the Slam Dunk Contest taking place at halftime.
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The Eastern Conference starters were named earlier this month, with Bradley Beal, Kyrie Irving, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid earning those spots. In the west, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Nikola Jokic were selected as starters.
