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Legends, First-Timers Headline 2025-26 NBA All-Star Reserves

February 2, 2026 by Last Word On Pro Basketball

Just a week after unveiling the 10 starters for the 2025-26 NBA All-Star Game, the league has released the names of the 14 players who’ll join them at the Intuit Dome on Feb. 15.

LeBron James, Jalen Johnson Headline 2025-26 NBA All-Star Reserves

Jan 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves to the basket against Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) and forward Collin Murray-Boyles (12) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Western Conference All-Star Reserves

In the Western Conference, the seven standouts who were selected for the honor are: Los Angeles Lakers point-forward LeBron James, Houston Rockets swingman Kevin Durant, Minnesota Timberwolves wing Anthony Edwards, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, Oklahoma City Thunder forward-center Chet Holmgren, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray and Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija.

LeBron James

James is the most notable inclusion. Playing in his 23rd NBA season, a league record, the 41-year-old is now an NBA-record 22-time NBA All-Star. Frankly, his numbers aren’t as illustrious as some of the other candidates, so his standing in the league likely did play a role in the decision. Nevertheless, he’s been playing at an All-Star level since greasing up his wheels. Post-Dec. 7, he’s averaging 23.9 points per game on 52.0% shooting from the field, adding 6.3 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. His combination of skill, IQ, success and experience is still unrivaled in the NBA.

Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker

Never to be forgotten, Durant will be playing in his 16th NBA All-Star Game. In his inaugural season with the Rockets, the 37-year-old is posting 26.2 points per game on near 50-40-90 splits. He’s already scored 30+ points in 18 games, the seventh-most in the league.

His former teammate, Booker, will make his fifth All-Star appearance. He’s playing much the same as he did last season, when he didn’t make the All-Star cut. However, the heat surrounding he and the Suns has been much milder with Durant now in Houston, perhaps making his performances look more favorable.

Edwards, whom Durant developed a bond with during the Paris Olympics, is now a four-time NBA All-Star. Though his Timberwolves have hovered outside the West’s top-four all season, he’s not to blame. In 40 games, the Atlanta native has averaged a career-high 29.4 points per contest, shooting 49.5% from the field and 40.9% from 3.

Chet Holmgren, Jamal Murray, Deni Avdija

A first-time All-Star, Holmgren has consistently performed well for the Thunder, but his availability has often been lacking. That’s not the case this season, with the 23-year-old already having played more games (43) than he did in 2024-25 (32). In 2025-26, he’s posting career-highs of 17.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while protecting the rim well enough to earn him All-Defensive team votes down the line.

Murray is another player with a suboptimal injury history. Ironically, it was his play during the absence of Nuggets leader Nikola Jokic –who’ll be an All-Star Game starter for the World team–that led to the strongest argument for him to earn his first All-Star selection. Over a 12-game stretch, Murray averaged 27.8 points and 8.3 assists per contest on .496-.405-.867 shooting splits.

The third and final first-time All-Star in the West is Avdija. In the midst of his most impressive season to date, his ruthless aggression when attacking the rim has helped the Blazers be surprisingly competitive. Likely a Most Improved Player candidate later this season, Avdija is averaging career-highs in points (25.5 per game), assists (6.7 per game) and free-throw attempts (9.5 per game).

Jan 26, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) dribbles the ball towards the goal against Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) and forward Pascal Siakam (43) during the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Eastern Conference All-Star Reserves

The seven players from the Eastern Conference are: Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, New York Knicks forward-center Karl-Anthony Towns, Toronto Raptors point-forward Scottie Barnes, Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, Atlanta Hawks point-forward Jalen Johnson, Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, and Miami Heat wing Norman Powell.

Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns

Mitchell leads the East’s All-Star reserves with his seventh career selection. Having what’s frankly a redemptive season after taking his foot off the gas in 2024-25, he’s averaging a career-high 29.1 points and 5.8 assists per game. It’s a shame that the Cavs as a whole haven’t been that stellar, prompting them to make a head-turning trade this weekend.

Towns is set to make his sixth All-Star appearance despite what’s been a trying 2025-26 campaign. That has to feel good if you’re the Big Bodega. An inside-outside scorer averaging 20.0 points (and 11.8 rebounds) per game on a commendable 3-point percentage (.361) for a player who’s 7-foot-0, he’s still one of the toughest players to guard.

Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam

In terms of publicity, Barnes has been overshadowed by teammate Brandon Ingram this season. His game isn’t as aesthetically pleasing, particularly as a scorer, so it’s not as easy to appreciate. Even so, he’s a volume-scoring two-way player with but one of the most well-rounded games in the league, leading to his second All-Star appearance.

Siakam, Barnes’s former teammate, hasn’t been performing miracles for the Pacers. However, he does plenty to keep them in the fight, averaging a team-high 23.8 points per game. In fact, he’s the only Pacers player putting up at least 18 points per game. The all-around veteran will be making his fourth All-Star appearance.

Jalen Johnson, Jalen Duren, Norman Powell

Johnson’s bildungsroman season continues with the first All-Star selection of his career. In 46 games, the 24-year-old is averaging 23.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.3 assists per contest. His ascendance has led to him becoming the face of the Hawks franchise and their undisputed leader.

Duren is the second first-time All-Star on the Eastern Conference reserve list. Long a beastly rebounder, he’s now coming into his own offensively and defensively. In fact, he’s averaging a career-high 18.0 points per game in 2025-26. The 22-year-old will be joined in Los Angeles by Pistons commander Cade Cunningham, who’ll be an All-Star starter.

All’s well that ends well. After many felt he was the most glaring snub from the 2024-25 selections, Powell is finally an All-Star. To be frank, his performances have tapered off since Thanksgiving. However, he’s averaged 21+ points per game every month of the season and has made 39.0% of his 3s in 2025-26.

© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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