Zion Williamson, James Harden headline 2021 NBA All-Star Game reserves

The 2021 NBA All-Star Game reserves have been announced.

On Tuesday, the reserves for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game were announced, and as expected, basketball fans reacted with emotions ranging from relief and joy to grief and outrage.

Last Thursday, the All-Star starters for each conference were announced, with Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James and Nikola Jokic earning the nod in the West and Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid rounding out the East.

With seven reserve spots remaining for each conference, there were a ton of deserving candidates. Making picks for those final 14 roster spots was nearly impossible, and rest assured, the conversation will immediately shift to which players got snubbed by the head coaches’ votes.

For now, though, the reserves deserve some love.

In the Western Conference, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Paul George, Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert, Chris Paul and Zion Williamson made the cut. In the East, James Harden, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Ben Simmons, Julius Randle, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic rounded out the All-Star field.

The 2021 NBA All-Star field is set

Harden will make his ninth All-Star appearance, giving the Brooklyn Nets three All-Stars for the first time in franchise history. Ben Simmons will make his third appearance for the Philadelphia 76ers, while Jayson Tatum and Nikola Vucevic have earned their second selections.

Anthony Davis, who may need an injury replacement as the Los Angeles Lakers favor his health and their goal of a championship over everything else, earned his eighth All-Star selection. Paul George notched his seventh for the other contender in LA, Chris Paul got his 11th All-Star appearance, and Damian Lillard earned his sixth. The Utah Jazz’s two All-Stars, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, will both appear in their second All-Star Game.

Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown, Zach LaVine, Julius Randle and Zion Williamson are all first-time All-Stars, speaking to how strong the NBA’s pool of young talent currently is. Now we wait and see if anyone other than Devin Booker earns AD’s spot as an injury replacement.