MVP-Candidate Anthony Davis Voted Starting NBA All-Star
By Spencer Darr
Book your ticket to the Big Apple. On Thursday MVP candidate Anthony Davis added starting forward for the Western Conference NBA All-Star team to his already enormous resume of accomplishments. A list that includes an Olympic gold medal, FIBA gold medal, NCAA National Championship, and AP NCAA Player of the Year.
Only Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Lebron James have ever finished a season with a PER over 31. Currently Davis’s PER sits at 31.66.
The New Orleans Pelicans superstar currently leads the league in Blocks and PER (Player Efficiency Rating), is second in win-shares, third in points per game (with the sixth-ranked shooting %), all while pulling down 10.4 rebounds/game (good for 10th in the league).
Only Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, and Lebron James have ever finished a season with a PER over 31. Currently Davis’s PER sits at 31.66.
Davis accumulated the second highest voting total in the Western Conference, behind guard Stephen Curry. Overall, Davis received the third highest vote total, trailing some guy named Lebron James and Curry, the overall vote leader.
In his third season, Davis has earned his second-straight All-Star game appearance, stamping his ticket to the exclusive Derrick Rose Rule-club.
Making 2 All-Star appearances during his first contract qualifies Davis for a 5-year contract extension worth 30% of the Pelicans salary cap. Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, and Paul George are the only other players to qualify for this exclusive salary slot.
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In 2014’s All Star game, held at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Davis scored 10 points in only 9 minutes of play time. Expect to see his workload triple after receiving the starting nod in this season’s edition of the game.
Madison Square Garden will host this year’s All-Star game, with Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin, and Kobe Bryant rounding out the Western Conference starting lineup.
The Eastern Conference will trot out John Wall, Kyle Lowry, James, Marc’s brother Pau Gasol, and Carmelo Anthony as their starters.
The reserves for the contest will be selected by current NBA head coaches and announced on TNT January 29th. Check back in with Big Easy Believer next week for continuing coverage on the New Orleans Pelicans and NBA All-Star Game.
Next: Davis' Return Propels Pelicans to 96-80 Win over Lakers