Two Minnesota Timberwolves Earn All-Star Nods, One Other Star Gets Snubbed

The NBA revealed the All-Star reserves on Thursday night, where we learned the Minnesota Timberwolves will have two participants heading to Indianapolis, Indiana for this year’s events. For the Timberwolves, having two players make the All-Star team in the same year is rare, but not unprecedented.

Still, you’d have to go back to the 2017-18 season when Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler were the last pair of Timberwolves teammates named to the NBA All-Star game. Before that, it was 2003-04, when Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell accomplished the feat. The only other instances where the Wolves have had two All-Stars in the same season happened in 2002 (Wally Szczerbiak and KG) and 1997 (Tom Gugliotta and KG).

So, which two Timberwolves are 2024 NBA All-Stars?

Related: 10 Greatest Minnesota Timberwolves Players Of All-Time

Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns Named All-Star Reserves, Rudy Gobert Gets Snubbed

Thursday’s NBA All-Star reserve reveal showed Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns earning a trip to Indiana for this year’s festivities, while Rudy Gobert got snubbed.

Edwards has now matched Kevin Garnett as the only two Minnesota Timberwolves players to be named to two All-Star games before turning 23. Meanwhile, Towns joins KG as the only other Timberwolves player to be named to four All-Star teams.

While Edwards making the All-Star team was a foregone conclusion, no one really knew what to expect when it came to KAT or Gobert. Some believed Gobert, as the NBA’s leading candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year, would earn his fourth All-Star nod thanks to helping lead the league’s best defense, yet, obviously coaches felt differently.

Meanwhile, Towns has been on a hot streak as of late, which includes setting a new career-high with his 62-point outburst on Jan. 22. There’s no doubt his recent stretch of play helped catapult him onto the All-Star team, possibly stealing Gobert’s spot in the process.

Karl-Anthony Towns stats in January: 25.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 54% FG, 49% 3PT

While there may have been doubts over Timberwolves would become All-Stars, some, like Edwards, even felt like it was only fair to have three players named to the team.

Related: 5 Players that Fit Minnesota Timberwolves Perfectly at NBA Trade Deadline

Minnesota Timberwolves Fans May Feel Rudy Gobert Got Snubbed, But He’s Not Alone

Edwards didn’t get his wish. So, who got into the All-Star game instead of Gobert? Here were his competitors who did earn recognition.

• Kawhi Leonard
• Anthony Davis
• Paul George

Yes, Leonard and George are wings, not bigs, but the NBA separates All-Stars into two categories, either guards or forwards. This means KAT beat out others like Domantas Sabonis, Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Alperen Sengun, Zion Williamson, and Lauri Markkanen.

While Gobert certainly deserves consideration, you can bet plenty fans in Sacramento feel Sabonis got snubbed too. With only 12 spots in each conference, having two All-Stars is an impressive feat, and it’s one Timberwolves fans should cherish.

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