Sports Warm Winter Creation Season
Today, the NBA officially announced the list of participants in the 2024 All-Star Game, with a total of 21 first- or second-year players, plus 7 NBA Development League players. These players will be divided into four teams and play three matches, two semi-finals and one final.
Edit. In the semi-finals, whoever gets 40 points first wins, while the team that scores 24 points first wins the final.
Popular rookies such as Wembanyama and Holmgren were included in the list, but the Houston Rockets' explosive rookie Whitmore was not selected, which sparked widespread dissatisfaction.
Whitmore had the potential to be a top-five player, but he was revealed to be a major injury threat before the draft began, so the draft pick slipped all the way and he was drafted by the Rockets with the 20th pick in the first round. In the beginning, Whitmore didn't get many opportunities, but in this year, he suddenly got more opportunities to play.
Whitmore has scored in double figures in 12 of his last 15 games since Jan. 4, contributing 24 points and 11 rebounds against the Charlotte Hornets. And against the Los Angeles Lakers on January 30, Whitmore scored 18 points in the first three quarters, and all of the Lakers' bench players combined for 12 points. Whitmore ended up scoring 20 points and nearly dunked James.
Edit. Whitmore was disappointed not to be on the rookie game because he wanted to show his face in the rookie game. Now, the NBA officially invited Whitmore to participate in the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest twice, but Whitmore turned it down because he felt that he was not a performative dunk.
Edit. I have to say that Whitmore has the backbone and doesn't let him play in the rookie game, he simply doesn't even go to the dunk contest. The Rockets have cultivated this potential star, and maybe another player in the All-Star Game.