Joel Embiid will not start the NBA All-Star Game in favor of Bam Adebayo

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo will replace Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid in the Eastern Conference starting lineup for Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, the league announced on Saturday.

Two-time defending NBA scoring champion and 2022-23 MVP Embiid has been struggling with a knee injury. He had a procedure on the lateral meniscus in his left knee on Feb. 6 that is expected to keep him out four weeks.

This marks the first time Adebayo has been an All-Star starter, in his third career appearance on the All-Star team. All three times (2020, 2022, 2023), Adebayo has been selected by coaches as a reserve. He won the skills competition as part of the 2020 All-Star weekend.

The decision to make Adebayo a starter was made by Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who is leading the Eastern Conference team.

A four-time All-Defensive team member, Adebayo is averaging 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks in his seventh season with the Heat, who drafted him out of Kentucky with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Two previous Miami Heat stars were injury replacement starters in the All-Star game. Anthony Mason replaced Grant Hill in 2001 and Chris Bosh replaced Rajon Rondo in 2013.

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Buddy Hield Having Historic Shooting Run to Start 76ers Tenure

At last week’s trade deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers shook up their roster by bringing in Buddy Hield. The veteran sharpshooter was brought in for his three-point shooting, and has made an immediate impact in this regard. Hield made his Sixers debut just a day after being traded, and has managed to adjust well on the fly.

He’s notched at least 20 points and four made threes in each of his first four outings. On Wednesday night against the Miami Heat, he also dished a career-high 10 assists to go along with 22 points. Throughout his NBA career, Hield has built a reputation of being one of the top high-volume shooters in the league. This has translated to the Sixers, where he’s already knocked down a plethora of shots from beyond the arc. Hield’s outside shooting has been so impressive that it landed him in the history books.

Following the matchup against the Heat, Hield tied the record for the most made threes by a player in their first four games with a new team (18). Other players to tie this mark are Malik Beasley, O.J. Mayo, and Dorell Wright. Along with entering the NBA history books, Hield also joined some elite company in Sixers’ history as well.

With his double-digit assist outing against the Heat, he became the fourth player in franchise history with 10 assists and five made threes. The others to do so are Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, and Allen Iverson. Hield has come up big for the Sixers since coming over from the Indiana Pacers last week. In his first four games, he is averaging 22.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 7.5 APG on 45% shooting from three on 10 attempts per game.