Celtics Guard Isaiah Thomas Named NBA All-Star
BOSTON (CBS) -- Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas has been named an All-Star reserve for the Eastern Conference.
Thomas will be playing in the NBA's annual exhibition for the first time in his five-year career after averaging 21.6 points and 6.6 assists in 47 games this season. He is Boston's lone representative in the game, while second-year guard Marcus Smart will take part in the Rising Stars Challenge.
Congrats to @Isaiah_Thomas on his first NBA All-Star Game selection for #NBAAllStarTO! pic.twitter.com/eaWiXyQISk
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 29, 2016
Thomas and the Celtics campaigned hard for the 5-foot-9 guard to make the Eastern Conference squad over the last few months, and Thomas discussed what an All-Star nod would mean to him following Wednesday night's 111-103 win over the Denver Nuggets.
"It would mean the world to me. I feel like I deserve it. Numbers don't lie and my team is winning. My team is playing at a high level," he said after scoring 16 points against Denver. "One thing I just always worry about is the things I can control. I can't control who votes for me or if they say my name [Thursday]. But I can control what I do out there on the court. I felt like I've put myself in a pretty good position, especially with my team being the fifth seed now in the East and winning games lately. So hopefully my name is called. But if it's not I'm going to just keep going, keep grinding, keep pushing."
He took to Twitter on Thursday night to thank fans and NBA coaches for his selection.
Happy for Isaiah and his teammates. He loves basketball https://t.co/xYe47AY3JA
— Danny Ainge (@danielrainge) January 29, 2016
Thomas is the first member of the Celtics to make the All-Star team since Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo made the squad in the 2012-13 season. He is only the ninth player under six-feet to make an All-Star roster.
The 2016 NBA All-Star game will be played at Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sunday, February 14.