Celtics' Jayson Tatum earns sixth NBA All-Star nod, named starter for fifth straight season
BOSTON -- Another year, another NBA All-Star honor for Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. Tatum was announced as an All-Star starter out of the Eastern Conference for the fifth straight season on Thursday night.
It's the sixth time overall -- and sixth straight year -- that Tatum has received an All-Star nod. The 27-year-old is leading the Celtics in scoring (27.4 points per game), rebounding (a career-high 9.2 per game), and assists (career-high 5.5 per game) going into Thursday night's game against the Lakers. Tatum hasn't been as efficient with his shot as years past, but he is fifth in the NBA in scoring and has been Boston's best player in the first half of the season.
The defending champion Celtics are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference at 31-13, with the third-best record in the NBA.
Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks, Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks were the other Eastern Conference starters announced on Thursday.
We'll find out if Celtics guard Jaylen Brown will be joining Tatum in San Francisco when All-Star reserves are announced on Jan. 30.
Jayson Tatum in the NBA All-Star Game
In last year's All-Star Game, Tatum scored 20 points off 8-of-13 shooting (including 4-of-9 from three-point range) to go with three rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal in his 22 minutes for the victorious Eastern Conference.
His best All-Star appearance was two years ago, when Tatum won MVP honors after exploding for a record 55 points to lead Team Giannis to a 184-175 victory in Utah. Tatum went 22-of-31 from the field and 10-of-18 from three-point range while also corralling nine rebounds and dishing out six assists.
Tatum started in both 2021 and 2022, though he was an injury replacement in each of those years. He scored 21 points to go with seven assists in 17 minutes of action in 2021, and then had eight points and five assists in the 2022 All-Star Game.
He made his first All-Star team in 2019 and scored six points, dished out three assists, and had three steals in his 13 minutes on the court. While Tatum didn't make the All-Star team his first two years in the NBA, he did win the Skills Challenge in his second season in 2018.
Tatum has averaged 22 points off 59 percent shooting overall and 38.6 percent from three in his five All-Star game appearances.
NBA All-Star Game format
This year's All-Star Game will not be your typical exhibition between the stars of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference. The NBA is trying something new to draw more interest toward the festivities.
This year, the 24 NBA All-Stars will be broken into three teams of eight players, which will be drafted by TNT's Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith. Those three teams and the winning team from the Rising Star Challenge between rookies and second-year players will then play games to 40 in a knockout-style tournament.
It will all take place on Feb. 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, the home of the Golden State Warriors.