Star, Chris Paul makes a pitch to coaches about selecting Spurs teammate Victor Wembanyama for his first such honor.

Heading into the 2024-25 NBA campaign, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama securing Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) honors almost felt predetermined.

The reigning rookie of the year is an NBA All-Star for the first time, with the 21-year-old from France one of the 14 players announced Thursday night as members of the reserve pool for the midseason exhibition that will take place Feb. 16 at the home of the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.

The faces of the NBA are still Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, with Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, when Durant, James, and Curry retire, the title of "face of the NBA" will be up for grabs. ESPN analyst and former player Kendrick Perkins seems to think SGA will be the next face of the NBA.

Wembanyama becomes only the fourth Spurs player to make the All-Star Game in his first or second season. The others: Alvin Robertson in 1986, David Robinson in 1990 and 1991, and Tim Duncan in 1998.

Victor Wembanyama has been selected as a first-time NBA All-Star reserve, joining notable players for the Feb. 16 event in San Francisco.

Wembanyama becomes only the fourth Spurs player to make the All-Star Game in his first or second season. The others are Alvin Robertson in 1986, David Robinson in 1990 and 1991, and Tim Duncan in 1998

The game is scheduled to start at 10 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Fans looking to watch this NBA game can do so for free by using DirecTV Stream, which offers a free trial, or FuboTV, which also offers a free trial and $30 off your first month. SlingTV doesn’t offer a free trial but has promotional offers available.

San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama has been chosen for his first NBA All-Star Game as one of seven reserves from the Western Conference.

Tom H & Dan Devine make the case for their Western Conference All-Star starters headlined by Victor Wembanyama.

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama and Boston guard Jaylen Brown were among 14 players named on Thursday as reserves for next month's NBA All-Star Game at San Francisco.Guards and frontcourt players were named from both the Eastern and Western conferences for the February 16 event,