DeAndre Jordan is (probably) just like you: He didn’t think he was going to be an All-Star this year, either. The Los Angeles Clippers big man was so sure he would be left off the Western Conference roster he booked a trip to Hawaii.
Here’s Jordan dropping the details to The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears:
So you didn’t think you would be selected as an All-Star?
After practice on Thursday, I had my trip to Hawaii ready to go. I was superexcited about it. I was waiting for this one last little thing [All-Star announcement]. I was leaving at 6 in the morning [of Feb. 16] and was ready to rock. Someone texted me and said, ‘Hey, you got to cancel that trip to Hawaii.’ I was like, ‘No, this is done. This is set. What’s up?’
I was thinking that they would have known at practice if I made it or not. They didn’t say nothing at practice, so I was like, ‘Cool, I didn’t make it. I’m about to set my trip up.’
To Jordan’s credit, he certainly deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the NBA’s other premier bigs. He has turned into a viable defensive cornerstone and is among the most devastating pick-and-roll rim-rockers in the league.
But he is by no means more complete of a player than Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, both of whom arguably deserved to appear in New Orleans’ Feb. 19 showcase more than Los Angeles’ tower.
Coaches reward experience, though and DeAndre Jordan has been in the league for nine years, more than twice as long as Gobert and almost a decade longer than Towns. Plus, he’s placed among the most notable snubs in the past. Looking at his entire body of work, he has certainly earned the right to get this opportunity, even if there are other players who better fit the All-Star mold.
