First-Time Starters Trae Young and Pascal Siakam Care About the NBA All-Star Game Even if You Don't

By Stephen Douglas | Jan 23 2020

Atlanta Hawks v Toronto Raptors | Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

Trae Young and Pascal Siakam were named starters for the Eastern Conference All-Star Team on Thursday. It will be the first All-Star Game for both players who took drastically different paths to this point. Both guys were captured on video as they learned they had been named starters. Siakam was super happy, and Young was overcome with emotion.

.@raptors @pskills43 gets surprised by his brother and Coach Nick Nurse as he finds out he’s a starter for the #NBAAllStar Game! pic.twitter.com/OQJHvJQU8a
— NBA (@NBA) January 24, 2020

Trae Young got emotional after hearing he was named an All-Star starter ?

(via @goodysav) pic.twitter.com/3plfAeZ594
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 24, 2020

While some veterans are happy to skip the game to rest, this is an excellent reminder that the All-Star game means something to most players. Especially the young guys. We can debate it all we want, but for Siakam and Young, this is confirmation of their place as two of the best players in the NBA.