Knicks' Josh Hart Snubbed From East All-Star Reserves

New York Knicks star Josh Hart's long-standing wish was granted.
Jan 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jan 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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New York Knicks star Josh Hart's long-standing nightmare is over.

Hart's name did not appear on the list of Eastern Conference reserves for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, a list completely devoid of Knicks as Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns prepare to make their debuts in the exhibition's starting five.

Set to join Brunson and Towns in San Francisco on the Eastern side are Jaylen Brown (Boston), Cade Cunningham (Detroit), Darius Garland (Cleveland), Tyler Herro (Miami), Damian Lillard (Milwaukee), Evan Mobley (Cleveland), and Pascal Siakam (Indiana). The reserves for the All-Star Game were chosen by conference coaches who could not vote for their own men.

Though fellow New York starters OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges were also on the ballot, many believed that Hart's career-best season would catapult him into the All-Star discussion.

Hart is averaging 13.9 points and 9.7 rebounds and has gained a gritty reputation for going after loose balls and making physical plays, one that would overcome the relatively pedestrian conventional numbers. All that and more left an impression on those voting for the starters, as he placed 11th overall in the final tally.

Hart, however, frequently spoke out against his own candidacy despite his efforts partly guiding the Knicks to the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

“I don’t [pay much attention to it],” Hart said of his placement among All-Star starters, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “I mean, it’s cool, and if I was ever able to get to something like that, it would obviously be an honor — but that’s not for a guy like me, man.”

That didn't stop Hart's teammates from campaigning. Karl-Anthony Towns, for example, sought to run his week off by advocating for the "heart and soul" of the Knicks to join him and Brunson in the Bay Area.

Barring injury, however, it appears that the only other New Yorker joining the starting duo is Westchester's Moses Brown, who will partake in the G League's Up Next Game that will be staged hours before the main event on Feb. 16.

The 2025 NBA All-Star Game will be held at Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors. The exhibition will become a four-team tournament with the squads chosen by NBA on TNT personalities, as well as the winner of the Rising Stars competition earlier in the weekend.

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks