No All-Star game for China NBA favourite Klay Thompson
- Golden State Warriors star finishes ninth on fan vote for guards in West but only gets one player vote and none from media
- The 31-year-old has not played since 2019 NBA Finals loss to Toronto Raptors
China fan favourite Klay Thompson has missed out on the NBA All-Star Game after the league confirmed the starters for next month’s controversial celebration in Atlanta.
Thompson finished ninth in Western Conference guards on the fan vote, amassing more than 335,000 votes, despite not playing since the NBA Finals in June, 2019.
However, the media and player votes – which accounted for 25 per cent each compared to 50 per cent for the fans – saw him miss out on a return to the court for the first time since the Golden State Warriors lost those finals to the Toronto Raptors.
Thompson, who is set to miss all of this season with a torn Achilles tendon, was on a list of NBA stars to get exactly one player vote. Players are allowed to vote for themselves. He received no media votes from the 100 media ballots.
Nonetheless, Thompson finished 18th overall among guards in the West, proving his enduring popularity.
