Former NBA Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers replaced the injured Blake Griffin in the prestigious NBA All-Star Game next weekend. The inclusion of Damian Lillard to the elite list of NBA All-Star starters was due to the announcement of the LA Clippers that veteran All-Star Blake Griffin will not be available due to injury.
According to LA Clippers, Blake Griffin would undergo right elbow surgery on Monday to remove a bacterial infection and Damian Lillard will replaced him on the Western Conference squad that will face the Eastern Conference elite All Stars next Sunday in New York.
The 24-year-old point guard Damian Lillard made his All-Star Game debut last year participating in a total of five events, the first in NBA history. Damian Lillard participated in the 2014 NBA All Star’s Rising Stars Challenge, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Shootout, Dunk Contest, and the elite NBA All Star Game.
Damian Lillard will join his teammate LaMarcus Aldridge, who also takes injured Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant spot. Blake Griffin and Kobe Bryant were voted into opening-game roles by global fan balloting.
West All-Stars head coach who worked with the Golden State Warriors, coach Steve Kerr decided to put Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge as replacement to his injured wards.
The West All-Star Team composed of Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Stephen Curry, Marc Gasol and Anthony Davis will go up against the East All-Start Team composed of John Wall, Kyle Lowry, LeBron James, Pau Gasol and Carmelo Anthony.
