Kawhi Leonard is famous for so many things outside of his balling abilities. The infamous laugh, one-word responses in interviews, emotionless appearance on the bench, and many more. But one thing he isn’t famous for is stirring controversy in front of camera. Last night, the Terminator did exactly that. Speaking after the comprehensive win over the Bucks, the star forward accused the league of unfair handling of the All-Star selection.

Several months back, the Clippers’ roster was stacked with plenty of All-Star players like James Harden, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and Leonard. And, fast forward to the current season, the team played the first half with only one All-Star, the Beard who made his last All-Star appearance in 2022. Despite the lack of star power, the team has continued to impress the league with its efforts.

James Harden, who has improved his offensive contribution on-demand this season, has averaged 21.7 ppg with 8.3 apg. Truly an All-Star-worthy performance. On the other hand, Norman Powell is playing through a career-high season, averaging 23.9 ppg, one point above Stephen Curry. Along with an incredibly better shooting percentage of 49% FG and 43.1% 3FG while Curry held only 44.3% and 40.3%.

Looking at the numbers, it is undoubtedly a snub, and the reporter wanted it to hear if Kawhi Leonard felt the same. In the most shocking way, the 2x NBA Champ didn’t hesitate to speak his mind. He said, “Been playing great all year. It’s a lot of politics in it. So we’ll see what happens. I’m not sure if they’re gonna give us two players. You know how that goes. Hopefully, they do. They’ve been playing at a high level.”

While technically the league has very little role in determining the final starters for the All-Stars, as the majority of the voting is done by the fans, Leonard’s accusation is clearly questionable.

Going by Kawhi Leonard’s words, can the league affect the All-Star selection?

Before we examine how the league can influence All-Star selection, let’s look how the players are actually selected. As we all know, weeks before the grand event, the league asks fans to vote for their favorite player through expansive advertisements. After three rounds of voting, the league finally shortlists the players.

On the other hand, two other parties, players and media, also play a part in the voting system. While fans account for 50% of the votes, players and media take 25% each. Moreover, it’s not that James Harden and Norman Powell got snubbed in the latest selection. There are plenty of surprising snubs like Victor Wembanyama and LaMelo Ball. Well, looking at the way the votes are calculated, a huge chance behind a player’s selection depends on how well he has captured the fans’ hearts. Of course, their performance plays a huge role in it.

In some cases, a few players miss out despite posting better numbers. Anyway, coming back to the subject. Let’s find out how the league can influence the All-Star selection. It’s simple. So, whenever an All-Star starter is injured or unavailable, the NBA Commissioner can name a replacement to maintain the balance.