Devin Booker suggests expanding All-Star rosters after snub: Suns guard says ‘The more talent, the better’

The full list of NBA All-Stars were announced on Thursday, and only 24 deserving players made the cut. That left many big-name stars left on the outside looking in when All-Star weekend begins in a few weeks.

In the Eastern Conference, the two biggest snubs appeared to be the Hawks’ Trae Young and the Hornets’ LaMelo Ball, both of whom have had stellar seasons. Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, there were many first-time All-Stars, but that left out players like Kyrie Irving of the Mavericks and Norman Powell of the Clippers.

Suns’ star Devin Booker also missed the cut, leading the guard to speak out about the entire process. Despite being a star on a prominent Suns team, Booker only has four All-Star selections in his 10-year career.

Here’s what Booker had to say about All-Star voting.

SN’s NBA HQ: Live NBA scores | Updated NBA standings | Full NBA schedule

Devin Booker All-Star comments

Suns guard Devin Booker is averaging at least 24.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists a games for the eighth-straight season, but he’s only made the All-Star game in for of those seasons. On Thursday night, Booker had some strong comments about how the All-Star process unfolded. 

“It was always a goal of mine [to be an All-Star], but it just reproves the point that the NBA is different than the game that I fell in love with at the beginning — of all the best players in the All-Star game — growing up watching that,” Booker said, via Bleacher Report. “And now it’s an entertainment-, drama-, political-filled league.”

The Western Conference All-Stars especially look different than usual, as first-timers Alperen Sengun and Jalen Williams, along with second-timer Jaren Jackson Jr., made the team over some other big name players. Booker believes that the 24 spots aren’t enough to showcase all the talent in the league.

“I think there’s enough talented guys out here that are deserving,” Booker said on Friday, via ESPN. “I mean, you look at Kyrie, Norman Powell, those guys are having unbelievable, efficient years and winning games. And on the East, I’m sure there’s guys too like Trae and LaMelo that are just putting up unheard-of numbers. So the more talent in there, the better I think.”

The NBA has continued to change the rules of All-Star weekend to try and make it more interesting, so the idea of expanding the rosters is something that could come into play in the near future.

NBA All-Star rosters

Eastern conference

Western Conference