In a surprising twist that has fans buzzing, Houston Rockets’ standout player Alperen Sengun has been named as a last-minute replacement for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at this year’s NBA All-Star Game. This exciting announcement came on Sunday, February 8, 2026, and marks a significant milestone for Sengun, who now becomes the first Turkish player to earn All-Star honors twice, having also received this accolade last season.
Sengun will step in for Gilgeous-Alexander on the World team, set to compete in this highly anticipated event taking place on February 15 at the home court of the LA Clippers in Inglewood, California.
The reason for Gilgeous-Alexander's withdrawal stems from a strained abdominal muscle, which unfortunately prevents him from participating. This season, Sengun has been delivering impressive performances, averaging 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game for the Rockets—a feat that undoubtedly contributed to his selection.
It’s worth noting that the process of selecting All-Star replacements is overseen by NBA commissioner Adam Silver. While the initial ten All-Stars are chosen through a combination of fan, media, and player voting, the 14 reserve players are decided by the votes of the league's head coaches. Last week, Silver also included Kawhi Leonard from the Clippers to the All-Star roster, ensuring that the new U.S. versus World format had an adequate representation of 16 U.S. players, each team needing at least eight members.
For this year’s event, there will be two teams representing the U.S. and one team from the World, all competing in a round-robin format. The top two teams will face off in the All-Star final, with each game lasting 12 minutes—equivalent to one standard NBA quarter.
Sengun joins an elite group as he is only the second player from Turkey to achieve All-Star status, following Mehmet Okur, who made his only All-Star appearance back in 2007.
What do you think about Sengun’s selection? Are you surprised by Gilgeous-Alexander’s injury? Join the conversation and share your thoughts!
