Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers is having a strong season, but he was not selected for the All-Star team initially.
However, on Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that Leonard would be added to the U.S. player pool for the All-Star Game.
This year’s All-Star Game will feature a new format, with two teams made up of U.S. players and one team of international players competing in a round-robin tournament.
Leonard averaged 27.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists over 36 games this season, even though he was initially omitted from the roster.
As reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, Leonard’s inclusion brings the total number of U.S. players to 16, meeting the minimum requirement for the new format.