Pascal Siakam has been named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve despite the Indiana Pacers’ 13–37 record.
From last year’s NBA Finals appearance to the second-worst record in the league, the fall has been rapid. An incredibly unfortunate set of circumstances—most notably Tyrese Haliburton’s injury in Game 7 of the Finals—led to the Pacers’ collapse in just a few months. This season has effectively been written off, as they have not been part of any competitive picture from the very start.
Still, one player continues to perform at a high level, fully in line with his reputation. That player is Pascal Siakam, a former NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors. This season, Siakam is averaging 23.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.1 steals, while shooting 48.5% from the field and 38.1% from three-point range.
The NBA All-Star Starters & Reserves!
— NBA (@NBA) February 1, 2026
The three rosters for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game will be announced Tuesday (2/3) at 7:00pm/et on Peacock. pic.twitter.com/AyWd7v1TtI
Claim Now Those numbers earned him an All-Star selection in the Eastern Conference this season, where he was named as a reserve. In doing so, he also matched a negative record.
Namely, Siakam became an All-Star despite his team’s dreadful record—the worst team record for an All-Star selection since Kobe Bryant’s final season in 2016, when the Lakers were 9–44 at the time. It is well known that team success usually plays a role in All-Star selections, but this time individual performance clearly tipped the scales in Siakam’s favor.
As for Kobe Bryant, it is well documented that during his final seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers he did not have a particularly competitive or high-quality roster around him. That last season stands out in particular, as the Lakers set a franchise-worst record with a 17–65 finish. Bryant averaged 17.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists that season, while shooting 35.8% from the field. It is clear that his iconic status, name recognition, and farewell season played a major role in his All-Star selection.
We have covered some of the players who had strong arguments to make this year’s All-Star team in a separate article. One especially interesting case comes from the Western Conference, where the current comparison involves Alperen Sengun—who was not selected—and Chet Holmgren. In the Eastern Conference, notable names include Michael Porter Jr., Joel Embiid, and Brandon Ingram.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, February 15, 2026, in Los Angeles, California, at the Intuit Dome, home of the LA Clippers.
Pascal Siakam was selected to the All-Star game despite the Pacers having a 13-36 record
— Underdog (@Underdog) February 2, 2026
That's the worst team record for an All-Star selection since Kobe Bryant's final season in 2016 (Lakers were 9-44) pic.twitter.com/xbySmA0GIa
