Wake Forest Athletics
Trio Of Former Deacons Named NBA All-Stars
1/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Scott Wortman, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@TieDyeNation)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Former Wake Forest All-Americans Tim Duncan, Chris Paul and Jeff Teague were selected to play in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game, as announced by the league on Thursday evening.
With three alums named as All-Stars, Wake Forest will be the most-represented college at the 2015 event. Kentucky, Marquette and Texas are the only other schools with multiple All-Stars, each having two selections apiece. The Demon Deacons have three of the five former ACC players slated to participate in this year's All-Star Game (Duke's Kyrie Irving and Georgia Tech's Chris Bosh).
For Duncan, this marks his 15th all-time selection to the All-Star Game. A five-time NBA champion, Duncan is just the fifth player in NBA history to be named an All-Star 15 or more times, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19), Kobe Bryant (17), Shaquille O'Neal (15) and Kevin Garnett (15).
Duncan is averaging 14.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists for the San Antonio Spurs this season. He is currently tied for 10th in the league with 22 double-doubles and is one of just two players averaging 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists (DeMarcus Cousins).
Paul will be making his eighth All-Star Game appearance. The 2013 All-Star Game MVP, Paul owns the highest assist average in All-Star Game history with an average of 12.5 per game.
Paul is averaging 17.5 points, 9.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game for the Los Angeles Clippers this season. He leads the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio and ranks third in the league in assists, seventh in steals and seventh in free throw percentage this season.
This marks Teague's first-ever All-Star Game selection. The sixth-year point guard is having a breakout season as his Atlanta Hawks currently hold the best record (38-8) in the Eastern Conference. Teague will be joined by teammates Al Horford and Paul Millsap in the All-Star Game.
Teague is averaging 17.0 points, 7.5 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game this season. He ranks sixth in the NBA in assists, 11th in steals, 14th in free throw percentage, 15th in assist-turnover ratio and 36th in scoring.
The 2015 All-Star Game is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 15, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The game will be televised by TNT.
Wake Forest currently has six former Deacons playing in the NBA. In addition to its three All-Stars, Wake Forest also boasts fifth-year forward Al-Farouq Aminu (Dallas Mavericks), sixth-year forward James Johnson (Toronto Raptors) and fifth-year point guard Ishmael Smith (Oklahoma City Thunder).
