Tyrese Maxey is officially a starter in the 2026 NBA All Star Game as Sixers fans await the inevitable Joel Embiid snub

ESPN dropped the 2026 NBA All-Star starters, and for once, they nailed it. Tyrese Maxey is officially an Eastern Conference All-Star starter.

There was a brief moment during fan voting when Knicks fans realized Jalen Brunson was trailing Maxey. That is when they suddenly remembered voting exists and tried to rally the troops.

Thankfully, it was too little, too late. Just like the Knicks’ starting five in their last three playoff runs, the fan base ran out of gas when it mattered. Tyrese Maxey beat Brunson in both fan voting and overall voting.

What the entire voting process also makes painfully obvious is that defense barely matters, if it matters at all. Anyone who has watched a single Knicks game this season knows Brunson is one of the worst defenders in the league.

Some metrics have him in the first percentile defensively, so you cannot even chalk that up to Philly bias. The tape and the numbers agree.

Anyways, once the starters are announced, the NBA conversation predictably flips to its favorite tradition by pointlessly debating who got snubbed.

We all witnessed it last year when Trae Young tried to rebrand the word as getting “Traed.” He literally apologized to his fans instead of looking in the mirror and realizing that hijacking an entire offense and firing up bad shots is not the way to earn votes.

Even then, Young still ended up making the team as an injury replacement for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Meanwhile, Maxey was actually snubbed while averaging 27.1 points per game. The excuse was the Sixers’ record. Apparently Maxey was supposed to average 15 assists per game on an injury-riddled roster that could not make a basic layup, while also scoring 50 every night, just to qualify.

Totally reasonable standards…

Tyrese Maxey is officially a starter in the 2026 NBA All Star Game

he's arrived. #NBAAllStar 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙀𝙍: Tyrese Maxey ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/9Aw5mls3Vb

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 19, 2026

2026 NBA All Star Game Starters:

WEST

• Luka Dončić
• Nikola Jokić
• Stephen Curry
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• Victor Wembanyama

EAST

• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Jalen Brunson
• Tyrese Maxey
• Cade Cunningham
• Jaylen Brown

Since Tyrese Maxey no longer needs defending because the league finally recognizes him, it is time to address the elephant in the room.

As we say here at The Liberty Line, “They Hate The Process” and if you’ve been paying attention, you should know that already.

No Love For Joel Embiid…

Joel Embiid finished 14th in Eastern Conference NBA All-Star Game fan voting and 17th in player voting. The Sixers center didn't receive any media votes.

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 19, 2026

Embiid sitting around 15th in the final All-Star results is ridiculous. I will even admit that I let the narrative surrounding Embiid poison my brain earlier this season, and now I am making efforts to make amends.

Once he got a few games under his belt, it became blatantly obvious that Joel Embiid is still one of the best centers in basketball. And because I absolutely cannot stand Knicks fans or their organization, let’s talk about OG Anunoby, who somehow finished 13th in the voting.

Embiid is averaging 24 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. Anunoby is at 16 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. Joel Embiid is better in every single category. So how exactly is Anunoby ranked higher?

The lazy counter is that Embiid is no longer in his “prime.” That does not mean he is bad. It does not mean he is less impactful than half the players ahead of him.

The funniest part is that many of the same people pointing to Embiid only playing 22 games are also complaining that LeBron James was snubbed, even though LeBron has played only two more games than Embiid this season.

You cannot have it both ways.

If you are arguing for LeBron, you should be arguing for Embiid too. Both are still elite players and neither are at their absolute peak anymore.

For now, Sixers fans can at least enjoy seeing Maxey take the floor as a starter in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, February 15th. It is deserved and long overdue. Hopefully, this is the final turning point for how the league views him.

As for Embiid, hopefully he makes the final roster as well. Or, given his injury history, maybe the smartest move is skipping a meaningless exhibition entirely.

Either way, the message is clear. Tyrese Maxey has arrived, the disrespect toward Embiid is still alive, and Knicks fans are still mad about both.

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