Announced on January 31, Damian Lillard will represent the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. The game will take place on February 17 in Charlotte.
This selection marks Lillard’s fourth All-Star appearance. He previously participated in the event in 2014, 2015, and 2018. In past years, there were questions over whether he would make the team, but this season the honor seemed all but a foregone conclusion.
Trail Blazers beat writer, Casey Holdahl, based this certainty on his heightened status in the league following his All-NBA First Team selection the year before:
“But no such debate exists this year… leading the Trail Blazers to yet another better-than-expected first-half performance and perhaps a bump in status after making First-Team All-NBA last season, Lillard seemed to be all but a lock for making the 2019 All-Star Game, at least if media predictions are to be believed.