Jayhawks Embiid, Wiggins to start Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game: ‘Pretty cool,’ Self says
Kansas is the only college basketball program that will be represented by two starters in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game Sunday night in Cleveland.
Five-time All-Star Joel Embiid, who is having an MVP-type season with the Philadelphia 76ers and Andrew Wiggins, who will be participating in his first All-Star Game for Golden State in his eighth year in the league, will start for Team Durant. The one-and-done duo — they played for KU in 2013-14 — will open the game alongside Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies, Murray State) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics, Duke).
Stephen Curry (Golden State, Davidson) and DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls, USC) will be joined in the Team LeBron starting lineup by three players who did not attend college: James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic.
“It’s pretty cool. I think it is great. But it’s an all-star game so neither one will ever pass it to the other one I wouldn’t think. You’ve got to shoot it if it’s an all-star game,” KU coach Bill Self said, laughing, on Tuesday’s Hawk Talk radio show.
Counting reserves, three colleges will be represented by two players in the NBA All-Star Game: KU, Kentucky (Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns) and Texas (Kevin Durant, who will not play because of injury and Jarrett Allen).
“Joel could be MVP of the league. He is killing it,” Self said of the 7-foot Embiid, 27, who is averaging 29.3 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 45 games for Philly.
“Probably for me personally we knew Joel was going to be an All-Star before the season ever started. He is one of two of the best big men in the world hands down. There’s nobody else even competitive with that. You can make a strong case he is the (best) but last year’s reigning MVP is pretty good, too,” Self added of Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
Wiggins, a 6-foot-7, 26-year-old member of the Warriors, is averaging 17.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 53 games.
“Jo has been there. ‘Wiggs’ … he was drafted by Cleveland then got traded (to Minnesota where he played for six seasons). He was on a team that had no chance to win for so long,” Self said.
“Even though he was good, people don’t know this: ‘Wiggs’ is averaging 20 (points) a game for his career (19.4 ppg) and he plays every game,” the KU coach continued. “He is the most durable player in the NBA for the most part because he never gets hurt. He got hurt one year and missed some games, but other than that he plays 80 to 82 games a year basically. He’s durable but doesn’t get the credit.”
Added Self: “It’s so cool he (Wiggins) is being recognized for consistency because he has been a very consistent, big-time pro. But you don’t talk about guys that average 20. You talk about guys that average 25. He is kind of like the tortoise. He just kind of runs a steady race. Now that he’s got some guys around him, we are kind of seeing how important he is to a team. I think it’s great.”
One Hawk Talk caller asked Self on Tuesday if Embiid’s jersey could possibly be hung in the south rafters of Allen Fieldhouse some day, say if he’s named MVP of the NBA after this season. He has numbers that suggest he could be ticketed for future induction in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame if he can stay healthy and win an NBA title or two.
However, Embiid played just one season at KU, averaging 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds during the 2013-14 campaign.
“That is a great question. That’ll be for another coach after I’m gone,” said the 59-year-old Self, who is in his 19th season as head coach at KU. “The criteria (for jersey retirement at KU) is the criteria but as far as I’m concerned it’s not etched in stone. If Joe is MVP of the league, I think that we should probably consider (him) for potential donations for sure, to get his name up there,” Self added with a laugh.
He continued into a discussion of players who could have their jerseys hung in the fieldhouse in the future. Self reiterated past statements that Thomas Robinson, Frank Mason and Devonté Graham will be so honored with jersey retirement ceremonies in the future.
“I also think you could consider ‘Wiggs,’ you could consider Perry Ellis and I think you could consider Keith Langford,” Self said. “Keith Langford scored 1,800 points here and never made first-team (all league). Look at his career. If you beat Syracuse (in NCAA title game) he’s MVP of the Final Four. Without question that would have gotten him up (in rafters). Because a guy misses or makes a shot that’s the reason why you go up or not, I’m not buying into all that.
“There were some players from coach (Ted) Owens’ era when I first got here that weren’t up there because of criteria. Then we looked at it and said these guys (Bill Bridges, Dave Robisch, Bud Stallworth, Darnell Valentine, Walt Wesley) deserve to be up there as well. There were some players like like Bud and some other players were put up there after the fact. I think those things (considering Embiid and Wiggins) are still open for possibilities,” Self added.
The original criteria for a retired jersey, according to KU’s basketball media guide, “included KU players named college basketball player of the year, most valuable player of the NCAA Tournament or being named a four-time All-American. The list was expanded in 1997 to include Ray Evans, who holds the distinction of being an All-American in both football and basketball. The criteria was expanded prior to the 2002-03 season to include consensus first-team All-Americans, two-time first-team All-America selections and Academic All-American of the Year.”
For the past several seasons, these have been considered “guidelines” for jersey retirement, more than cut and dried requirements. For instance, in 2006, former KU broadcaster Max Falkenstien was added for his 60 years of calling Kansas basketball and football games.
Self said discussion of KU’s current NBA All-Stars and past greats can be used in recruiting.
“We’ll mention it,” Self said. “Recruiting is different now. We signed four kids (Gradey Dick, Zuby Ejiofor, MJ Rice, Ernest Udeh) early so as of right now we’re kind of done. We know things will break later on, but when it breaks later on you’ll probably go to the (transfer) portal. You don’t even know who those kids (potential transfers) are yet. That’s more for the underclassmen we are selling that to. Of course we are doing that,” he added of mentioning the accomplishments of Embiid, Wiggins and others in recruiting.
This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 7:54 PM.
