The 2025 NBA All-Star Game will feature numerous familiar names as the league tries out a new format in an effort to increase competitiveness and general interest. However, it will also feature some new names, players who have never before been named an NBA All-Star. It’s really exciting to see those guys step onto the floor for the first time as they cement their place in basketball history alongside some of the greatest to ever play the game. For many, that’s the best part of the whole weekend—watching first-time All-Stars ball out after earning their spot amongst their contemporaries.
This year’s crop of first-time All-Stars is large, with six fresh faces joining the crop of annual attendees. It’s an entertaining bunch, headlined by the one and only Victor Wembanyama, the 21-year-old San Antonio Spurs star. Here’s what you need to know about these first-time All-Stars as they embark upon their inaugural All-Star journeys.
Victor Wembanyama
Despite this being his first All-Star nod, Wembanyama needs little introduction. The 7' 3" French sensation has taken a big leap in his second season to earn his first appearance in the All-Star Game. Wembanyama took the league by storm in his rookie season with the Spurs, but he was clearly getting acclimated to the speed and physicality of the NBA game. It is safe to say he’s now acclimated—and only getting better.
Wembanyama has upped nearly all his counting stats, scoring 24.4 points per game to go along with 11.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest. He’s increased his attempts from three-point land to 8.8 tries per game while also improving his efficiency, hitting 35.5% from beyond the arc after hitting 32.5% as a rookie. Defensively, however, is where Wembanyama is transforming into a monster before our very eyes. The Spurs superstar is blocking 3.9 shots per game, which leads the league by a massive margin over second-place Walker Kessler and his 2.3 blocks per contest. And that number doesn’t account for the shots Wemby alters; his 8-foot wingspan often dissuades opponents from even trying to take a shot when he’s anywhere nearby.
There’s still room for Wembanyama to grow as an offensive force, but he has already become a paradigm-shifting player, a talent who completely transforms the geometry of the court in the way only the greatest do. It will be fun to see how he complements the other top players in the league during the All-Star Game.
Cade Cunningham
Cunningham was a hyped prospect when he was selected first in the 2021 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. His career went off the rails for a while, though. Cunningham put forth a strong first season, but then he missed almost all of his second season after undergoing shin surgery. His third season was plagued by dysfunction within the Pistons organization as they set an NBA record for most consecutive losses en route to a 17–65 finish. Finally, though, Cunningham is shining in his fourth year buoyed by good health, more shotmaking around him and a leap in his overall caliber of play that felt like a long time coming.
The former Oklahoma State star is putting up 25.5 points and 9.5 assists per game, one of only four players averaging more than 20 points and nine assists this season alongside fellow All-Stars LeBron James, Nikola Jokić and Trae Young—not bad company. He’s putting up those numbers on career-high efficiency, posting his best true shooting and effective field goal percentages so far. Above all, Cunningham simply knows how to control the game now with his physicality. He knows his spots and will get to them no matter what.
Watching a player come fully into his own after years of struggle is always a gratifying experience. And, against all expectations, the Pistons are vying for a playoff spot in the East. It was a great first half for Cunningham.
Jalen Williams
The Oklahoma City Thunder are ripping through the NBA regular season, entering the All-Star break with a 44–10 record, and Williams is a huge part of the reason why. He’s turned into an upper-echelon No. 2 offensive option for the Thunder, playing well off MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; Williams is putting up career-high numbers in points (21.0), rebounds (5.5) and assists (5.1) per game. Whether he’s attacking off the dribble or in the pick-and-roll, spotting up or even acting as the roll man, Williams can do it all for a Thunder team that lacks offensive creation at times.
Williams’s defensive versatility has been equally as valuable. On a team full of fierce defenders, the third-year man out of Santa Clara is one of the best; opponents shoot 5% worse on field goal attempts with Williams guarding them, which ranks third among Thunder rotation players. He’s even been asked to play center for long stretches standing at only 6' 5" and the Thunder have dominated in those stretches. The team’s most-used lineup with Williams at the five has a net rating of 33.5 in 58 minutes on the court.
Williams has turned himself into a jack-of-all-trades type in his third NBA season—but instead of just being good in a lot of areas, he’s great. The Thunder’s excellence deserves plenty of All-Star recognition and Williams earned his spot this year.
Alperen Şengün
The Houston Rockets have arguably been the surprise of the 2024–25 NBA season, standing in fourth place in the West entering the All-Star break with a 34–21 record. It’s been a collective effort as the young talent littering Houston’s roster have all taken steps forward, but Şengün has been the most impressive statistically. The Turkish center is averaging a double double, posting 18.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while operating almost entirely inside the arc, a rarity these days.
Despite being fairly ground-bound for an NBA athlete, Şengün is a blast to watch. His post moves are funky, innovative and don’t really seem like they should work, yet the ball goes into the basket anyway. His creativity in the paint is reminiscent of another European big in Jokić. Şengün has a long way to go before he can keep pace with the three-time MVP, of course, but there are similarities in how they create space to get a shot off despite being outmatched in terms of vertical more often than not.
Şengün was actually slightly better statistically last season but his all-around game has improved dramatically in his second year under coach Ime Udoka, as he’s learned to maximize his defensive impact through positioning. His All-Star selection is a nice nod of recognition to that and the Rockets’ return to winning ways.
Evan Mobley
The Cleveland Cavaliers started off the season comically dominant and, while they’ve slowed down a bit since that scalding start, they enter the All-Star break on pace to win 60 games. Their efforts have been rewarded with three All-Star selections, with Mobley joining his high-scoring backcourt for the first time.
The third pick in the 2021 NBA draft, Mobley has thrived after the Cavs changed coaches from J.B. Bickerstaff to Kenny Atkinson. The USC product was a monster defensively the moment he entered the league and has continued on that track this season. Mobley is blocking 1.5 shots per game and opponents are shooting 4.1% below their average when guarded by the 7-footer. To round out his All-Star case, though, Mobley had to get better on the other side of the ball, and he absolutely has. He’s averaging a career-high 18.5 points per game on the best true shooting percentage of his career by a long shot. His improvement on that end has been of great benefit to his team; Mobley leads his teammates in net rating at 14.6.
Mobley is only 23 years old and already ranks as one of the more impactful two-way bigs in the league. His All-Star selection only proves as much.
Tyler Herro
Perhaps a bit lost amid the ridiculous drama of the Jimmy Butler saga in Miami, Herro has put forth a tremendous effort in his sixth NBA season. The former Kentucky guard is averaging a cool 23.9 points per game along with 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per contest on quality shooting splits; Herro boasts a true shooting percentage of 60.6% despite an uptick in three-point attempts per game and a slightly increased usage rating.
The Heat have really needed him, too. The roster offered very little offensive creation when Butler was holding out and even now in the aftermath of the trade Herro is one of the few who can go out there and make something happen. He ranks 11th in the entire NBA in total pick-and-rolls run while scoring 0.94 points per possession.
Herro is an archetype we’ve seen before—a sweet-shooting two-guard who can get a bucket from anywhere. This year, though, he’s been tasked with more offensive responsibility and handled it well, increasing his offensive output despite having fewer threats around him than ever. It’s a weird season in Miami but Herro’s growth has been an undeniable bright spot.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Youth Movement: Meet the Six First-Time NBA All-Stars.
