It’s that time of the year when players from around the NBA are chosen to return to another All-Star game or become one for the first time. For some, this is a defining moment that can change the trajectory of a career, while others see it as just another meaningless statistic.
Regardless of what you think, the 2025-26 season is shaping up to be one with numerous first-timers in the annual event, with some players looking to shut down past narratives and secure their spot on the coveted All-Star roster.
Players from across the association are making cases for a nod. Let’s look at a few potential first-timers with the most interesting stories heading into the All-Star break.
Jamal Murray – Denver Nuggets
The Kitchener native has been on the cusp of his first All-Star game for almost his entire career. Playing alongside one of the best players in league history may be limiting his opportunity, but there have been countless teams in NBA history with two or even three players to make the game. Murray’s been a fringe 20-point-per-game scorer since 2020, and in a stacked Western Conference, it makes sense that the Nuggets only ever saw one All-Star from their team.
This season has seen Murray take a huge leap in his scoring, going from 21 to 26 points per game, along with a career-high 7.3 assists. Not to mention, he’s having the most efficient season of his career, shooting 49 per cent from the field and 44 per cent from beyond the arc. With Nikola Jokić missing time since the end of 2025 with a knee injury, Murray has stepped up big time in his absence. The Nuggets are still competing for a top spot in the West and it’s all thanks to Murray’s ability to run the offence.
Some of his best games so far this season include a 52-point, six-rebound masterclass versus the Pacers on Dec. 3, where he shot an outrageous 10/11 from three. On Oct. 27 in Minnesota, he torched the Timberwolves for 43 points and six rebounds, securing the road win.
He recently sustained a hamstring injury, but barring anything extreme, Murray’s trajectory towards his first All-Star game is looking more likely.
Norman Powell – Miami Heat
If you told an NBA fan two years ago that Norman Powell would be leading his team to the playoffs and scoring 24 points per game, they’d probably think you’re crazy. The Jamaican national player is having one of the most fascinating career arcs of all time, and it’s even led him to receiving serious all-star consideration heading into the break. Powell’s scoring prowess is undeniable, and in a relatively weaker Eastern Conference this year, he’s proven to be the team’s go-to scoring option down the stretch.
The Heat may not be the title contenders they were just some years ago, but All-Star spots need to be filled, and Heat fans seem to love Powell’s ascension into a very solid NBA player. Especially with Bam Adebayo’s recent stagnation over the past two years and Tyler Herro’s inability to stay healthy, it’s almost inevitable that Powell will at least reach one All-Star game as a member of the Heat.
His game log may not be the prettiest in terms of balance in scoring and assisting, but you can’t deny his ability to hit clutch shots. In crunch time, Powell has willed the Heat to some improbable wins over the course of this season, further cementing himself as one of the league’s best scorers in the clutch.
It will definitely be interesting to see Powell in an All-Star jersey if he does make the game. His arc from role player to team leader has been quite the storyline and one that adds another layer of entertainment to an event that is dying by the year.
Franz Wagner – Orlando Magic
After Orlando’s immense improvement over the past few seasons, the organization and fans were bewildered when young superstar Paolo Banchero’s game completely plateaued in 2025-26. In his shadow was German wing Franz Wagner, who has overtaken Banchero as the team’s top scorer. Wagner’s time spent on the court has been limited so far this season, but when he has been on the court, there’s been clear signs of improvement from previous years.
Depending on what voters value more, Wagner has a real shot of making the All-Star team. Banchero does still carry much of the offensive burden, but Wagner’s efficiency from beyond the arc compared to his teammate is glaring.
This section may be a comparison of the two Magic players, but Banchero’s fall off from where he was just a year ago is staggering. It left a bad taste in the mouth of Magic fans, and the organization is turning toward Wagner to help bring this team back to playoff contention.
The only thing holding Wagner back from getting the nod would be his questionable injury status. He missed a large portion of December and has now been on the shelf since Jan. 18.
It’s an interesting situation in Orlando, and to see who or if they get an All-Star will be one up for many debates.
Jalen Johnson – Atlanta Hawks
Talk about a come up, Jalen Johnson’s 2025-26 season has been nothing short of spectacular. A 6’8” wing with guard-like skills, vision and athleticism with the numbers to match, what isn’t there to like about him? 23 points per game, eight assists and 10.3 rebounds have All-Star, and even All-NBA, written all over it. Unfortunately for Johnson, he’s on one of the most irrelevant and subpar teams in the entire league.
With all the Trae Young drama and roster movement within the franchise, the Hawks suffer from play-in syndrome along with the Bulls and the Heat. When nobody votes you in because you’re not the most popular and your team is boring, you aren’t the luckiest.
Highlight dunks and flashy passes are common plays in each game for Johnson and now as the best player on the team, casual fans will soon be forced to open their eyes to one of the most skilled players in today’s game.
Whether he makes it this year or not, future All-Star games will almost certainly feature the Duke product.
Derrick White – Boston Celtics
If you consider the disrespect the Boston Celtics received before the start of the season, their entire team deserves an All-Star nod. With Jaylen Brown already cemented as a starter for the game, Derrick White comes to mind as a deserving second man on the Celtics to make the event. White started off the season in a bit of a slump, shooting poorly from three and around the rim.
Since mid-November, he’s become one of the league’s best two-way guards — if he already wasn’t one before.
We’re used to seeing the sharpshooting pesky defender light up opposing teams with timely buckets and backstabbing threes, but this year, White has turned it up a whole new notch on the defensive side of the ball. As of Jan. 25, the Celtics have the fifth-ranked defence and are holding teams to the lowest points per game in the entire league. It’s most certainly a team effort, but White’s name has been thrown around for defensive player of the year numerous times by analysts and players alike.
He has already established himself as the best shot blocking guard since Dwyane Wade, and if the Celtics keep up this level of defensive intensity with White at the helm, it will be no shock if he ends up in the final three nominees for the DPOY award.
He’s accumulated an astounding 21 games so far with over two blocks. That’s just under half his games played so far, with over two blocks as a guard. Not to mention, he tied an NBA record for seven blocks by a guard against the Jazz on Dec 30.
Say what you want about the Celtics and their history with multiple All-Stars, but White has put together a more than worthy campaign to make the roster loaded with guard talent like Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham and Tyrese Maxey.