WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Saturday to replace injured New Orleans Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins on Team LeBron in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played Feb. 18 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
George earned his fifth All-Star selection and third in a row. In his first season with the Thunder after spending seven seasons with the Indiana Pacers, George is averaging 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.17 steals per game. He is shooting a career-high 42.6 percent from three-point range for Oklahoma City.
Cousins sustained a season-ending ruptured left Achilles tendon against the Houston Rockets on Friday. An All-Star selection for the fourth consecutive season, Cousins was voted to start and drafted to Team LeBron by captain LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Team LeBron head coach, determined by the best record in the Eastern Conference through games of Feb. 4, will select the player to replace Cousins in the starting lineup. Boston head coach Brad Stevens is ineligible to coach Team LeBron because he coached in last year's All-Star Game.
When an All-Star is unable to participate, Silver will choose a replacement from the same conference as the player who is being replaced. Cousins and George both represent the Western Conference. George received the most voting points from NBA head coaches among Western Conference players who were not selected as reserves.
