“Popularity Contest”: Wizards Star Bradley Beal Expresses Disappointment Over All-Star Snub

The biggest All-Star snub for the 2019-20 season has to be Washington Wizards’ star, Bradley Beal. At the time of selection, he averaged 28.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. But that was somehow still not deemed good enough, and he was left out.

Recently Beal made an appearance on JJ Redick’s podcast, where he addressed these snubs.

He said, “Our criteria change every couple years. Now it’s guards forwards and centers. So you got guys that are 7 feet and are guards or forwards, so it kinda knocks me out. You got Ben Simmons and other guys who are 6’9 and are listed as guards. So it’s tough that we changed the criteria of our positions.

“And it’s tough to hear when people say you had a better year than last year. I was All-Star last year and borderline All-NBA, so what’s the difference this year? It’s tough, but you keep pushing.”

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All-Star snub followed by All-NBA snub for Bradley Beal

By the end of the season, Beal’s numbers became even more ridiculous. He finished the 2019-20 season averaging 30.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. But he still missed out on an All-NBA spot. But Beal was humble and said he was expecting an All-NBA snub. However, he was left disappointed with the popularity contest for the All-Star games.

“All-NBA I kinda expected (a snub),” he said. “So that didn’t hurt as much. I was definitely surprised by All-Star. Especially when the players voted for me to start. So when you look at it, you got the fan votes and the media votes, it’s a popularity contest. I’m not going to win that game ever.”

The argument is that he didn’t make the playoffs. Many players have made it to the All-NBA teams without making it to the post-season. LeBron James and Kemba Walker did it in 2019, and Anthony Davis did it in 2017. While LeBron and AD had spectacular seasons and couldn’t afford to be overlooked, one can argue Beal had a much better season in comparison to Kemba’s 2019 season.

With this snub, he became the only player in history to average at least 30 points and 6 assists and not make an All-NBA team. It is still surprising to see Beal be so humble about it, and it is almost impossible to not feel for him.

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