Australian Ben Simmons has tweeted an eye-rolling gif after he was again overlooked for All-Star selection.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Friday (AEDT) announced Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker would join Team LeBron in place of New York Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis, who suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear.
Simmons averages more rebounds, assists, steals and blocks this season than Walker but the Hornets guard has scored an extra six points per game.
Responding to a tweet noting the statistical difference, the Melbourne-born guard-forward tweeted a gif of Stanley Hudson from the 2000s sitcom The Office rolling his eyes.
- Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) February 8, 2018
Australian centre Andrew Bogut also shared his surprise, tweeting: "Wow, Ben Simmons can't get any love."
But Phoenix Suns bench player Jared Dudley said the rookie had to pay his dues.
Many NBA players, coaches and executives believe players need to prove themselves beyond one season to warrant All-Star selection.
Inline1>
Silver had already overlooked Simmons when choosing Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic and Detroit Pistons centre Andre Drummond to replace injured duo Washington Wizards guard John Wall and Cleveland Cavaliers forward-centre Kevin Love.
Simmons scored the third-most fan votes among Eastern Conference guards and even received an endorsement from team captain LeBron James.
But it was not enough for coaches to select the rookie in the original team for the match on February 19 (AEDT).
No rookie since Blake Griffin in 2011 has played in the annual exhibition game.
Ahead of Friday's announcement, Simmons' Philadelphia 76ers teammate Joel Embiid urged the NBA not to err by leaving the Australian out again.
"I hope they don't do the same bulls**t, the same mistake they've been doing before with the last two guys who got injured," Embiid told reporters after Simmons dropped an impressive 15 points, eight assists, six rebounds, three steals and a block in the 76ers' win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.