New York (AFP) – Turkish center Alperen Sengun of the Houston Rockets was named to replace injured Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the World Team for next week’s NBA All-Star tournament, the league announced on Sunday. NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who makes all injury replacements for the All-Star event, selected Sengun to replace Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning Most Valuable Player for reigning NBA champion and league leader Oklahoma City.
Sengun’s call-up came a day after he apologized for repeatedly calling referee Jenna Reneau a “bitch” in Houston’s 114-93 loss to Boston on Wednesday, for which he was ejected from the contest. Sengun said following Saturday’s 112-106 victory at Oklahoma City that he had apologized to Reneau just after Wednesday’s game, saying he “felt bad” about the “immature” remark and “should have known better,” adding that it would never happen again.
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Canadian star Gilgeous-Alexander has been sidelined by an abdominal strain but was voted a starter in taking his fourth All-Star selection in a row. The 75th NBA All-Star Game will be played next Sunday at Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers. Sengun was named an All-Star for the first time last year.
In his fifth NBA campaign, Sengun is averaging 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists over 44 games. Sengun has helped the Rockets to a 32-19 record, sharing fourth place in the Western Conference. In a revamped All-Star format, the World squad will face two teams of American players, USA Stars and USA Stripes, in a round-robin mini-tournament, with three 12-minute games deciding which two sides advance to the 12-minute final.
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