Devin Booker, Jamal Murray, Karl-Anthony Towns Receive NBA All-Star Bids
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s basketball legends Devin Booker, Jamal Murray and Karl-Anthony Towns were each selected as reserves for the 2026 NBA All-Star game, it was announced by the league on Sunday. Reserves were chosen by NBA coaches without regard to position.
The selections give the Wildcats five representatives in the 2026 All-Star game overall after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Maxey were named starters less than two weeks ago. The five all-stars are the most of any program in college basketball.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The event will feature a new U.S. vs. World format which will comprise two teams of U.S. born players and one team of international players. The three teams will each have a minimum of eight players and will compete in a round-robin tournament featuring four, 12-minute games.
Booker is an all-star for the fifth time in his 11-year NBA career. The Phoenix Suns guard is averaging 25.4 points, 6.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game this season. He is one of nine players in the league to rank inside the top 20 in both points and assists per game.
Booker was the Southeastern Conference Sixth Man of the Year during UK’s magical 2014-15 season. He averaged 10.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, while also sinking 58 3-pointers. He won four straight SEC Freshman of the Week honors and earned a league-high five overall awards. He was drafted 13th overall by the Suns in 2015.
Murray, a guard on the Denver Nuggets, earns his first all-star selection in what is his 10th NBA season. The 28-year-old is averaging a career-high 25.8 points per game on the year to go along with 7.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds, both of which are also the best marks of his career. Murray is shooting 44.7 percent from 3-point range, ranking him seventh in the league, and has helped the Nuggets to a 33-16 record.
While playing for the Wildcats during the 2016 season, Murray had a sensational freshman campaign which saw him average 20.0 points per game, the most by a UK freshman all-time. He was named an All-American and was tabbed to the All-SEC First Team. Murray’s 113 made 3-pointers stands as the second most in a single season by a Wildcat all-time.
Towns is no stranger to all-star festivities, collecting his sixth career selection this year and third-consecutive nod. The New York Knicks forward leads the NBA with 11.8 rebounds per game, while also scoring 20.0 points per contest. Towns is second in the league with 31 double-doubles in 45 games played.
The big man was a part of Kentucky’s historic 2014-15 squad which won its first 38 games en route to the Final Four. He was an All-American and the SEC Freshman of the Year, averaging 13.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He became the third UK player to be taken No. 1 overall in the NBA draft when he was picked by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2015.
Kentucky men’s basketball led all schools with 27 players on NBA Opening Day rosters ahead of the 2025-26 season. UK is represented on 21 NBA franchises with seven teams featuring multiple Wildcats.
