The Detroit Pistons will be sending multiple players to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2008
When Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren woke up yesterday, he knew that the final roster spots for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game would be announced. JD did not know when he’d find out if he was headed to All-Star Weekend, but he knew Sunday would be an important day.
Duren could feel it. Then Duren was reminded of the occasion.
Repeatedly.
“I could say I tried to, like, not think about it, but it's hard, bro,” Duren recalled. “I mean, everybody's mentioning it. Everybody's kind of giving me that smirk, like, you know what today is? And I'm like, let's win the game and get this done and then we’ll talk about it.”
But during the first quarter against the Nets, the secret was let out of the bag: Jalen Duren was officially named an NBA All-Star.
“It was tough because I'm trying to focus on the game, but I didn't really want to know it until the end,” Duren said. “But, I mean, it's a blessing, man. Like I said, it's hard not to smile. It's hard not to be happy.”
In Detroit, Duren is surrounded by a group of players, coaches and fans that are all crossing their fingers to see JD succeed. Now in his fourth year with the Pistons, Duren’s personality has endeared him to the community, and everyone surrounding the organization was rooting for the big man to make his first career All-Star squad.
This season, Duren is averaging 18 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, so the impact that JD has had on the Pistons’ rise to success has been plain for anyone to see. But according to the fourth-year center out of Memphis, the Motown community has been just as important to the Pistons’ success, and he’d like to keep giving Detroit supporters something to cheer for.
“Man, I want to do even more for the city,” Duren said. “The city, like you said, they've been supporting me. They've been supporting the whole group, the whole organization through the ups, the downs and to be able to bring another All-Star back to the city is great. I mean, they deserve it, the fans. I like feel we’ve got the best fans in the league by far. They come out every night, no matter the weather, the game or what– they show up and they show love. So, they deserve everything that they get.”
When Duren arrives at All-Star Weekend this year, he’ll have a couple familiar faces to keep him company in Cade Cunningham and J.B. Bickerstaff. Of course, Cunningham was named as a starter for the All-Star Game, and JB earned the right to coach one of the squads since the Pistons are in first place of the Eastern Conference. But since the Team USA squads have not been announced yet, it is uncertain if Bickerstaff will be coaching one or two of his players– or even coaching against Cunningham and Duren.
In any event, Duren is glad to have a few of his guys with him for a gathering of the NBA’s greatest stars.
“It shows the respect and the growth of our team, where we're headed,” Duren said. “Obviously, J.B., being the coach at the All-Star game’s huge. Cade being a starter. I mean, it just shows the development and that, like you can see, the league is starting to take notice of what we're doing.”
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is slated for Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 pm.
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