The NBA added Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade to the All-Star Game because they’re legends

Neither Dirk Nowitzki nor Dwayne Wade were voted into the All-Star Game as starters. They weren’t selected as All-Star Game reserves by the coaches, either.

But NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced both Nowitzki and Wade will be “special roster additions” to the 2019 NBA All-Star Game, in honor of their career achievments. After team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo select their starters and their benches, they will choose one of either Wade or Nowitzki in a third round.

Both Wade and Nowitzki have sure fire Hall of Fame careers that are coming to an end this season. They aren’t All-Stars anymore, but they’re legends of the game and players who have left a mark on the way NBA basketball is played, forever.

It was only right for the league to find a way to include these two greats in the game. It’s the icing on the cake of two incredible basketball careers. They’re going out celebrated like the champions they are.

Who picks who? Does Giannis pick first? If he does, does he choose sabotage and pick Wade, or does he choose homage to another international great and team up with Nowitzki?

That’s the outcome that would pull at the heartstrings: LeBron picking his best friend on the planet; Antetokounmpo picking one of the greats who paved the way for guys to come to the NBA from overseas. It’s a storybook ending, one the NBA will probably have.

But what if it’s Antetokounmpo dunking on Nowitzki for the memories, or if it’s Wade getting an iso against LeBron one last time?

The NBA put itself in a win-win position. This will be fun to watch, no matter what happens.

We won’t have all-time greats retiring at the same time every season. This exception the league made won’t apply to everyone. But sometimes, players who should be All-Stars don’t make it — for one reason or another. This could be something the NBA brings back in future years.