DeAndre Jordan’s first reaction to making the All-Star team was to ask if it was real

DeAndre Jordan had a trip planned to Hawaii for the All-Star break. That’s how surprised he was when he was announced as one of the Western Conference All-Stars this season, joining the team as the lone representative of the Los Angeles Clippers.

“They said, ‘We just got a text from the NBA,’” Jordan told The Undefeated. “They were like, ‘Yo, they think you’re going to make it.’ [I asked,] ‘They think I’m going to make it or I made it? What do you mean, ‘they think,’ because I’m about to buy this trip.’”

Jordan felt like he was deserving of being an All-Star, but after eight seasons not making the team, he was expecting another snub.

After practice on Thursday, I had my trip to Hawaii ready to go. I was super excited about it. I was waiting for this one last little thing [All-Star announcement]. I was leaving at 6 in the morning [of Feb. 16] and was ready to rock. Someone texted me and said, ‘Hey, you got to cancel that trip to Hawaii.’ I was like, ‘No, this is done. This is set. What’s up?’

I was thinking that they would have known at practice if I made it or not. They didn’t say nothing at practice, so I was like, ‘Cool, I didn’t make it. I’m about to set my trip up.’

Jordan said he “was at peace” if he hadn’t made it, but obviously said he is thrilled he did. This little anecdote about him telling his son about him making the squad is just great.

I called my brothers and told them. They were super excited. I told my son and he is only 13 months old. And he looked at me like, ‘All right. Whatever. I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He wasn’t like, ‘Daddy made the All-Star team.’ He was just like, ‘OK, read me this book. I don’t care what you’re talking about.’ But I was super excited. Nine years. Some years I thought I was going to make it. Some years I knew I wasn’t going to make it. This was pretty exciting.

Jordan’s right that his selection was a surprise, with teammate Chris Paul being the biggest snub from the roster. Rudy Gobert was a strong candidate to make the team as a center, but a head-to-head look at Gobert and Jordan’s stats show they’re very close together. Gobert anchors the league’s second-best defense, and his presence is the biggest reason for that. I personally would have chosen him over Jordan, but Jordan is also an instrumental cog to the Clippers defense, which has been top-10 most of the year.

Either way, it’s a great moment for Jordan and his family — even if his son doesn’t understand it just yet.