Joakim Noah, Luol Deng Selected As East All-Star Reserves

May 24, 2011; Miami, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng (9) passes the ball to Joakim Noah (13) against the Miami Heat in the second half of in game four of the 2011 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at American Airlines Arena. Miami defeated Chicago 101-93 in OT. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA announced this years all-star reserves this evening, including Luol Deng and Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls. After missing out for the past two years due to injuries and partial snubbing, Joakim Noah will be playing his first all-star game of his career. Joakim Noah seemed to have a couple of choice tweets ready in advance, including this one:

I can’t believe it… This has been a long journey. I want to thank all my teammates and my mother for dealing with all my shitiness.

— Joakim Noah (@JoakimNoah) January 25, 2013

Luol Deng, on the other hand, lost his all-star virginity last season when he accompanied Derrick Rose to the game. This will be his second straight appearance. Here’s a list of the reserves for both the West and the East:

West:

Tony Parker
Tim Duncan
Russell Westbrook
Kevin Durant
David Lee
LaMarcus Aldridge
James Harden
Zach Randolph

East:

Chris Bosh
Tyson Chandler
Kyrie Irving
Luol Deng
Joakim Noah
Paul George
Jrue Holiday

This year’s all-star weekend will be hosted at the Toyota Center in Houston from February 15th to 17th. The game will be played on Sunday, February 17th.