Not even Cleveland phenom LeBron James was an All-Star in his first year.

Titan Sports claims that Yi's omission from the ballot is due to "NBA fears" that a rookie playing in the All-Star game will sully the game's image, but this is an unfounded accusation.

All-Star ballots are drawn up weeks before the season begins, and with Yi's ambivalence about playing for Milwaukee over the summer, no one knew for sure if he'd even be playing for the team, let alone playing so well.

It is true that if Yi's name was on the ballot he would almost certainly be voted in, riding a similar wave of support from the world's most populous nation like Yao did. It's just as well that Yi sits out this year - there will be plenty of All-Star games to come for the young Buck.

Yi himself hardly cares about the alleged "snub", choosing instead to focus on winning in the regular season, a characteristically mature stance for the young man. He is all but guaranteed a trip to All-Star weekend in New Orleans anyway since he's a virtual lock to play in the rookie-sophomore game, which precedes the big event.

Regardless, China will undoubtedly be represented in February since Yao Ming will most likely be voted as the West's starting center once again. He got the most votes of anyone in the league last year, and with the way he's playing this year he deserves to retain his title.

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