Kyrie Irving Named an All-Star for the Seventh Time, His Fifth Start

Plant-based Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has been voted a starter for the NBA All-Star Game, his seventh All-Star selection and his fifth start. The starters were revealed on Thursday, February 18.

Irving will start for the Eastern Conference alongside Nets teammate Kevin Durant in Atlanta on March 7, the Nets confirmed. Starters are chosen by a combination of fan, player and media votes. Durant, as the leading vote-getter in the East, will captain one of the teams and pick his side alongside LeBron James. Irving and Durant both joined Brooklyn in 2019. It's Irving's first All-Star nod as a Net.

Irving moved to a mostly plant-based diet in 2017 and said straight away that he could feel the difference. He said after a preseason game at the time, Sports Illustrated reported:

This season I've been on more of a plant-based diet diet, getting away from all the animals and all that.

"My energy is up and my body feels amazing," he said. Asked about it again last year, he told Bleacher Report: "I haven't changed any diet. I don't plan on changing anything in my diet. It's working out great so far."

It's working out on the court too. Irving scored 50 on his Brooklyn debut, the most ever by a player in his first game for a new team, and Nike built an advert around his plant-based diet. Fellow plant-based guard Chris Paul was named to his 10th All-Star Game last year.

Seven All-Star nods. No meat, no problem.