Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters Monday evening that he was “very disappointed” that forward Scottie Barnes is not among the top 20 players in Eastern Conference All-Star voting thus far.
Darko Rajakovic Calls Scottie Barnes An All-Star
The NBA released the top 20 in their first fan returns of All-Star voting Monday afternoon, and veteran wing Brandon Ingram at No. 12 is the only Raptor to make the list.
Rajakovic is calling on Raptor fans and all of Canada to vote for Barnes.
“I’m puzzled and I am very disappointed. We need to get this right. Canada needs to get this right. It starts with us… What he does is what generational players are doing,” he told TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.
Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their conferences in the first fan returns in NBA All-Star Voting 2026.
Fans (50% of the vote) join NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%) in selecting five players in each conference honored as starters.
Next fan update: 1/6. pic.twitter.com/pHykl9yhTE
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 29, 2025
“I have no doubt that Scottie Barnes is an All-Star,” Rajakovic continued. “He needs to be towards the top of that list of players in the East. Canada, we need to get this fixed, right now.”
Through 34 games (all starts) this season, Barnes is averaging 19.1 points, a career-high 8.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 34.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of 50.5/35.7/83.1.
All three shooting percentages are currently his career bests.
Barnes Joined Nikola Jokic For NBA Record
Per Basketball Reference, Barnes ranks ninth in total rebounds (209), ninth in defensive boards (288), 12th in steals (46), fifth in blocks (52), third in minutes played (1,161), and eighth in defensive box plus/minus (2.0).
Barnes also recorded a historic triple-double in Sunday’s victory over the Golden State Warriors, finishing with 23 points, dishing out 10 assists, and grabbing a career-high 25 rebounds.
His 25 boards tied Bismack Biyombo from March of 2016 for a single-game franchise high.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Barnes joined Nikola Jokic from 2022 as the only players over the last 45 seasons to have a 20-point, 25-rebound, 10-assist game.
“Scottie Barnes, what he does night in and night out is something that generational players are doing,” said Rajakovic. “Seeing what he did last night in the game and the stat line that he had.
“Only Nikola Jokic and him had that stat line in [the] last 40 years. Only two players in the NBA this year have 500 points plus, 250 assists plus, 25 blocks plus, and 250 rebounds plus, and that’s Nikola Jokic and Scottie Barnes.”
Barnes Seeks Second All-Star Selection With Raptors
The five starters from each conference will be selected by fans (50% of the vote), current NBA players (25%), and a media panel (25%). The seven reserve players from each conference will be chosen by NBA head coaches.
This year, the All-Stars will be selected without regard to position. The process for assigning players to the two U.S. teams will be determined at a later date.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will take place at the Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, on Feb. 15, featuring two teams of U.S. players and one of international players.
Rajakovic hopes Canadian basketball fans will vote Barnes into his second All-Star Game.
“We need to get this right,” added Rajakovic. “Canada needs to get this right. Starts with us, starts with our city, [and] starts with our country over here. We have 40 million people living in this country, 40 million fans of [the] Toronto Raptors. Canada, we need to get this fixed right now.”
Barnes earned his lone All-Star selection in the 2023-24 campaign, when he averaged career highs of 19.9 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 47.5% from the field and 34.1% from deep.
