Mark Daigneault secures major NBA honor after Thunder's win vs. Nets
01/19/2025 11:11 PM
With a commanding 127-101 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, the Oklahoma City Thunder (35-7, .833) secured the best record in the Western Conference through games played on Sunday, Feb. 2. This achievement grants Mark Daigneault his debut appearance as a head coach in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game.
Daigneault is set to lead one of the four teams in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 16, at Chase Center in San Francisco. The game will air at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.
A member of Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault's coaching staff will also step in as head coach for one of the NBA All-Star teams. The other two head coaching roles will be assigned to the head coach and an assistant from the Eastern Conference team holding the best record as of games played through Feb. 2.
The NBA reimagining the All-Star Game yet again
This season brings a notable shift, as the league seeks to revitalize the All-Star Game, which has struggled to maintain its appeal in recent years. Last year’s event, despite returning to the classic East versus West format after experimenting with a “captain’s draft” led by fan-vote leaders, faced widespread criticism.
After the selection of all 24 All-Stars, they will be grouped into a pool and drafted into three teams on February 6. TNT analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith will act as honorary general managers for the draft.
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game introduces a new mini-tournament format, featuring four teams and three games. Three teams will consist of NBA All-Star selections, while the fourth team will include the winners of the Castrol Rising Stars competition, held on Friday, Feb. 14.
The four teams will compete in two semifinal matchups starting at 7 p.m. CST on February 16, broadcast on TNT. The winners of these games will move on to the championship round, with teams required to score at least 40 points to secure advancement.
Mark Daigneault’s time with the Thunder
Over his five seasons leading the Thunder, Mark Daigneault has compiled a 177-182 record and steered the team to a playoff appearance last season.
Daigneault earned the 2023-24 Coach of the Year award after transforming the Thunder, who finished 40-42 and 10th in the Western Conference in the 2022-23 season, into a 57-25 team the following year.
He becomes the first Oklahoma City head coach to receive this recognition since Scott Brooks achieved the honor in the 2013-14 season.
“An honor. A huge thank you to all the people that are behind the scenes in the organization that work with the players, not only this season but in previous seasons. This has been a build, and a lot of people have their fingerprints on that,” Daigneault remarked after learning about his selection.
The Thunder has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander securing a spot in the starting lineup for an All-Star team, while Jalen Williams has emerged as a strong candidate to join him on the roster.
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