Nick Kyrgios misses NBA celebrity selection despite withdrawal

Australia's Nick Kyrgios wipes his face while playing Italy's Andreas Seppi during the Australian Open. Photo/Getty Images

KEY POINTS:

• Aussie tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios has missed out on NBA's Celebrity Game, despite pulling out of a tournament to make himself available.

Australian tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios has not been named to play in the NBA's Celebrity Game during All-Star Weekend, despite controversially pulling out of an ATP tournament to make himself available.

Kyrgios caused a stir late last year, when it was announced he had cancelled a contract to play at the Rotterdam Open to clear the way to take part in All-Star weekend.

But the world No.15 and basketball lover was nowhere to be seen when the celebrity squads were announced today.

Kyrgios' management has been contacted for comment.

The decision to pull out of his Dutch commitments came hot on the heels of Kyrgios' controversial "tanking" performance at the Shanghai Masters.

Rotterdam tournament director Richard Krajicek was sympathetic to Kyrgios, when explaining his decision to allow the Australian to renege on his contract.

"You see what can happen when he is tired and [tennis] has little meaning, as in China," he said. "We do not want that, so we decided to terminate his contract.

"We want a top tennis player seen on the court. Kyrgios prefers his passion beyond his profession.

"If every week he is focused on tennis, he might be mentally burned out after six months. He needs an outlet."

NBA All-Star Celebrity Game teams
Team Smith (West)
Miles Brown (actor), Tom Cavanagh (actor), Mark Cuban (Mavs owner), Baron Davis (former NBA), Andy Grammer (recording artist), Jiang Jinfu (actor, model), Anthony Mackie (actor), Romeo Miller (rapper), Hasan Minhaj (actor, comedian), Master P (rapper), Candace Parker (WNBA), Aaron Sanchez (celebrity chef)

Team Hill (East)
Brandon Armstrong (former NBA), Win Butler (Arcade Fire), Nick Cannon (rapper, actor), Rachel DeMita (TV personality), Ansel Elgort (actor, recording artist), Marc Lasry (Bucks owner), Caleb McLaughlin (actor), Peter Rosenberg (media personality), Oscar Schmidt (Olympic basketball legend), Lindsay Whalen (WNBA), Jason Williams (former NBA), Kris Wu (recording artist)