Miami’s Bam Adebayo was announced Saturday as the replacement for Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid in the Eastern Conference starting lineup for Sunday night’s NBA All-Star Game. Embiid — the reigning MVP and two-time defending scoring champion — is missing the game because of a knee injury.

Adebayo, He’ll be an All-Star starter for the first time.

Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers, who will lead the East team in the All-Star Game, made the selection and informed Adebayo on Saturday morning. Adebayo said the conversation was brief and direct: “He walked in and was like, ‘Bam, you’re starting,’” he said.

“It’s going to be a dope experience,” Adebayo said. “Just going to really cherish that moment and thankful to God and all the people who support me through all the ups and downs. We’ve added something new to our list.”