Korver: 'It was never my dream to be an All-Star'

In his 12th NBA season, with over 20,000 career minutes logged, Kyle Korver received his first ever All-Star Game nod. 

But as much as the Atlanta Hawks' sharpshooter - one of the greatest 3-point threats in league history - is thrilled by the honor, playing in the prestigious event wasn't a childhood goal of his, he told Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

It was never my dream to be an All-Star. I just love the game and I love playing. It was never about making the NBA. It was about I love playing basketball and I love all of it. When you love something, you work really hard at it.

I've been very fortunate to be around good coaches and good teammates and people who have made me better. I just keep on working, you know? It's cool that this happened. It's not the end by any means. I feel like I've still got quite a bit left but I'm on the back half for sure. It's cool.

It took an injury to Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade for Korver to get in, but he'll join teammates Al Horford (who's getting MVP love from opposing coaches), Paul Millsap and first-time All-Star Jeff Teague for the upcoming festivities in New York City. Representing the foursome and the rest of Eastern Conference behind the bench will be Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer. 

Related: NBA All-Star Weekend Lineups

Budenholzer was named the East's Coach of the Month in January after leading the Hawks to a 17-0 record. He also claimed the honor in December, and has Atlanta off to a franchise-best 43-10 start.

"Our individuals are just being rewarded for what they are doing on the court," Budenholzer said.

Korver has an NBA-best 160 3-pointers while converting on a league-high 52.8 percent of his attempts. He'll be under the spotlight on the second day of the weekend-long event, competing in the Three-Point Contest against a field including fellow marksmen Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and J.J. Redick.