With Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson pulling out of the 2012 NBA All-Star Game due to tendonitis in his left knee, many felt teammate Josh Smith would get the call. Instead, the NBA has awarded the vacant spot on the Eastern Conference roster to Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, according to Celtics radio announcer Sean Grande.

Rondo will be the replacement for Joe Johnson on the All-Star team. Hasn't been announced yet, but hey, that's what Twitter's for I guess.

— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) February 22, 2012

That Rondo earned the nod isn't a huge surprise, given that Johnson is a guard himself. The NBA probably did not want to replace Johnson with a frontcourt player, and Rondo is certainly a deserving candidate himself despite missing some time earlier in the season.

It remains unclear which player will replace Johnson in the Three-Point Shootout competition on Saturday night.

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