With Kevin Love suffering a broken hand earlier this week, the NBA had to find a replacement for this year's All-Star game and had an interesting decision to make with many candidates to choose from.

His replacement had to come from the Eastern Conference and the likes of Kemba Walker, Ben Simmons, and Dwight Howard had strong cases to be selected.

But the nod was eventually given to Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic who will make his first ever All-Star appearance.

Unlike the aforementioned trio, the Slovenian currently enjoys a winning record with his team as the Heat are fourth in the east at 29-22.

They're likely to return to the playoffs and Dragic is a big reason why. He leads the Heat with averages of 17 points and 4.8 assists per game this season and will be Miami's lone representative at the showpiece event.

The 31-year-old was mobbed by his teammates when they received the news on Thursday and he credited them for helping him achieve the honour.

"All the credit goes to them too," said Dragic, per ESPN. "Without them, this would not be possible. They put me in the right spots so I can be my best, and I'm really grateful and thankful for that."

Dragic has been an All-Star candidate for several years and there was huge disappointment among Miami fans that he was initially overlooked despite the team's impressive record.

But Love's injury opened the door for the veteran to finally get the call in his 10th season in the NBA.

The Heat guard was next in line based on the voting points he received from the NBA coaches.

His impact on the team has been huge. With Dragic in the lineup, the Heat have gone 56-30 since the halfway stage of last year.

"Hopefully this shows that it's a by-product of winning and being recognised for winning," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Goran, we feel, is an All-Star. We're just thrilled that he got recognised by the other coaches."

He becomes the eight Miami player to be selected, joining LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Anthony Mason.

He's also the first Slovenian player to make the All-Star team.

Dragic will be part of Team LeBron for the star-studded contest which takes place in Los Angeles on February 18.