This one, Damian Lillard said, was different.

The Trail Blazers guard was chosen to his third All-Star team on Tuesday, and Lillard said this selection has a different feel than those in 2014 and 2015.

"It's different because it came after the beginning years,'' Lillard said. "(In 2014 and 2015) I was on a team with vets. This one is on a team I've been the leader of. Like, I had to really earn my spot more this time around. Feels like I've done three years of work for this one spot.''

Lillard was selected through a vote of coaches. He is averaging 25.2 points, 6.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 40 games.

Lillard the past two seasons was bypassed as a reserve, perhaps because the Blazers had a subpar record, perhaps because coaches didn't value his defensive skills, or perhaps because he competed in a star-studded Western Conference.

But this season, with a marked improvement in his defense, and the Blazers at 25-22 and in 7th place in the Western Conference, Lillard made the cut over noted stars Chris Paul and Paul George and the breakout season of Lou Williams.

In his first All-Star appearance in 2014, Lillard played nine minutes and finished with nine points and one rebound while shooting 3-for-8. In 2015, he played 16 minutes and finished with 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

The All-Star Game is Feb. 18 in Los Angeles.

The Western Conference will be represented by starters James Harden (Houston), Stephen Curry (Golden State), Kevin Durant (Golden State), Anthony Davis (New Orleans) and DeMarcus Cousins (New Orleans) and reserves Draymond Green (Golden State), Klay Thompson (Golden State), LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio), Jimmy Butler (Minnesota), Karl Anthony-Towns (Minnesota) and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City).

The Eastern Conference will be represented by starters Kyrie Irving (Boston), DeMar DeRozan (Toronto), LeBron James (Cleveland), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee) and Joel Embiid (Philadelphia) and reserves Kevin Love (Cleveland), Bradley Beal (Washington), John Wall (Washington), Kristaps Porzingis (New York), Kyle Lowry (Toronto), Al Horford (Boston) and Victor Oladipo (Indiana).