BY AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
NEW YORK (AFP) — Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Los Angeles Lakers playmaker LeBron James remained the leaders in fan voting returns for next month’s NBA All-Star Game revealed on Thursday, Jan. 18.
Fan balloting to determine starters for the contest between Eastern and Western Conference elite squads will conclude on Saturday with starters for the teams to be revealed on January 25.
Fans voting counts 50% to deciding the starters with a votes by a media panel and by current NBA players each counting 25%.
The 73rd NBA All-Star Game will be played on February 18 at Indianapolis, reverting to an East versus west format after several years where top vote getters were named captains and drafted lineups from other top vote-getters.
Greek star Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, topped all players with 4,309,630 votes with other East frontcourt players including reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid of Cameroon and the Philadelphia 76ers on 3,721,002 and Boston’s Jayson Tatum on 3,717,311.
Miami’s Jimmy Butler was a distant fourth on 1,307,572.
James, a four-time NBA MVP, paced the West frontcourt and was second overall on 3,938,571 with Denver’s Nikola Jokic, a two-time MVP, at 3,498,250 and Phoenix’s Kevin Durant third on 3,466,608. Lakers forward Davis was fourth on 1,997,084.
In the West backcourt, Luka Doncic of Dallas had the most votes of any guard at 3,205,375 with Golden State’s Stephen Curry second on 2,616,154. Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was third on 2,331,113.
In the East backcourt, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton topped the list on 2,718,973 with Atlanta’s Trae Young second on 1,815,898.
In the tightest race for any starting spot, Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard ranks third in East guard voting, only 85,862 votes behind Young.
