
Los Angeles Lakers veteran LeBron âKingâ James and Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis âThe Greek Freakâ Antetokounmpo are leading the first round of the 2024 NBA All-Star voting.
The Greek Freak stands out as the top overall vote-getter, amassing more than 2.1 million votes. The King s him as the only other player to receive over two million votes.
James is poised to set an NBA record with his 20th All-Star selection, suring the previous record held by former Lakers-Bucks legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Antetokounmpo led the Eastern Conference frontcourt, followed by Joel Embiid from the Philadelphia 76ers in second place with 1.84 million votes, and Boston Celticsâ Jayson Tatum in third with 1.77 million votes. Both held a significant lead over Miami Heatâs Jimmy Butler in fourth place with 767,913 votes and Tatumâs teammate, Jaylen Brown, in fifth with 426,589 votes.
In the backcourts, Indiana Pacersâ Tyrese Haliburton is set to start the All-Star Game in Indianapolis after earning nearly 1.4 million votes. He is followed by the Bucks PG Damian Lillard (955,751), Atlanta Hawks PG Trae Young (873,979), Cleveland Cavaliers SG Donovan Mitchell (624,819) and the 76ersâ SG Tyrese Maxey of the 76ers (480,062). If Maxey secures his place, it will be his first All-Star appearance.
In the Western Conference, only Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns (1.81 million) and Nikola Jokic from the Denver Nuggets (1.64 million) had over a million votes. Lakersâ Anthony Davis was fourth with 988,255 votes and Los Angeles Clippersâ Kawhi Leonard came fifth with 669,320 votes.
In the guardsâ category, Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry were the only backcourt players with over a million votes. Following them were Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Oklahoma City Thunder (966,927), James Harden from the Clippers (435,951) and Kyrie Irving from the Dallas Mavericks (388,170).
Fan voting contributes 50 percent to select All-Star starters, combined with media votes (25 percent) and NBA player votes (25 percent). Each starting lineup includes three frontcourt and two backcourt players, while coaches pick the reserves.
The All-Star voting results will be released on January 11. The NBA changed from the traditional East vs. West format for the All-Star Game, scrapping the captain-picking team setup used since 2018.
Antetokounmpo and James, last yearâs top vote-getters and captains, led their teams in an all-star game won by Antetokounmpoâs team 184-175 in Utah.
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