Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks is leading the early fan voting for this year’s NBA All-Star Game, with LeBron James from the Los Angeles Lakers making a strong case to be selected for his 21st appearance. According to the latest voting update, Antetokounmpo has gathered around 1.7 million votes, while Denver’s Nikola Jokic follows closely behind with approximately 1.4 million votes, the highest among players in the Western Conference.
Currently, the top ten players set to be chosen as starters based on fan votes include Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum of Boston, Karl-Anthony Towns from New York, LaMelo Ball of Charlotte, and Donovan Mitchell from Cleveland in the Eastern Conference. From the West, Jokic, Kevin Durant of Phoenix, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City, Luka Doncic from Dallas, and LeBron James are in contention.
This All-Star Game, scheduled for February 16 in San Francisco, will feature a new format with three games instead of the traditional single match. A total of 24 All-Stars will be divided into three teams of eight, drafted by TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith. These teams will participate in a four-team tournament, where the winning squad will come from the Rising Stars event held on All-Star Friday. The competition will include two semifinal games leading to a championship match, where the first team to score 40 points wins.
This year’s setup marks a significant change from last year’s game, which saw an unprecedented score of 211-186, the highest in the game’s history. Voting for the All-Star starters will remain open until January 20. Fan votes will account for 50% of the selection process, with media and current player votes each contributing 25%. The official announcement of the starters will take place on January 23, while NBA head coaches will select the reserves by January 30.
