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Tim Bontemps, ESPN
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo led the first round of All-Star voting in results released by the NBA on Thursday afternoon.
Antetokounmpo was the leading overall vote-getter, with more than 2.1 million people voting for him, while James was the only other player to top more than 2 million votes. James would set an NBA record with a 20th All-Star selection, breaking a tie with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Joining Antetokounmpo atop the East frontcourt voting was Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (1.84 million votes) in second and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (1.77 million) in third. They had a commanding lead over Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (767,913) in fourth and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (426,589) in fifth.
It was a similar story out West, with James, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (1.81 million) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (1.64 million) being the conference’s only frontcourt players with more than 1 million votes. Lakers center Anthony Davis (988,255) was fourth, while LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (669,320) was fifth.
In the backcourts, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton — one of the breakout stars of the season after leading Indiana to the in-season tournament championship game — is on pace to start the All-Star Game, which will be held in Indianapolis next month, after garnering nearly 1.4 million votes.
He was followed by Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (955,751), Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (873,979), Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (624,819) and 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (480,062).
In the West, a pair of familiar names — Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry — topped the voting as the only backcourt players to register more than 1 million votes. They were followed by Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (966,927), Clippers guard James Harden (435,951) and Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (388,170).
Fan voting counts for 50% of the formula used to select the All-Star starters, along with voting by the media (25%) and NBA players (25%). There will be three frontcourt players and two backcourt players in each starting lineup, while coaches choose the reserves.
The next round of All-Star voting will be released Jan. 11. Earlier this season, the NBA announced that it would be going back to the old format of East vs. West for the All-Star Game, scrapping the format of captains picking teams it has used since 2018. Antetokounmpo and James were the top vote-getters — and respective captains — for last season’s game in Utah, which Antetokounmpo’s team won 184-175.
