LeBron James (West) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (East) are on track to captain NBA All-Star teams this year.
The first fan-voting returns:
Western Conference
Frontcourt
1. LeBron James (LAL) 1,083,363
2. Luka Doncic (DAL) 679,839
3. Kevin Durant (GSW) 659,968
4. Anthony Davis (NOP) 605,417
5. Paul George (OKC) 580,055
6. Steven Adams (OKC) 261,327
7. Nikola Jokic (DEN) 235,272
8. Kyle Kuzma (LAL) 195,477
9. Draymond Green (GSW) 138,017
10. DeMarcus Cousins (GSW) 92,977
Guards
1. Stephen Curry (GSW) 793,111
2. Derrick Rose (MIN) 698,086
3. James Harden (HOU) 541,606
4. Russell Westbrook (OKC) 459,792
5. Klay Thompson (GSW) 247,618
6. Damian Lillard (POR) 200,609
7. DeMar DeRozan (SAS) 197,524
8. Lonzo Ball (LAL) 175,040
9. Devin Booker (PHO) 111,897
10. Chris Paul (HOU) 101,104
Eastern Conference
Frontcourt
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) 991,561
2. Kawhi Leonard (TOR) 774,172
3. Joel Embiid (PHI) 648,002
4. Jimmy Butler (PHI) 222,206
5. Jayson Tatum (BOS) 214,622
6. Blake Griffin (DET) 192,694
7. Vince Carter (ATL) 76,022
8. Andre Drummond (DET) 68,204
9. Gordon Hayward (BOS) 66,492
10. Al Horford (BOS) 62,288
Guards
1. Kyrie Irving (BOS) 910,329
2. Dwyane Wade (MIA) 409,156
3. Kemba Walker (CHA) 319,519
4. Ben Simmons (PHI) 259,993
5. Victor Oladipo (IND) 198,009
6. Kyle Lowry (TOR) 180,571
7. Zach LaVine (CHI) 128,605
8. Jeremy Lin (ATL) 62,573
9. Bradley Beal (WAS) 61,269
10. John Wall (WAS) 54,366
Remember, the NBA stopped giving fans autonomy in picking All-Star starters. Now, the fan vote counts as just 50% in a formula that also gives 25% to current players and 25% to selected media.
So, the big surprises near the top of each category – Luka Doncic second among Western Conference frontcourt players, Derrick Rose second among Western Conference guards, Dwyane Wade second among Eastern Conference guards – barely matter. It’s difficult to see players and media supporting those players. Though maybe Wade gets sendoff starting votes from his peers as he nears retirement.
Other surprises on the leaderboard: Lonzo Ball, DeMarcus Cousins, Vince Carter, Jeremy Lin. But, again, those don’t really matter for actually selecting All-Stars. It’s just a good indication of which players have larger followings than their on-court performance would suggest.
The big races are for leading each conference in fan voting, which – as long as he winds up a starter – makes the player a captain for selecting All-Star teams. LeBron has a big – probably insurmountable – lead in the West. Antetokounmpo is up significantly in the East, though Kyrie Irving is within striking distance.
