Last year, K-pop star Bam Bam Tweeted out his support for Andrew Wiggins to be an NBA All-Star Game starter, and that led to a flood of re-Tweet votes for the Warriors’ wing and he finished third in NBA frontcourt fan votes. That, plus a few media and player nods, got Wiggins the All-Star start over Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Draymond Green.
NBA All-Star fan voting opens again on Tuesday, and while fans can still vote for any player they wish this time around but those fans will need to do it by going to NBA.com or using the league’s app, and people can only vote once per day. Fans cannot vote on social media anymore.
From the official press release:
Fans voting on the NBA App or NBA.com for the first time can sign up for an NBA ID, the league’s new global membership program, and voters in the United States and Canada will be entered for a chance to win a trip to NBA All-Star 2023... Throughout the four-week voting period, fans with NBA ID may submit one full ballot each day via the NBA App and NBA.com. One full ballot comprises three frontcourt players and two guards from both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. All current NBA players will be available for selection.
No official reason was given for the NBA’s change and shift away from social media. The league office rightfully can argue that they want to drive traffic to their website and app, and the reliability of Twitter after the Elon Musk takeover is a concern. Still, one wonders how much last year’s Wiggins scenario plays a role.
As in recent years, the fan vote will count for 50% of the total for each player, with votes from NBA players counting for 25%, and votes from a panel of NBA media making up the other 25%. On Christmas Day (Dec. 25), Jan. 1, Jan. 6, Jan. 13, Jan. 16 and Jan. 20 all fan votes will count triple.
The All-Star Game will take place in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Feb. 19.
