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As amazing as it sounds, we are officially beyond the halfway point in the 2019-20 NBA season as all 30 teams have played at least 42 games. When the halfway mark arrives, All-Star Weekend is never far behind, and after several weeks of voting, the beginning of the selection process for February's marquee game is nearly at hand. 

The starters and captains for the NBA All-Star Game will be announced Thursday night, with the reserves soon to follow and the rest of the All-Star festivities not far behind. So with that in mind, here is everything you need to know about tonight's announcement. 

When will the starters be announced? 

  • Date: Thursday, Jan. 23 | 7 p.m. ET
  • TV: TNT | Stream: fuboTV (Try for free)

Current voting numbers

Voting closed on Monday, but the last publicly released data on voting totals came last Thursday. As it stands right now, here are the top-10 vote-getters in each category. 

Western Conference:

FRONTCOURT

GUARDS

LeBron James (LAL): 4,747,887

Luka Doncic (DAL): 4,598,323

Anthony Davis (LAL): 4,412,619

James Harden (HOU): 2,934,614

Kawhi Leonard (LAC): 2,973,076

Damian Lillard (POR): 984,140

Paul George (LAC): 1,171,616

Alex Caruso (LAL): 894,827

Nikola Jokic (DEN): 889,387

Russell Westbrook (HOU): 837,187

Carmelo Anthony (POR): 784,038

Stephen Curry (GS): 819,352

Kristaps Porzingis (DAL): 774,056

Donovan Mitchell (UTA): 673,917

Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN): 746,013

Devin Booker (PHX): 577,035

Brandon Ingram (NOP): 672,666

D'Angelo Russell (GS): 491,047

Dwight Howard (LAL): 670,643

Ja Morant (MEM): 399,703

Eastern Conference:

FRONTCOURT

GUARDS

Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL): 4,474,107

Trae Young (ATL): 2,066,924

Pascal Siakam (TOR): 2,433,411

Kyrie Irving (BKN): 1,814,618

Joel Embiid (PHI): 2,398,743

Kemba Walker (BOS): 1,797,633

Jimmy Butler (MIA): 2,046,257

Derrick Rose (DET): 1,381,934

Jayson Tatum (BOS): 1,622,635

Kyle Lowry (TOR): 848,293

Tacko Fall (BOS): 757,375

Zach Lavine (CHI): 847,632

Bam Adebayo (MIA): 529,244

Jaylen Brown (BOS): 718,355

Gordon Hayward (BOS) 398,213

Ben Simmons (PHI): 629,199

Domantas Sabonis (IND): 381,390

Bradley Beal (WAS): 609,899

Andre Drummond (DET): 325,178

Fred VanVleet (TOR): 546,471

How the selection process works

Fan-voting, while significant, is not the sole determinant of the All-Star starters. A player's vote total from the fans is only 50 percent of the equation. The remaining 50 percent is split in half: 25 percent belongs to the media, while the remaining 25 percent belongs to the league's players themselves. This safeguard was put in place specifically to prevent some of the ballot-stuffing that has gone on so far. Alex Caruso, for instance, is obviously not an All-Star-caliber player, but his enormous fan base in Los Angeles would have given him a real chance at making the team if fan voting was the only factor. 

Where fan voting is most impactful is in selecting the two team captains. Those captains are determined solely by fan-voting. The top vote-getter in each conference is named that conference's captain, and is responsible for selecting the rest of his team from the pool of available players. As of now, the two captains would be LeBron James (West) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (East).

While fans, players and media have a say in the starters, they are locked out of the process once those 10 players are named. The reserves are selected by the 30 head coaches around the NBA. If a player drops out due to injury, the commissioner is allowed to name his replacement. Additionally, the commissioner is allowed to award extra roster spots due to extenuating circumstances, as he did a year ago in adding retiring legends Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki to the game as part of their farewell tours. 

What comes next? 

While the starters may be named Thursday night, the selection process is far from over. Here are the other important dates to know as we approach All-Star Weekend: 

  • Jan. 30: Reserves announced
  • Feb. 6: All-Star Draft
  • Feb. 14: Rising Stars Challenge and Celebrity Game
  • Feb. 15: Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest
  • Feb. 16: 2020 NBA All-Star Game