NBA All-Star Game voting: Giannis leads LeBron in East; K.D., Curry top two in West
The first round of NBA All-Star voting yielded some surprising results
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Believe it or not, we're just over a month away from the 2018 NBA All-Star Game. While the format has been changed to use captains in lieu of the traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference setup, the fan voting remains the same.
On Thursday, the NBA released its first set of voting results, and surprisingly Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is leading all vote-getters. He edged out Cavaliers star LeBron James, while Warriors forward Kevin Durant narrowly edged out teammate Stephen Curry for the lead in the Western Conference.
Here are the complete results from the first 12 days of voting (NBA.com):
Eastern Conference
Frontcourt
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) 863,416
- LeBron James (CLE) 856,080
- Joel Embiid (PHI) 433,161
- Kristaps Porzingis (NYK) 359,459
- Kevin Love (CLE) 221,969
- Al Horford (BOS) 120,016
- Jayson Tatum (BOS) 98,586
- Andre Drummond (DET) 85,374
- Enes Kanter (NYK) 83,102
- Dwight Howard (CHA) 57,730
Guards
- Kyrie Irving (BOS) 802,834
- DeMar DeRozan (TOR) 259,368
- Victor Oladipo (IND) 251,886
- Ben Simmons (PHI) 210,085
- John Wall (WAS) 175,990
- Dwyane Wade (CLE) 165,163
- Isaiah Thomas (CLE) 87,680
- Kyle Lowry (TOR) 85,070
- Bradley Beal (WAS) 71,079
- Jaylen Brown (BOS) 51,562
Western Conference
Frontcourt
- Kevin Durant (GSW) 767,402
- Anthony Davis (NOP) 393,000
- DeMarcus Cousins (NOP) 356,340
- Draymond Green (GSW) 325,612
- Paul George (OKC) 291,495
- Kawhi Leonard (SAS) 212,650
- Carmelo Anthony (OKC) 194,239
- Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) 188,240
- Kyle Kuzma (LAL) 184,338
- LaMarcus Aldridge (SAS) 153,599
Guards
- Stephen Curry (GSW) 735,115
- James Harden (HOU) 602,040
- Russell Westbrook (OKC) 438,469
- Klay Thompson (GSW) 359,442
- Manu Ginobili (SAS) 231,460
- Chris Paul (HOU) 174,343
- Damian Lillard (POR) 148,622
- Lonzo Ball (LAL) 120,817
- Devin Booker (PHO) 91,562
- Jimmy Butler (MIN) 88,009
Looking at the list, a few things stand out:
- Isaiah Thomas, who is seventh among backcourt players in the East, had played exactly one game this season when these results were released.
- Jimmy Butler, a three-time All-Star averaging over 21 points per game, is 10th in Western Conference backcourt voting.
- 40-year old Manu Ginobili, averaging 8.9 points in 21 minutes per game for the Spurs, is fifth in the West's backcourt voting.
- Celtics guard Kyrie Irving has nearly three times as many votes as the closest Eastern Conference backcourt vote-getter.
Of course, these results will likely change dramatically by the next update, but it's always fun to see the surprises that come through during the first round of voting.
The All-Star Game on Feb. 18 will be the final event of NBA All-Star Weekend at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The next fan voting update will be shared on Thursday, Jan. 11, and voting will conclude on Monday, Jan. 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
