We’re getting closer and closer to one of my favorite times of the year: NBA All-Star Weekend.
The first round of voting is in for the NBA All-Star Game, with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James leading the way in the Western Conference and Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant ahead in the Eastern Conference.
Leading the guards section of the voting for the West is Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry and the Nets’ Kyrie Irving. James and Durant represent the front court section of the voting.
With the voting process, fans make up 50% of the vote to determine the starters of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, while current NBA players make up 25%, as well as a media panel.
The NBA is holding their “3-for-1 Day” Jan. 6, which will result in fan votes being counted three times. The league will provide the next All-Star Game update Jan. 12.
Here are the complete results for the top 10 vote-getters for each position group in the first fan returns:
LeBron James and Kevin Durant lead their respective conferences in the first fan returns of #NBAAllStar Voting presented by AT&T.
Fans account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. NBA players and a media panel account for 25% each.
The next fan update is Jan. 12. pic.twitter.com/osVeUGI8H4
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 5, 2023
I like how the NBA made their vote count based on 50% fans, 25% NBA players and 25% media. It’s the perfect way to get players in there who deserve it, and also pulls out some surprises for us.
For me, it has to be Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Don’t get me wrong, my man has been ballin’ this season with that flashy 30.9 PPG figure beside his name, but I’m shocked that he managed to find himself fourth in the guard voting ahead of players such as Klay Thompson, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard and Devin Booker. (RELATED: Charlotte Hornets Are Giving Up On This Season So Bad That It’s Embarrassingly Obvious)
Marketing is everything in this world today, and with the household names that Klay, Russ, Damian and Booker have, it’s just impressive that he found himself ahead of them — and he deserves it too.
Damn, writing this blog has me excited for NBA All-Star Weekend now. Let’s get it!