NBA fans really want to see Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic — and LaMelo Ball.
The third round of NBA All-Star Game fan voting has been released, and Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo remain the two top vote-getters. Based on the voting, the starters would be:
Eastern Conference
LaMelo Ball (Hornets)Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)Jayson Tatum (Celtics)Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)
Western Conference
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)Stephen Curry (Warriors)Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)LeBron James (Lakers)Kevin Durant (Suns)
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić lead their respective conferences in the third fan returns of #NBAAllStar Voting presented by AT&T.
Fans account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. Players and a media panel account for 25% each. pic.twitter.com/FBGGd00GB2
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 16, 2025
Fan voting for the All-Star Game runs through Monday, Jan. 20. Those results (counting for 50% of the total) will be combined with votes from NBA players (25%) and select media members (25%), with the 10 starters being announced on Jan. 23 on Inside the NBA on TNT. 14 reserve players (seven from each conference) will be selected by a vote of the coaches and be announced a week later.
There is no change in the last week from the previous starting five, although LeBron James did leapfrog Kevin Durant into second in the West frontcourt voting.
The most interesting situation is the fans voting Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball a starter — and by a lot, he has 1.9 million votes, which is more than Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, or Jalen Brunson. It will be an interesting test of the NBA’s system because media members and likely players will not vote for LaMelo to be a starter. (The media and player votes were added to prevent fans from organizing online and voting in a random player — which they almost did with Zaza Pachulia in 2016 and 2017. Ball isn’t that random, but having him starting in front of Damian Lillard, Brunson, Darius Garland and others is not the way most media and players would lean.)
The other thing to watch is whether Victor Wembanyama leaps past Kevin Durant or LeBron James to become a starter. Currently, Wemby is fourth in the West frontcourt voting, behind those aging legends.
This all sets the stage for the All-Star Game, which will take place on Feb. 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, home of the Golden State Warriors.
The NBA has changed the All-Star Game format this season, attempting to spark competition and energy into a stale (and borderline unwatchable) headline event the past few years.
The 12 All-Stars from each conference (24 players in total) will be divided into three teams of eight players each, with those teams drafted by the former players on TNT’s Inside the NBA: Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny “the Jet” Smith. Those three teams, plus the winning team from Friday night’s Rising Star Challenge (a game of rookies and second-year-players), will enter into a four-team knockout-style tournament with games to 40. It’s a mini-tournament of shorter games that the league hopes will motivate players to play a little defense.