The NBA released the first All-Star fan voting results on Thursday, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is the leading vote-getter so far.
The Milwaukee Bucks star received 1,710,630 votes to lead the overall poll. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić is the top player among Western Conference stars with 1,422,121 votes.
Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their respective conferences in early fan feedback #NBAAllStar Voting submitted by AT&T.
Fans make up 50% of the votes to decide All-Star starters. NBA players and a media panel each represent 25%.
Next fan update: 1/9. pic.twitter.com/OoIIa3S3fn
-NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 2, 2025
Other players who received a million or more votes are Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (1,385,851), Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant (1,268,799), Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James (1,167,661 ), New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (1,099,966). and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (1,053,683).
Rounding out the top 10 among top All-Star voters are Lakers forward Anthony Davis (999,540), Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (947,444) and San Antonio Spurs sensation Victor Wembanyama (928,501). The second wave of voting results will be released on January 9.
The starters for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game will be announced on January 23, while the game will be played on February 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, home of the Golden State Warriors. The All-Star reserves, chosen by the league’s 30 head coaches, will be revealed on January 30.
Antetokounmpo leads the NBA in scoring with 32.6 points per game and is fifth in rebounding, averaging 11.6. Jokić ranks third with 30.7 points, while his 13 rebounds per game also ranks third and his 9.7 assists place him second among NBA players.
The name that could appear among the top vote-getters is Ball. In his fifth season, the Hornets guard is averaging 30.1 points per game. That would rank him as the fourth-highest scorer in the NBA. But Ball played in just 22 games after suffering a left calf strain on Nov. 27.
Only Gilgeous-Alexander, second at 31.3 points per game, has more votes among NBA guards than Ball. This includes Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić (870,071 votes) and Warriors star Stephen Curry (810,357). Among Eastern Conference guards, Ball has nearly 230,000 more votes than five-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell (718,084) of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game will introduce a new tournament-style format in hopes of creating a more competitive competition for the league’s mid-season showcase. Instead of an East versus West matchup, All-Star Sunday will feature a tournament with four teams made up of eight players each.
Three of the teams will consist of the 24 players selected as All-Stars. TNT’s Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith will draft the rosters for these teams on February 6. The fourth team will be the winner of the Rising Stars Challenge on February 14, featuring first- and second-year NBA players along with G League stars. . (The All-Star tournament will follow the format used in the Rising Stars Challenge.)