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Tim Bontemps, ESPN
As they have from the start of All-Star voting earlier this month, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James led their respective conferences ahead of next month’s All-Star Game, as the third and final set of fan results were announced Thursday afternoon.
Voting wraps up Saturday, with the starters set to be announced on TNT on Jan. 25.
Like last week, Antetokounmpo and James were way ahead of the rest of the field. Antetokounmpo was the leading vote-getter overall and the only one with more than 4 million votes, while James led the West with 3.9 million votes.
Joining Antetokounmpo atop the East frontcourt voting once again were Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (3.72 million votes) in second and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (3.72 million) in third. Jimmy Butler and Jaylen Brown were a distant fourth and fifth, respectively.
It was a similar story out West, with James followed by Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (3.50 million) and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (3.47 million). They were far ahead of Anthony Davis (2.00 million) in fourth, with Kawhi Leonard (1.37 million) just ahead of Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun for fifth.
In the backcourts, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, despite suffering a hamstring injury earlier this month, remains the only East guard with over 2 million votes. The next four names remained the same: Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (1.82 million) in second, followed by Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (1.73 million), Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (1.38 million) and 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (1.09 million).
Out West, Luka Doncic crested over the 3 million vote mark, while Stephen Curry was at 2.62 million and Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at 2.33 million. LA Clippers guard James Harden and Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving were fourth and fifth, but neither had cracked 1 million votes.
Fan voting counts for 50% of the formula used to select the All-Star starters, along with voting by the media (25%) and NBA players (25%). There will be three frontcourt players and two backcourt players in each starting lineup, while coaches choose the reserves.
Earlier this season, the NBA announced that it would be going back to the old format of East vs. West for the All-Star Game, scrapping the format of captains picking teams it has used since 2018. Antetokounmpo and James were the top vote-getters — and respective captains — for last season’s game in Utah, which Antetokounmpo’s team won 184-175.
Source: www.espn.com