The third returns for NBA All-Star Game voting have arrived, and we’re now just one week away from learning the ASG starters. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo remains in front as the top vote getter, and he’s the only player to pass the three million mark in votes. Similar to before, Nikola Jokic has the second-most votes, and remains out in front as the top vote getter in the Western Conference. The biggest change is that LeBron James leaped over Kevin Durant in the latest returns to claim the second-most votes in the West frontcourt.
In the Eastern Conference, the biggest changes come near the bottom of the lists, as Cavaliers standout Evan Mobley has jumped from No. 8 in the frontcourt to No. 6. Mobley’s movement has pushed Jimmy Butler down one spot, while fellow Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Jarrett Allen has bumped Paul George for the No. 10 spot in the East frontcourt. For the East backcourt, the top seven spots remain the same, while Darius Garland has jumped Jordan Poole for that eighth spot.
Out West, beyond the James and Durant change, there aren’t any other tweaks to the frontcourt. James is slowly closing the gap on Jokic for the top frontcourt spot, but with an over 300,000 vote difference it’s going to take a lot for LeBron to dethrone the Nuggets superstar. In the backcourt, there’s been no movement, but the gap between Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry for that No. 2 spot is small at a 114,000 vote difference. Despite Doncic being injured, he’s still received a considerable amount of votes from the fans, but with votes from current players and a media panel accounting for a combined 50% of the vote each, it may not matter much.
Here are the full returns:
The 2025 All-Star Game will take place on Feb. 16 at Chase Center in San Francisco. However, it won’t be the usual format as in years past. The new format consists of a mini-tournament comprised of four teams: three eight-player All-Star teams to be drafted by Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neale, plus the winner of the Rising Stars challenge. Still, 10 players will be honored as starters, and 24 players will be selected in total.
NBA All-Star voting will conclude on Jan. 20, with the starters revealed on Jan. 23 and the full rosters the following week.
Read the full article here