LEBRON James continues to be a fan favorite wherever conference he plays in, while Giannis Antetokounmpo has taken his spot in the East.
James, the former Cleveland Cavaliers superstar and new Los Angeles Lakers cornerstone, and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Antetokounmpo lead their respective conferences after the first round of the 2019 NBA All-Star voting results ahead of the All-Star game on February 17 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
James has already breached the one million-vote mark with 1,083,363 to emerge on top of the West and overall, while Antetokounmpo leads the East and running second overall with 991,561 votes in the first fan returns.
Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics is running third overall with 910,329 votes, enough to lead East guards, while Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry (793,111) and Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors (774,172) round out the Top 5 overall vote-getters.
The NBA released the results in a press release.
Two surprises are Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Luka Doncic emerging as No. 2 among West frontcourt players, lurking behind James with 679,839 votes, and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Derrick Rose’s resurgence evidenced by being No. 2 among West guards with 698,086 votes.
Another surprise in the West is reigning MVP James Harden of the Houston Rockets only running third behind Rose among guards with 541,606 votes.
The top two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference will be named starters, while coaches select the seven All-Star reserves from each conference.
Like last year, the top vote-getters from each conference will be named captains and will draft their teammates regardless of conference affiliation.
Fans, who account for 50 percent of the vote, alongside 25% from players and 25% from the media, can vote until January 21.
Here is the full tally of the Top Five frontcourt and backcourt players from each conference.
WEST
Frontcourt
- LeBron James 1,083,363
- Luka Doncic 679,839
- Kevin Durant 659,839
- Anthony Davis 605,417
- Paul George 580,055
Backcourt
- Step Curry 793,111
- Derrick Rose 698,086
- James Harden 541,606
- Russell Westbrook 459,792
- Klay Thompson 247,618
EAST
Frontcourt
- Giannis Antetokounmpo 991,561
- Kawhi Leonard 774,172
- Joel Embiid 648,002
- Jimmy Butler 222,206
- Jayson Tatum214,622
Backcourt
- Kyrie Irving 910,329
- Dwyane Wade 409,156
- Kemba Walker 319,519
- Ben Simmons 259,993
- Victor Oladipo 198,009
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