Lakers superstar LeBron James and Milwaukee's "Greek Freak" Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their respective conferences in the first tally of fan voting for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game.
While last year's NBA Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons is in the mix, James is the first player to get more than a million votes (1,083,363) for the February 17 showcase in North Carolina.
The league released the first round of balloting updates on Thursday.
The other leading vote-getters in the West include Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic, Golden State Warriors teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Derrick Rose.
Antetokounmpo (991,561) is second overall in the early returns.
The rest of the top five in the East are Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving, Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade.
Philadelphia's Simmons is chasing a backcourt starting spot, with the Australian having so far polled 259, 993 votes.
The fan voting accounts for 50 per cent of the final determination of the 10 All-Star starters, with voting by current NBA players and a media panel each accounting for 25 per cent.
The top vote-getters from each conference will serve as team captains.
They will draft rosters from the players who are named as starters and reserves, regardless of conference affiliation.
The All-Star draft will be televised for the first time this year, revealing the order in which players are picked after such information was kept quiet last year.
Share
