Giannis Antetokounmpo is the leader of the pack in the first returns of NBA All-Star voting, it was announced Thursday.
Antetokounmpo has amassed 863,416 votes, followed by LeBron James‘ tally of 856,080 atop the Eastern Conference.
The #NBAAllStar Voting First Returns for Eastern Conference players!
VOTE NOW: https://t.co/UjbrNUQ7Vw pic.twitter.com/ltlmLAo6S9
— 2018 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) January 4, 2018
The #NBAAllStar Voting First Returns for Western Conference players!
VOTE NOW: https://t.co/UjbrNUQ7Vw pic.twitter.com/haLOOJnnVd
— 2018 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) January 4, 2018
Kevin Durant is the Western Conference’s leading vote-getter at 767,402.
Per the Journal Sentinel:
Ranked second in player efficiency rating, Antetokounmpo is averaging 29.1 points — the second-most in the NBA — 10.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks while leading the Bucks to a 20-16 record heading into Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
This season, the stakes are higher for the top vote-getter in each conference. Those two players will serve as captains for the 67th All-Star Game, which will be played Feb. 18 in Los Angeles. The captains will first choose from the pool of starters, which are selected by a combination of fan balloting, player votes and media selections. Those captains then will make picks from the reserve pool, which is selected by NBA coaches.
The starters, including the two captains, will be announced Jan. 18 on TNT. The reserves will be unveiled on Jan. 23 on TNT. The next fan voting update will be shared Jan. 11. Voting will conclude at 10:59 p.m. (Central) Jan. 15.
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