Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam is sixth in the Eastern Conference’s frontcourt after the first NBA All-Star fan voting returns. No other Raptor made the top 10 in the East’s frontcourt or backcourt.
LeBron James had 3,168,694 votes entering Thursday, topping the list of Western Conference frontcourt players. Denver’s Nikola Jokic is second (2,237,768) and the Lakers’ Anthony Davis is third (2,063,325).
Kevin Durant leads Eastern Conference frontcourt players with 3,118,545 votes. That’s just ahead of Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (2,998,327) and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (2,226,712).
Golden State’s Stephen Curry leads all guards in the balloting with 2,715,520 votes. Dallas’ Luka Doncic has the No. 2 spot among West guards with 2,388,502 votes.
Among East guards, Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving leads with 2,071,715 votes, and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell is second with 1,637,374.
The top three frontcourt players and top two guards in each conference will be chosen as starters, with the leading overall vote-getters from each conference serving as captains and choosing their teams.
Fan voting counts for 50 per cent of the starters balloting, a media ballot counts for 25 per cent and the ballots turned in by NBA players count for the other 25 per cent.
James has been a captain in all five previous uses of that process, going 5-0 in All-Star Games. His team beat a Durant-picked team in 2020 and 2021, beat teams picked by Antetokounmpo in 2018 and 2019, and beat a team picked by Curry in 2017.
Voting continues through Jan. 21. The captains and the starters will be announced Jan. 26. Reserves _ chosen by NBA coaches _ will be revealed Feb. 2, and the game is Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City.
—With files from the Associated Press.