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LeBron James is all but assured to be a captain in the All-Star Game yet again this year after the penultimate voting returns show his commanding lead in the Western Conference. LeBron’s 6.5 million votes are nearly 1.5 million more votes than second place Steph Curry and over 500,000 more than Giannis Antetokounmpo for the most in the league.
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their respective conferences in the third fan returns of #NBAAllStar Voting presented by AT&T.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 19, 2023
Fans account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. NBA players and a media panel account for 25% each. pic.twitter.com/nqNZqkeVJw
James has been a captain every season the All-Star Game has had one. In two of the four games with them, he’s squared off against Giannis as the opposing captain. Last year was one of the exceptions as he matched up against Kevin Durant, who is marginally behind Giannis in voting in the Eastern Conference.
LeBron could very well be picking Anthony Davis with his first pick (presumably) as he’s currently locking down the final frontcourt spot but is just roughly 70,000 votes ahead of Zion Williamson.
Russell Westbrook has remained middle of the pack for voting in the backcourt in the Western Conference. In each voting return, he’s been in sixth place. Hilariously, Austin Reaves caught and passed Devin Booker in voting to move up to eighth, a fair representation of their skill levels.
The final “3-for-1 Days” with votes counting for three times takes place on Jan. 20. Unlike previous years, fans cannot vote on Twitter, which means you have to fill out an actual ballot online, which can be found here.
The All-Star game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City. Voting ends on Jan. 21 with starters announced Jan. 26 and the reserves will be announced Feb. 2. The date of the draft itself has not yet been announced.
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