On Thursday, the NBA released the first batch of All-Star fan voting results with Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James leading the way in the initial returns.
All-Star voting, which is up 70% this year, kicked off on Jan. 28 and will run through Feb. 16 with fans accounting for 50% of the vote to determine the five starters from each conference. All current players and a panel of media members will each account for 25% of the vote.
Durant led all Eastern Conference frontcourt players in voting while Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards led all guards. In the West, James topped all frontcourt players in voting as Stephen Curry was the frontrunner among all guards.
While a couple of second-year players were represented on the initial fan voting results, there were no rookies from the 2020 draft class that finished among the leaders in voting.
Kevin Durant (BKN) and LeBron James (LAL) lead their respective conferences in the first fan returns of NBA All-Star Voting 2021.
Stephen Curry (GSW) and Bradley Beal (WAS) join Durant and James as the leaders of their respective position groups. pic.twitter.com/THo3pDGFbq
— Cody Taylor (@CodyTaylorNBA) February 4, 2021
The All-Star Game, which was initially scheduled to take place on Feb. 14 in Indianapolis, Indiana, was canceled in November. However, the NBA and NBPA have reportedly reached an agreement to host the event on March 7 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The revamped format of All-Star Weekend will take place in a single-day event with an East vs. West game and, potentially, a Slam Dunk Contest and 3-point shootout. The full details of the weekend could come as soon as Thursday.
The All-Star starters will be revealed on Feb. 18 on TNT.
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