The first returns for fan voting for the 2020 NBA All-Star game, which will be held at the United Center in Chicago came back on Thursday, and the top vote getters in their respective conferences were Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, with Doncic leading Antetokounmpo by 599 votes.
Fans are able to vote for the 10 starters in the All-Star game, and those fan votes account for50%, while the media accounts for the other 50%. Fan votes used to completely choose the starters, but for reasons that are blatantly obvious every year, the media helps out. Alex Caruso of the Los Angeles Lakers and Tacko Fall of the Boston Celtics were in the top tenof their respective positions/conferences in fan voting.
Caruso is a role player for the Lakers,and Fall has seen some garbage time minutes with the Celtics, so you can see why people get frustrated with fan voting (even though these two players are beloved by fans and media alike.) On the other end of the spectrum, Doncic is absolutely deserving of being the top vote getter, whether it ends that way or not.
In his second season, he has continued his incredible success that he started during his first campaign, which won him rookie of the year. Doncic is averaging 20 PPG, 9.5 RPG and 8.9 APG, leading the Mavericks to the fifth best record in the West as they near the halfway point of the season. Doncic has taken the league by storm, and having a huge presence in the States as well as overseas, it would not be shocking if he were to finish as the top vote getter, and solidified himself as an All-Star in NBA.
Voting will continue until January 20, and the All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, February 16.