The best and worst of 2025 NBA All-Star fan voting so far
There are always more deserving players for the NBA All-Star Game than there are spots on the team. As the league changes to a bizarre new All-Star format this season, the voting for the starters remains the same. Three front-court players and two backcourt players will be chosen from each conference, with the fan vote making up 50 percent of the final tally, and the player vote and media vote making up the other 25 percent each.
The first round of fan voting has been released for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, and there are already some big hits and misses. The league will release two more updates this month before the starters are revealed on Thursday, Jan. 23. The All-Star reserves will be announced on Jan. 30. Read our take the new NBA All-Star format here.
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sun, Feb 16, 2025 at the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors. Here’s a first look at 2025 NBA All-Star voting, with a breakdown of what the fans got right and wrong.
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What fans got right in 2025 NBA All-Star Game voting so far
- The Eastern Conference front-court is perfect: Lock it in right now: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Karl-Anthony Towns should all be starters in the Eastern Conference. Antetokounmpo is a serious MVP candidate right now, and you can make a case that he’s having the best year of his career after carrying the Bucks to the NBA Cup title. Tatum has been fantastic again for the Celtics, and is on his way to being named First-Team All-NBA for the fourth straight seasons. KAT has been as good as the Knicks could have hoped after swinging a bold trade for him just before the season started. The big man is averaging 25 points per game on stunning 66.2 percent true shooting while also leading the league in rebounding percentage. Other names need not apply, because this should be the East front-court.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is lapping the field for backcourt votes: The best guard in the NBA resides in Oklahoma City. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently in a too-close-to-call MVP race with Nikola Jokic, and he’s been carrying the Thunder to the top of the West after a significant hip injury to his top teammate, Chet Holmgren. SGA pops off for 30+ points seemingly every night with the league’s most unstoppable mid-range scoring package. It would have been understandable if Stephen Curry jumped him in voting with the game taking place at his home arena, but the fans did well to recognize Gilgeous-Alexander’s greatness.
- Donovan Mitchell deserves to be rewarded for the Cavs’ amazing start: The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the best team in the NBA to start the year with a 29-4 record to begin the season. Part of the reason the Cavs are so good is because they don’t need Mitchell to carry such a heavy load this year thanks to the development of their other players. The star guard is averaging his fewest field goal attempts and points per game since his rookie year, but he’s still been outstanding in his opportunities. The Cavs could get as many as three All-Stars (and Jarrett Allen will probably help headline snub lists), but they deserve to have a starter, and Mitchell remains the obvious pick even with a downtick in usage.
What fans got wrong in 2025 NBA All-Star Game voting so far
- C’mon, LaMelo Ball should not be the East backcourt leading vote-getter: I’m as big of a LaMelo Ball guy as they come. I ranked him as the top prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft, and have been encouraged by his development ever since. Ball is having a fantastic year as one four players currently averaging more than 30 points per game, but he’s once again had trouble staying healthy and impacting winning. Charlotte’s record in games Ball has appeared in is only 6-16. He shouldn’t be starting ahead of Jalen Brunson in the East backcourt. Speaking of the East backcourt …
- How did Darius Garland miss the top-10 of East backcourt voting? Garland has been sensational for Cleveland this year, and his return to stardom after a broken jaw last season is a major reason the Cavs have been so good thus far. I had to double-check this list to make sure I correctly read that Jordan Poole is in the top-10 of East backcourt voting, but Garland isn’t. Averaging 20.5 points and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 42.7 percent from three, Garland has a legit case to start for the East. He’s become one of the most underrated players in the league.
- Victor Wembanyama should be starting this game for the West: It’s hard to get too mad at the fans for wanting to see LeBron James and Kevin Durant, though. Wemby has been better than both by establishing himself as the best defender in the league before he’s old enough to walk into a bar. He’s a clear All-NBA candidate this year, and he’s going to give the Spurs a chance to make the playoffs. Wemby is going to a long run of MVP contention coming up, and we don’t know how many more times we’ll see LeBron and KD in the All-Star Game. The young Spurs star should be a starter, but I’m not too mad about it. While we’re at it, someone please get Jaren Jackson Jr. a few more votes, because he’s been phenomenal for the Grizzlies this year.
