Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic remain tops in second round of fan voting for the NBA All-Star Game

Fans know who they want: The 10 All-Star starters from the first round of fan voting a week ago remain the 10 who would leave after another week of voting was added to the totals.

Luka Dončić remains the most voted overall, while Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the East in the second round of fan voting published by the NBA. Two international players getting the most votes seem fitting in the year the All-Star Game becomes a three-team format USA vs. Three-Team World – and returns to NBC as it debuts on Peacock. Five of the 10 aspiring starters are international players.

Announcement

Here’s who fans have voted as starters in each conference up to this point (voting runs through January 14):

Western Conference

Luka Doncic, Lakers (2,229,811 votes)
Nikola Jokić, Nuggets (1,998, 560)
Stephen Curry, Warriors (1,844,903)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (1,554,468)
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (1,321,985)

Eastern Conference

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (2,092,284 votes)
Jalen Brunson, Knicks (1,916,497)
Tyrese Maxey, 76ers (1,908,978)
Cade Cunningham, Pistons (1,752,801)
Donovan Mitchell, Knights (1,530,237)

Some thoughts on the vote so far:

• Consider this a reminder that fan voting counts for 50% of who becomes an All-Star Game starter. Fan voting is combined with select player (25%) and media (25%) voting to determine the final 10 starters. Next, a vote of the coaches chooses the seven reserves for each conference. Those players will be split into three teams for this year’s game (more on the format below).

Announcement

• The only change in the top five in either conference is that Jalen Brunson leapfrogged Tyrese Maxey to become the second-highest rated in the East, but none of the players have changed.

• If I had to bet on anything that will change once player and media votes are added, it would be that Boston’s Jaylen Brown will surpass Donovan Mitchell and slot into the East’s starting five.

• Nikola Jokic remains unavailable due to a knee hyperextension. However, the latest reports suggest he is expected to return in late January, meaning he could play in the All-Star Game. Even if the timing is optimistic and he stays out longer, Jokic will be voted an All-Star starter, and if he can’t play, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will replace him.

• LeBron James leapfrogged Kevin Durant in the latest vote count, and the legends of the game are No. 8 and 9 in Western voting. It’s hard to imagine an All-Star Game without these two future Hall of Famers, but after LeBron missed significant time early in the season, it’s possible it will take a special invitation and designation from Commissioner Silver. That said, there’s no way the All-Star Game will come to Los Angeles — Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., the home of the LA Clippers — and LeBron won’t play.

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• A year ago, LaMelo Ball was the runaway leader in fan votes in the East (but he didn’t make it to the All-Star Game because he had no players or media votes to start, so coaches didn’t select him as a reserve. This season he’s 11th in the East, behind Pascal Siakam and Michael Porter Jr.

All-Star Game format

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock – right in the middle of the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. It was a perfect setup for the first-of-its-kind All-Star Game, pitting the best of the United States against the best of the world.

The 24 All-Star players (10 voted starters, 14 coaches-selected reserves) will be divided into three teams – two U.S. teams and one world team – who will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games. Each of the three teams will have a minimum of eight players (if the US or World teams are short of players, the league office will select one or more players to meet the required number).

Announcement

At the end of the round-robin play, the top two teams will play a championship match (the fourth 12-minute match of the day) for the title.

All-Star Weekend begins February 13 with the Rising Stars at the Intuit Dome at 6pm PT, featuring the league’s top first- and second-year players. Also on the 13th, the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will be held, featuring media, sports and entertainment stars at the Kia Forum. The Forum also hosts the fifth annual NBA HBCU Classic at 8pm that evening.

All-Star Saturday night will take place at the Intuit Dome on Saturday, February 14, featuring the Skills Challenge, 3-point Contest and Dunk Contest.

The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, February 15 at 5pm Eastern, earlier than previous years, ensuring greater coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Announcement

How to watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock

NBA Peacock Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week during the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday features doubleheaders on Tuesday nights during the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8pm ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones and an 8pm PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings every week. Both games will be streamed live nationwide Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball on NBC and Peacock on February 1, 2026. For the complete NBA schedule on NBC and Peacock, Click here.