LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo heavy favorites to be All-Star captains
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo remain heavy favorites to represent their conferences as captains for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game in the second round of fan voting results, released Thursday.
James led all players with 2,779,812 votes since polls opened on Christmas. Antetokounmpo isn’t far behind with 2,670,816. The next-closest player in the East behind Giannis is Kyrie Irving (2,381,901), and rookie sensation Luka Doncic (2,220,077) is second to James in the West. Kawhi Leonard (2,092,806) and Stephen Curry (2,094,158) are the only other players in excess of two million votes.
Two guards and three frontcourt players will be selected from each conference to serve as starters. The remaining All-Stars will be selected by coaches. The leading vote-getter from the East and West will then pick teams from the player pool in a televised draft prior to the Feb. 17 game in Charlotte.
Fan votes, as currently constituted, would also include Paul George, Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade among the pool of All-Star starters, ahead of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Victor Oladipo.
Keep in mind, voting for fans will remain open through Jan. 21, and those results only count 50 percent toward the selections. Players and media split the remaining 50 percent, and because Rose and Wade, in particular, are unlikely to crack many of those ballots, it is highly unlikely that any of the anomalies in the first two rounds of fan voting results will stand when starters are announced on TNT on Jan. 24.
Here are the complete results from the second round of fan voting, as released by the NBA:
Western Conference
Frontcourt
1. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers (2,779,812)
2. Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks (2,220,077)
3. Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder (1,717,968)
4. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors (1,717,968)
5. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans (1,564,347)
6. Steven Adams, Thunder (1,034,014)
7. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets (740,918)
8. Kyle Kuzma, Lakers (584,842)
9. Draymond Green, Warriors (411,131)
10. DeMarcus Cousins, Warriors (276,849)
Guards
1. Stephen Curry, Warriors (2,094,158)
2. Derrick Rose, Minnesota Timberwolves (1,986,840)
3. James Harden, Houston Rockets (1,674,660)
4. Russell Westbrook, Thunder (1,494,382)
5. Klay Thompson, Warriors (706,960)
6. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers (610,839)
7. DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs (594,012)
8. Lonzo Ball, Lakers (529,164)
9. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (310,944)
10. Chris Paul, Rockets (306,808)
Eastern Conference
Frontcourt
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (2,670,816)
2. Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors (2,092,806)
3. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers (1,710,229)
4. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics (599,289)
5. Jimmy Butler, 76ers (569,354)
6. Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons (500,072)
7. Vince Carter, Atlanta Hawks (273,719)
8. Gordon Hayward, Celtics (237,813)
9. Pascal Siakam, Raptors (206,290
10. Al Horford, Celtics (199,474)
Guards
1. Kyrie Irving, Celtics (2,381,901)
2. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat (1,199,789)
3. Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets (858,798)
4. Ben Simmons, 76ers (695,032)
5. Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers (567,893)
6. Kyle Lowry, Raptors (488,825)
7. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls (330,504)
8. Jeremy Lin, Hawks (200,648)
9. Goran Dragic, Miami Heat (191,541
10. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards (168,137)
Click here for the first round of fan voting results.
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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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