See where Ja Morant ranked in the first NBA All-Star fan voting returns
Ja Morant has only played in eight games this season, but that hasn't stopped fans from trying to vote the Memphis Grizzlies star into the All-Star game.
The NBA released the first fan voting returns of the season on Thursday and Morant has received 288,667 votes. That was good for seventh among guards in the Western Conference.
Morant was behind Luka Dončić, Steph Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Edwards and ahead of De'Aaron Fox, Klay Thompson and Austin Reaves in the voting.
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their respective conferences in the first fan returns of #NBAAllStar Voting presented by AT&T.
Fans account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. NBA players and a media panel account for 25% each.
Next fan update: 1/11. pic.twitter.com/KbFeBRTsnF— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 4, 2024
Morant is averaging 25.6 points per game and 8.3 assists since returning on Dec. 19. He was suspended for the first 25 games of the season for conduct detrimental to the league. The Grizzlies are 5-3 in games he's played but started the season 6-19 without him and are currently outside the Western Conference playoff race.
No other Grizzlies players featured in the top 10 vote getters for either the guards or frontcourt. Jaren Jackson Jr. was an All-Star last season, but was not in the top 10. Desmond Bane has been the Grizzlies' top scoring option for most of the season, but he did not make it either. Bane is averaging 24.5 points per game.
The All-Star starters are determined by voting from fans, players and media members. The fan votes count for 50 percent, while the player vote and votes from selected media members each account for 25 percent. The NBA will periodically release returns from the fan votes, and the next returns will be released on Jan. 11.
After the starters are picked, coaches will vote on the reserves. The All-Star teams will be made up of 12 players from each conference (five starters and seven reserves). The 2024 All-Star game will take place on Feb. 18 in Indianapolis.
Morant finished third in voting among Western Conference guards last season and was initially not voted a starter for the All-Star game. He ended up starting, though, as an injury replacement for Curry. He was also a starter during the 2022 All-Star game.
Memphis is back in action Friday on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: See where Ja Morant ranked in the first NBA All-Star fan voting returns
