After a couple months of voting, the NBA has unveiled the 2019 All-Star Starters, voted on by the fans, players, and media. LeBron James was the top vote-getter from fan voting, so he is one captain. Giannis Antetokoumpo had the second most votes amongst fans, so he is the other captain. In this new format, which debuted last year, there is no more “East vs West”. Now, both captains draft the teams, playground style. This year, the NBA will televise the draft live on TNT on Feb 7th, which should be tons of fun. The game itself is set for Sunday, Feb 17th in Charlotte.
Let’s break down who is starting, some snubs, and see what players the fans, media, and players voted for.
Starters
Western Conference
As expected, LeBron James takes the top spot for the Western Conference, leading all players in the West by over 7 million votes. Kevin Durant and Paul George finish up the frontcourt spots, surprisingly leaving Anthony Davis off the starters. Davis was 3rd in media and player voting, but 5th in fan voting and Paul George was 3rd. Super-popular rookie Luka Dončić finished 2nd in fan voting amongst frontcourt players but did not crack the top five in either the player or media vote. Steph Curry led the backcourt players in fan voting, and he is joined by the reigning league MVP James Harden. Fan-favorite Derrick Rose was 2nd in fan voting among backcourt players, but Harden was in the top two of media and players voting.
Frontcourt
LeBron James
SF – Lakers
Fan Votes: 4,620,809
15x All-Star
Kevin Durant
SF – Warriors
Fan Votes: 3,150,648
10x All-Star
Paul George
SF – Thunder
Fan Votes: 3,122,346
6x All-Star
Backcourt
Steph Curry
PG – Warriors
Fan Votes: 3,861,038
6x All-Star
James Harden
SG – Rockets
Fan Votes: 2,905,488
7x All-Star
Eastern Conference
Giannis Antetokoumpo is the new face of the Eastern Conference, leading all East players in fan voting, and was the runner-up fan voting for the second straight year. Giannis is joined by Kawhi Leonard and Joel Embiid in the frontcourt. The media, fans, and players all agreed that these three players should start, voting them all in the top three. Kyrie Irving led the East backcourt fan voting, and he is joined by Kemba Walker, who is making his first All-Star start. Dwyane Wade was voted as a starter by the fans, but the players and media each ranked him 6th, ending a starting bid in Wade’s final season.
Frontcourt
Giannis Antetokoumpo
SF – Bucks
Fan Votes: 4,375,747
3x All-Star
Kawhi Leonard
SF – Raptors
Fan Votes: 3,580,531
3x All-Star
Joel Embiid
C – 76ers
Fan Votes: 2,783,833
2x All-Star
Backcourt
Kyrie Irving
PG – Celtics
Fan Votes: 3,881,776
6x All-Star
Kemba Walker
PG – Hornets
Fan Votes: 1,395,330
3x All-Star
Voting Results
In this new format, fan voting counts for 50% of the vote to determine the All-Star starters. The remaining 50% is split evenly between current NBA players and a selected media panel. Each player’s score is then weighted based on the following formula: (Fan Rank * 2 + Player Rank + Media Rank)/4. Sorry for the nerd stuff, but that is how it happens. For the full list of voting, visit NBA.com.
Western Conference
Biggest Snub: Anthony Davis. AD is having one of the best seasons in NBA history and should be an All-Star Starter. Sorry PG.
Biggest Shock: Luka Dončić finishing 2nd in fan voting. Luka is quickly becoming a household name.
Frontcourt
| Player | Fan Vote | Player Vote | Media Vote | Weighted Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. *#LeBron James | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| 2. *Kevin Durant | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.5 |
| 3. *Paul George | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4.0^ |
| 4. Anthony Davis | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4.0^ |
| 5. Luka Dončić | 2 | 8 | 6 | 4.5 |
| 6. Nikola Jokić | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6.0 |
| 7. Steven Adams | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6.75 |
| 8. Draymond Green | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9.0 |
| 9. Karl-Anthony Towns | 11 | 10 | 8 | 10.0 |
| 10. LaMarcus Aldridge | 13 | 6 | 8 | 10.0 |
Backcourt
| Player | Fan Vote | Player Vote | Media Vote | Weighted Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. *Stephen Curry | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.25 |
| 2. *James Harden | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2.25 |
| 3. Derrick Rose | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3.5 |
| 4. Russell Westbrook | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 |
| 5. Damian Lillard | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5.25 |
| 6. Klay Thompson | 5 | 11 | 4 | 6.25 |
| 7. DeMar DeRozan | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7.0 |
| 8. Devin Booker | 10 | 6 | 6 | 8.0 |
| 9. Lonzo Ball | 8 | 14 | 6 | 9.0 |
| 10. Chris Paul | 9 | 14 | 6 | 9.5 |
* Voted to start
# Team captain
^ Tiebreaker for starting spot is fan rank
Eastern Conference
Biggest Snub: Bradley Beal has been playing some good basketball lately, and perhaps deserved a starting nod. His team stinks though, and that came back to bite him.
Biggest Shock: Dwyane Wade not starting shocked me. In his final season, I was almost certain the players would vote him in. I was wrong. Also, shoutout to Vince Carter for finishing 7th in the fan vote.
Frontcourt
| Player | Fan Vote | Player Vote | Media Vote | Weighted Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. *#Giannis Antetokounmpo | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| 2. *Kawhi Leonard | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1.75 |
| 3. *Joel Embiid | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2.5 |
| 4. Jayson Tatum | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4.75 |
| 5. Jimmy Butler | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5.25 |
| 6. Blake Griffin | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6.0 |
| 7. Pascal Siakam | 8 | 10 | 4 | 7.5 |
| 8. Vince Carter | 7 | 12 | 7 | 8.25 |
| 9. Andre Drummond | 12 | 6 | 7 | 9.25 |
| 10. Nikola Vučević | 13 | 9 | 4 | 9.75 |
Eastern Conference Backcourt
| Player | Fan Vote | Player Vote | Media Vote | Weighted Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. *Kyrie Irving | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
| 2. *Kemba Walker | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.5 |
| 3. Dwyane Wade | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4.0 |
| 4. Ben Simmons | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4.0 |
| 5. Victor Oladipo | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4.5 |
| 6. Kyle Lowry | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6.5 |
| 7. Bradley Beal | 10 | 3 | 5 | 7.0 |
| 8. Zach LaVine | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 |
| 9. D’Angelo Russell | 11 | 10 | 8 | 10.0 |
| 10. Eric Bledsoe | 16 | 8 | 8 | 12.0 |
* Voted to start
# Team captain
RosenthalSports.com 