NBA regular season is in full swing, and the league has officially announced the third phase of fan voting results for the 2025 San Francisco All-Star Weekend. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads with a whopping 3,489,956 votes, securing his position as the top vote-getter for the third consecutive period! Additionally, seven other players have received over two million votes: Tatum, Towns, Jokic, James, Durant, Wembanyama, and Alexander. According to the initial voting results, the starting lineups for the East and West are as follows: In the West, it's Jokic + LeBron + KD + Alexander + Curry; in the East, it's Giannis + Tatum + Towns + LaMelo Ball + Mitchell.
In the first and second stages of voting, Giannis from the East outpaced Jokic from the West to become the top vote-getter, a title well-deserved with the highest number of votes in the league! On one hand, Giannis' abilities are unquestionable. This new season, he has played 33 games, averaging an impressive 31.3 points + 11.8 rebounds + 6.1 assists + 1.4 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 60.1%. On the other hand, Giannis' popularity is at the top among mid-career stars, with even strong contenders like Jokic and Tatum unable to match him. Moreover, Giannis' explosive playing style aligns with American aesthetics. It's worth noting that Giannis received a total of 3,489,956 votes, making him the only player in the league to surpass three million votes. In comparison, the second-ranked Jokic received "only" 2,924,436 votes, 560,000 fewer than Giannis. This is a significant gap that will be hard to close, and under these circumstances, Giannis is expected to retain his title as the All-Star vote king.
Apart from Giannis firmly holding onto the top spot, there have been hardly any changes in the starting lineups for the East and West compared to the previous period. However, there are some subtle shifts within the starting lineups, mainly in the West. Firstly, Alexander from the Thunder has solidified his position in the Western backcourt and further widened the gap with Curry. Alexander has amassed a total of 2,405,404 votes; the second-ranked Curry in the Western backcourt has only 1,793,150 votes, approximately 610,000 fewer than Alexander, making it quite challenging to catch up. It's worth mentioning that the third-ranked Luka Doncic in the Western backcourt has garnered 1,678,930 votes, only 120,000 fewer than Curry, which is entirely within reach. Therefore, Curry still needs to work hard if he wants to secure an All-Star starting position.
Secondly, LeBron James from the Lakers has officially overtaken KD from the Suns. In the first and second rounds of voting, KD consistently ranked second in the Western frontcourt, while LeBron was third. The third phase voting results show that LeBron's vote count reached 2,591,287, while KD's was 2,498,843, with LeBron leading by about 100,000 votes. This season, LeBron has played 35 games, averaging 23.6 points + 7.5 rebounds + 8.8 assists, with a shooting percentage of 51.1%; KD has played 30 games, averaging 27.1 points + 6.4 rebounds + 4.2 assists + 1.3 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 52.3%. Once known as the big and small kings of the league, they are still competing today, a touching sight. If they can both be selected for the All-Star starting lineup, it would undoubtedly be a great story!
However, when two tigers fight, one must get hurt, and behind the mantis catching the cicada, the oriole awaits its chance. Wembanyama still has a chance to make a push for the Western All-Star starting lineup. Wembanyama has accumulated 2,200,173 votes, 300,000 fewer than KD; in contrast, Wembanyama was 350,000 votes behind LeBron in the second round. Regardless, Wembanyama's momentum is strong, and even if he cannot secure an All-Star starting position, he certainly deserves a spot on the All-Star team! What do you think, basketball fans? Leave me a comment to discuss your thoughts.