The NBA announced Thursday that Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James are sitting atop the first batch of voting returns for the 2018 All-Star Game.
James, who is aiming for his 14th straight selection to the midseason exhibition, has accumulated more than 856,000 votes, while Antetokounmpo has totaled a shade over 863,000 as the top vote-getter.
The #NBAAllStar Voting First Returns for Western Conference players!
VOTE NOW: https://t.co/UjbrNUQ7Vw pic.twitter.com/haLOOJnnVd
— 2018 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) January 4, 2018
The voting reflects a remarkable start to the season for the 23-year-old Antetokounmpo. He is second in the NBA in scoring (29.1 points per game) and ranks in the top 20 in blocks, steals and rebounds.
Under a new All-Star Game format, the player who receives the most votes in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference will each serve as a captain and will choose teams from the pool of players voted in as starters and reserves.
The starters and captains will be revealed Jan. 18, and the reserves will be announced Jan, 23. Full team rosters will be announced Jan. 25. The All-Star Game is Feb. 18 in Los Angeles.
Voting takes place online here.
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