Giannis in Line to Start the All-Star Game After First Round of Voting Results

The preliminary results are in, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is in line to become the Milwaukee Bucks’ first All-Star starter since Sidney Moncrief in 1986 and their first All-star period since Michael Redd in 2004. The NBA shared the first round of All-Star voting results today, and Giannis is ranked 2nd in the East among frontcourt players with 500,663 votes, merely 94,625 behind the leading vote-getter and most popular player in the world, Lebron James.

What’s staggering - and perhaps not surprising given his bounding leaps towards superstardom this season - is the company he keeps among players receiving the highest vote totals. Giannis has the 7th most votes in the entire NBA, behind Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. You read that right, that’s Giannis slotted right alongside a glut of players considered among the league’s finest.

Beyond the company he keeps atop the overall leaderboard, Giannis is well ahead of the third-leading frontcourt player in the East, Kevin Love, by over 250,000 votes. Overcoming that gulf is a tall order, so while we won’t get another set of results until next week, it seems safe to assume Giannis is in line to start for the East in New Orleans.

Besides the outlying and international superstar Zaza Pachulia, whose 439,675 votes has him second among West frontcourt players, Giannis is firmly ahead of other young stars like Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Jabari Parker also ranked 10th among frontcourt players in the East, a refreshing nod to his strong season alongside Giannis’ breathtaking one. He may not break onto the team this year, but the fact he’s even on the list is an encouraging sign for his potential next season.

The next update is set to drop on January 12th, with voting concluding on January 16th at Midnight ET. Here’s our All-Star voting primer if you need a refresher. Feel free to peruse the full results below and continue pinching yourself over Giannis’ place on the list.