There are always more deserving players for the NBA All-Star Game than there are spots on the team. As the league changes to a bizarre new All-Star format this season, the voting for the starters remains the same. Three front-court players and two backcourt players will be chosen from each conference, with the fan vote making up 50 percent of the final tally, and the player vote and media vote making up the other 25 percent each.
The first round of fan voting has been released for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, and there are already some big hits and misses. The league will release two more updates this month before the starters are revealed on Thursday, Jan. 23. The All-Star reserves will be announced on Jan. 30. Read our take the new NBA All-Star format here.
The 2025 NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sun, Feb 16, 2025 at the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors. Here’s a first look at 2025 NBA All-Star voting, with a breakdown of what the fans got right and wrong.
What fans got right in 2025 NBA All-Star Game voting so far
The Eastern Conference front-court is perfect : Lock it in right now: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Karl-Anthony Towns should all be starters in the Eastern Conference. Antetokounmpo is a serious MVP candidate right now, and you can make a case that he’s having the best year of his career after carrying the Bucks to the NBA Cup title. Tatum has been fantastic again for the Celtics, and is on his way to being named First-Team All-NBA for the fourth straight seasons. KAT has been as good as the Knicks could have hoped after swinging a bold trade for him just before the season started. The big man is averaging 25 points per game on stunning 66.2 percent true shooting while also leading the league in rebounding percentage. Other names need not apply, because this should be the East front-court.
: Lock it in right now: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Karl-Anthony Towns should all be starters in the Eastern Conference. Antetokounmpo is a serious MVP candidate right now, and you can make a case that he’s having the best year of his career after carrying the Bucks to the NBA Cup title. Tatum has been fantastic again for the Celtics, and is on his way to being named First-Team All-NBA for the fourth straight seasons. KAT has been as good as the Knicks could have hoped after swinging a bold trade for him just before the season started. The big man is averaging 25 points per game on stunning 66.2 percent true shooting while also leading the league in rebounding percentage. Other names need not apply, because this should be the East front-court. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is lapping the field for backcourt votes : The best guard in the NBA resides in Oklahoma City. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently in a too-close-to-call MVP race with Nikola Jokic, and he’s been carrying the Thunder to the top of the West after a significant hip injury to his top teammate, Chet Holmgren. SGA pops off for 30+ points seemingly every night with the league’s most unstoppable mid-range scoring package. It would have been understandable if Stephen Curry jumped him in voting with the game taking place at his home arena, but the fans did well to recognize Gilgeous-Alexander’s greatness.
: The best guard in the NBA resides in Oklahoma City. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently in a too-close-to-call MVP race with Nikola Jokic, and he’s been carrying the Thunder to the top of the West after a significant hip injury to his top teammate, Chet Holmgren. SGA pops off for 30+ points seemingly every night with the league’s most unstoppable mid-range scoring package. It would have been understandable if Stephen Curry jumped him in voting with the game taking place at his home arena, but the fans did well to recognize Gilgeous-Alexander’s greatness. Donovan Mitchell deserves to be rewarded for the Cavs’ amazing start: The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the best team in the NBA to start the year with a 29-4 record to begin the season. Part of the reason the Cavs are so good is because they don’t need Mitchell to carry such a heavy load this year thanks to the development of their other players. The star guard is averaging his fewest field goal attempts and points per game since his rookie year, but he’s still been outstanding in his opportunities. The Cavs could get as many as three All-Stars (and Jarrett Allen will probably help headline snub lists), but they deserve to have a starter, and Mitchell remains the obvious pick even with a downtick in usage.
What fans got wrong in 2025 NBA All-Star Game voting so far