Lakers News: LA Players Flood Latest All-Star Voting Results
The second batch of 2023 All-Star Game voting returns has arrived, and it looks like four of your Los Angeles Lakers continue to make an impact in the upper echelon of the tallies!
Last week, when the initial results were announced, ageless wonder LeBron James led everyone with 3,168,694 fan votes.
The 18-time All-Star and four-time league MVP, now playing in his 20th season, continues to lead the way this week, having accrued 4,825,229 votes to once again remain in pole position among all players.
Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, the 2014 MVP, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP, are the two immortals with the second- and third-most fan votes (4,509,238 for Durant, 4,467,306 for the Greek Freak).
Shockingly, LA big man Anthony Davis, who hasn't played a game since December 16th and remains out indefinitely with a stress injury in his right foot, is still among the top three Western Conference frontcourt players receiving fan votes, behind James and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, the league's reigning MVP.
Davis is ahead of players like New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who until recently was mostly healthy, Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis, Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (yes, seriously), Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, and Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. This is more a testament to AD's continued popularity than his on-court work this year. He has been great in his 25 healthy games, albeit on a middling team that would miss the play-in tournament if the season ended today. Clippers forwards Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have both missed oodles of games, otherwise they, like Davis, would surely deserve All-Star Game inclusion.
Lakers reserve guards Russell Westbrook and Austin Reaves also somehow both continue to be among the top 10 leading vote recipients among Western Conference guards.
Only two guards and three frontcourt players are selected in each conference, and fan ballot results are weighted towards 50% of the total vote, with the remaining 50% split between media and players. If Davis returns to the floor before the polls close, there is at least a chance he gets voted into one of the 14 All-Star reserve slots by league coaches, but he will not be a starter. Westbrook and Reaves have no shot at All-Stardom this season, unfortunately.
