LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers high fives fans following the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 8, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Cavaliers defeated the Suns 120-116. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James remains the top overall vote-getter in the second returns of NBA all-star fan balloting announced Thursday, with more than one million votes.
Three-time NBA champion James, already 12-time NBA all-star, has received 1.06 million votes and leads Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (963,110) in voting for Eastern Conference frontcourt players.
Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving, a three-time all-star, is first among backcourt players in the East with 971,362 votes, ahead of the 514,866 of Chicago Bulls star Dwyane Wade.
In the Western Conference, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, the reigning two-time Most Valuable Player, leads all vote-getters with 990,390 in voting for backcourt players.
Warriors teammate Kevin Durant leads the list of frontcourt players (987,479).
In revised voting procedures this year, fans account for 50 percent of the all-star vote, and the remaining 50 percent is divided among media members and NBA players.
The five players (two guards and three frontcourt players) with the best score in each conference will be named NBA All-Star Game starters. Voting concludes on January 16 and the starters for the February 19 All-Star Game in New Orleans will be announced on January 19.