Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 9th in first All-Star voting tally
Oklahoma City Thunder fans have a little work to do if they’re to get guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into his first All-Star game this year.
The NBA released their first round of voting results on Thursday. The third-year player placed ninth among guards in the Western Conference with 99,286 votes.
It’ll be a tough road up for Gilgeous-Alexander. Here are the top 10 finishers among Western guards in the first round:
Steph Curry: 2,113,178 votes
Luka Doncic: 1,395,719 votes
Damian Lillard: 998,853 votes
Ja Morant: 257,743 votes
Donovan Mitchell: 236,850 votes
Devin Booker: 173,755 votes
Chris Paul: 128,127 votes
CJ McCollum: 104,965 votes
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 99,286 votes
Klay Thompson: 99,094 votes
This season, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 21.8 points, 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 51.2% from the field and 37.5% from 3. Even with the increased role, those shooting percentages are the best of his career.
The fan vote isn’t the end-all, be-all. Fans account for 50% of the vote, while players and media get 25% of the vote apiece.
Fan voting continues through Feb. 16. Starters will be announced Feb. 18 and reserves on Feb. 25.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant lead voting in their respective conferences.
Former Thunder guard Russell Westbrook is ninth among Eastern Conference guards with 137,641 votes.
There may be an actual All-Star game and skills competitions. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarwoski reported Tuesday that the league and players union is negotiating a game that would be played March 7 in Atlanta.
