NBA All-Star voting has changed over time, but this season’s process looks quite similar to last year’s.
How All-Star Starters Are Picked
The starters for the NBA All-Star Game are chosen through a hybrid voting system designed to mix public opinion with inside perspectives:
- Fans: 50% of the vote
- NBA players: 25%
- Media panel: 25%
Each group submits ballots, and the votes are combined to determine the starters at each spot. The players with the highest cumulative votes become All-Star starters.
Fans can vote once per day during the voting window, which opened on Wednesday and runs through Jan 14.
How Reserves Are Selected
Once the starters are locked in, a different group decides the next wave of All-Stars: the NBA head coaches.
Coaches vote for the All-Star reserves, typically seven players from each conference, but they cannot vote for their own players.
What’s Different This Year
A few changes this season are worth noting:
No positional requirements for voting:
In previous years, the starters had to fit specific position slots (two guards, three frontcourt players). This year, ballots are positionless, meaning fans and others can vote for any five players regardless of traditional spots.
New game format (USA vs. World):
Besides the voting itself, the All-Star Weekend format has changed. Instead of the traditional East vs. West exhibition, this year’s All-Star event will feature two U.S. teams and one World team in a round-robin tournament followed by a championship game.
Brooklyn’s only All-Star case
This season, the Nets’ only All-Star contender is their leading scorer, forward Michael Porter Jr., who ranks 14th in the NBA at 25.7 points per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. He is also averaging 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
In a recent article by the New York Post’s Brian Lewis, Porter Jr. explained what an All-Star selection would mean to him.
“It definitely would be a dream come true,” Porter Jr. said. “It was in my mind as a kid to make the NBA, but not only be in the NBA, but be one of the best players in the NBA. And an All-Star selection shows that progress.”
While it has always been a goal, Porter Jr. made it clear that winning remains his priority.
“But it’s definitely not what I’m thinking of,” he said. “I’ve always tried to be more process-oriented and do the right things day to day, game to game, and let the results take care of itself. I feel like when people start focusing and reaching really hard for a result, that’s when it can evade them. If I make it, cool. If not, I’m going on vacation. So I’m not really tripping either way.”
Of course, making the All-Star team won’t be easy when your team has the sixth worst record in the league.
Might anyone get some votes? Nic Claxton is having the best season of his career. He’s averaging 13.5 points on 56.4% shooting overall an has upped his free throw percentage from 51.3% last season to nearly 70% so far this season. He’s also averaging 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
Where to vote? Right here!
