With the third returns from All-Star voting now in, Giannis Antetokounmpo looks to have an insurmountable lead as the East’s top vote-getter.
Now just a few days away from All-Star voting coming to a close for another year, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s spot among the NBA’s true elite remains secure.
The Milwaukee Bucks superstar currently ranks third in overall voting, but while there’s a hotly contested race among the top-three vote-getters in the Western Conference, Giannis is facing no such pressure in the East.
2020 NBA All-Star third returns. Top five vote-getters
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) January 16, 2020
1. Lakers' LeBron James
2. Mavericks' Luka Doncic
3. Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Lakers' Anthony Davis
5. Clippers' Kawhi Leonard pic.twitter.com/SmF8NVMEmQ
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In a fashion befitting of the gap between the Bucks and the rest of the chasing pack in the East, Antetokounmpo is head and shoulders above any other Eastern Conference player, not just in his play but it seems to be in his popularity too.
With a lead of more than 2 million votes over Pascal Siakam, Giannis’ spot as a captain is essentially secured. Joel Embiid, Trae Young, and Jimmy Butler are next up in the Eastern Conference rankings, while unfortunately the likes of Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe still remain absent from the fan vote, and will be left to rely on picks from coaches if they’re to make the All-Star Game.
On the other side, even with Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis within striking distance so to speak, anything other than LeBron James emerging as his Western Conference counterpart over the next few days would be a true shock.
For what it’s worth, Antetokounmpo’s numbers have improved even since last season, undoubtedly helped by the profile boost that came with his MVP win and a deeper Bucks’ playoff run.
Giannis finished last season’s voting with 4,375,747 votes, which left him just under 800,000 votes ahead of the then second placed East vote-getter Kawhi Leonard.
It’s no surprise to see Giannis’ star continue to rise in the game, particularly given the consistency of his truly elite performances from night to night. Now the question will be whether Giannis can leave an even greater mark on the All-Star Game this year.
In the last two seasons, Antetokounmpo has had moments where it looked like he could have been in the mix for the game’s MVP award, and perhaps this year in Chicago he may finally get across the line and achieve that goal.
Final tallies of All-Star fan votes will be released next week as the starters will be revealed on Thursday, February 23 live on TNT.