The results of the first round of All-Star voting are out: Doncic currently leads in votes, while LeBron and Durant have dropped and Curry has risen.

On December 30th Beijing time, the NBA officially announced the first phase results of the All-Star fan voting. Doncic earned 1,249,518 votes, ranking first overall. Giannis leads the East with 1,192,296 votes. Seven players have exceeded one million votes, including Jokic, Maxey, Brunson, Curry, and Cunningham among them. Unlike last year, the All-Star selection no longer limits positions, so there is no distinction between frontcourt and backcourt. The detailed voting results are as follows:

Western Conference

1. Doncic 1,249,518

2. Jokic 1,128,962

3. Curry 1,031,455

4. Alexander 878,621

5. Wembanyama 769,362

6. Edwards 650,085

7. Avdija 606,299

8. Durant 548,754

9. LeBron James 536,555

10. Reeves 405,379

11. Sengun 308,346

12. Harden 215,301

13. Davis 144,178

14. Jamal Murray 130,656

15. Booker 121,123

16. Markkanen 112,209

17. Butler 111,411

18. Castle 93,133

19. Holmgren 92,210

20. Leonard 85,325

Eastern Conference

1. Giannis 1,192,296

2. Maxey 1,072,449

3. Brunson 1,040,601

4. Cunningham 1,000,171

5. Mitchell 851,155

6. Jalen Brown 808,276

7. Towns 510,577

8. Jalen Johnson 302,367

9. Siakam 155,910

10. Michael Porter Jr. 150,370

11. LaMelo Ball 135,236

12. Ingram 130,618

13. Anunoby 123,349

14. Giddey 115,000

15. Mikal Bridges 113,939

16. Hart 106,037

17. Embiid 102,017

18. Norman Powell 100,390

19. Banchero 99,565

20. Wagner Jr. 98,834

LeBron and Durant’s rankings decline, Curry rises

Compared to last year’s first round All-Star voting results, both LeBron James and Kevin Durant have dropped in rankings, while Curry has climbed. Last year, LeBron was ranked 3rd in the West in the first round votes; this year he is 9th. Durant was 2nd last year, now 8th. Another superstar, Curry, has improved from 8th last year to 3rd this year in the West.

Giannis remains near the top

At the same time last year, Giannis led the entire league in All-Star fan votes. This year, he ranks second, just behind Doncic, who recently changed teams. Doncic now plays for the Lakers in the large Los Angeles media market, while Giannis remains in Milwaukee. His future has been a hot topic in recent months. Despite the Bucks currently holding a 13-19 record, Giannis remains the beloved star of “Cream City.” He is currently first in votes in the Eastern Conference.

LeBron’s votes trail behind Avdija’s

A major surprise in the first round voting: Avdija of the Trail Blazers received more votes than the league’s all-time leading scorer LeBron James, possibly signaling a quiet shift in the NBA era after LeBron’s 20-plus years. Avdija is having a career-best season with Portland, averaging 25.5 points per game thanks to his excellent ability to draw fouls. With 606,299 votes, he ranks 7th among Western Conference fan votes.

Due to sciatica, LeBron’s 23rd NBA season started later than usual. He had been selected to the All-Star team 21 consecutive times, one of many unique achievements in his legendary career. However, in the coming weeks, he needs to catch up in the voting. Currently, he has only 536,555 votes, placing him 9th in the West. Several prominent journalists have already predicted LeBron might miss this year’s All-Star selection.

Maxey and Cunningham lead the new generation

76ers guard Maxey and Pistons guard Cunningham each received over one million votes in the first round, both young guards poised to make their first All-Star starting appearances. Cunningham, who has led the rising Pistons to the top of the East, is considered a strong MVP candidate. The 24-year-old is averaging career-best 26.5 points and 9.6 assists per game. The Pistons currently hold a 24-8 record, 1.5 games ahead of the Knicks.

Maxey, who was an All-Star two seasons ago, is having his best season yet as the 76ers push for the playoffs. The 25-year-old is one of the league’s top scorers, averaging 30.7 points per game.

Clearly, these two Eastern Conference guards have strong popularity and skills—as evidenced by their first-round votes surpassing last season’s MVP Alexander.

Holmgren and Wembanyama are not “rivals”

The first round All-Star voting results confirm Wembanyama’s view: Holmgren is not his direct competitor.

As the Spurs have reemerged as strong contenders in the West, Wembanyama’s popularity has surged. He currently ranks 5th among Western Conference players with 769,362 votes. In contrast, Thunder center Holmgren has only 92,210 votes, placing 19th in the West.

Schedule for the remaining All-Star voting phases

The NBA is expected to release at least one more All-Star fan voting update.

December 30: First round voting results announced

January 7: Second round voting results announced

January 15: Voting closes

January 20: All-Star starters announced

All-Star selection rules

The 2026 NBA All-Star will still feature 24 players, 12 from each conference. The five starters from each conference will be chosen by a combined vote of fans (50%), current NBA players (25%), and a media panel (25%). The seven reserves per conference will be selected by NBA head coaches. This year’s All-Star selection will remove on-court position restrictions.

The All-Star format will be USA Team vs. World Team, with two teams of eight American players each competing against one team of eight international players. Details on how the 16 American players will be split into the two USA teams will be announced later.

If the voting results do not produce at least 16 American players and 8 international players, the NBA will add players to meet this minimum requirement. The supplemental players will be decided by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, meaning at least one team will have more than eight players. The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will take place on February 16, 2026.