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It's only been a couple of hours since the NBA All-Star starters for this year's game were announced. LeBron James and Kevin Durant were named the two team captains this year because they received the highest number of votes in the Western and Eastern Conference respectively.
Fan votes form a major component of the weighted score that decides the five starters from either conference and help in deciding the two captains. But it's not the only thing considered while deciding the NBA All-Star starters.
How are NBA All-Star starters selected?
NBA All-Star starters are selected by taking fan votes, media votes, and current players' votes into consideration. A weighted score is calculated and that helps in determining the 10 names who get selected as starters for the NBA All-Star Game.
Fan vote makes up 50% of the weightage, media vote gets 25%, and player vote is allotted the remaining 25%. The top two backcourt players and the top three frontcourt players from each conference based on the ascertained score are chosen as the NBA All-Star starters.
This rule was introduced only in 2017 though. Prior to that, fan votes alone decided the NBA All-Star starters. Because of that, we almost had Zaza Pachulia become an All-Star starter over the likes of Kawhi Leonard and a peak DeMarcus Cousins. To avoid further instances of fans nominating improbable names as NBA All-Star starters, the league eventually brought the current system into place.
Who are the starters for the 2020-21 NBA All-Star Game?
The league has now announced the 10 starters who will be featuring from the get-go in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game set to take place on March 7th in Atlanta.
Western Conference Starters
Backcourt - Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic
Frontcourt - LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Jokic
Eastern Conference Starters
Backcourt - Bradley Beal, Kyrie Irving
Frontcourt - Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid
You can check out the full results of the vote, including the final weighted score for either conference below.
