Overview
- Luka Dončić leads overall with 2,229,811 votes and Giannis Antetokounmpo tops the East with 2,092,284 in the league’s second fan returns, with Nikola Jokić third at 1,998,560.
- Fan voting closes Jan. 14 at 11:59 p.m. ET, with starters revealed Jan. 19; fans account for 50% of starter selection, players 25% and a media panel 25%, while coaches choose the reserves.
- Jokić’s Dec. 29 left-knee hyperextension came with an initial four-week timeline that threatens his 65-game award eligibility, though reports indicate he is tracking toward a return by the All-Star break.
- Analysts project that as many as seven of last season’s 15 All-NBA honorees could be ineligible under the 65-game policy, a shift that carries major contract and bonus ramifications for multiple players.
- The 2026 All-Star event adopts a new United States vs. World format with three teams of eight in a round-robin of 12-minute games, and the commissioner can add players to ensure required nationality counts.