NBA All-Star voting: LeBron James, Kevin Durant headline first batch of NBA All-Star votes

The first round of the NBA All-Star voting is out and Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James were atop their respective conference lists. Durant and James were the only two players to receive more than 2 million votes, along with Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry. The Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal, who is also the NBA top scorer this season, joins Durant and James as one of the leaders in their respective position groups.

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Kevin Durant NBA All-Star votes: Nets star pips LeBron James in first round of fan voting 

LeBron James and Kevin Durant led their respective conferences in the first fan returns of NBA All-Star Voting 2021. Durant, who made his return after missing all of last season, led all players with 2,302,705 votes, slightly ahead of James' 2,288,676, the top total in the Western Conference.  KD has averaged a remarkable 30.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 17 games for the Nets, while LeBron has shown no signs of slowing down, averaging 25.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. Steph Curry was the runaway leader for the top spot among West guards, with the Golden State Warriors star only third behind KD and LeBron in overall voting. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard follow Curry in the West guards. 

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Following Kevin Durant in East frontcourt is Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid, and the trio are well ahead of Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum in fourth. Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal leads all East backcourt players in the voting, closely followed by Durant's Nets teammates James Harden and Kyrie Irving.  Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young were left trailing at fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. 

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In the Western Conference, LeBron James was followed in the frontcourt by Denver Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic, LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Lakers teammate Anthony Davis. Leonard's teammate Paul George was a distant fifth with New Orleans’ Zion Williamson finishing sixth. The All-Star voting began last week with fans able to vote either via the NBA's website, its app or on Twitter, and will continue through February 16. The NBA All-Star team, which is determined through fan voting (which accounts for 50% of the vote), media voting (25%) and player voting (25%) will be announced two days later. The reserves for the NBA All-Star team, which is voted on by the NBA's coaches, will be announced on TNT on February 23.

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(Image Courtesy: Nba.com, Lakers Instagram)