By Can Erozden
ANKARA (AA) – Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is now leading the 2022 NBA All-Star voting with 6.8 million fan votes.
The NBA said on its website on Thursday that 6,827,449 people voted for the 37-year-old small forward.
James, a 17-time NBA All-Star, played 33 games for the Lakers to average 28.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game this season.
LeBron James (Western Conference frontcourt), Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (Western Conference guards), Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant (Eastern Conference frontcourt), and Chicago Bulls' DeMar DeRozan (Eastern Conference guards) continue to top their position groups each in the fan polls.
Curry had at least six million of the votes to lead West guards, Durant racked up 5.4 million votes to top East frontcourt, and 4.1 million people voted for DeRozan to make the Chicago star lead the East guards.
The voting will close on Saturday, and the starters pool will be announced on Jan. 27.
The 2022 NBA All-Star weekend has been scheduled for Feb. 18-20 in Cleveland, Ohio.
- Top fan returns of 2022 NBA All-Star voting:
Western Conference:
Frontcourt
1. LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) – 6,827.449
2. Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) – 4,132.522
3. Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors) – 2,644.571
4. Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers) – 2,312.248
5. Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers) – 2,071.920
6. Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors) – 1,861.562
7. Carmelo Anthony (Los Angeles Lakers) – 1,449.475
8. Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 1,195.004
9. Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz) – 583,976
10. Deandre Ayton (Phoenix Suns) – 472,402
Guards
1. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) – 6,019.418
2. Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) – 2,623.359
3. Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) – 1,923.187
4. Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors) – 1,240.781
5. Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns) – 867,222
6. Russell Westbrook (Los Angeles Lakers) – 855,990
7. Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns) – 758,336
8. Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz) – 612,350
9. Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers) – 458,858
10. Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 304,343
Eastern Conference:
Frontcourt
1. Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) – 5,496.513
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) – 5,124.925
3. Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) – 3,305.229
4. Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) – 1,580.022
5. Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat) – 1,384.267
6. Jarrett Allen (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 507,074
7. Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors) – 424,135
8. Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat) – 417,661
9. Miles Bridges (Charlotte Hornets) – 330,372
10. LaMarcus Aldridge (Brooklyn Nets) – 318,655
Guards
1. DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls) – 4,121.034
2. Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks) – 2,147.111
3. Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls) – 1,988.452
4. James Harden (Brooklyn Nets) – 1,962.928
5. LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets) – 958,717
6. Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets) – 844,398
7. Fred VanVleet (Toronto Raptors) – 577,540
8. Derrick Rose (New York Knicks) – 490,655
9. Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 343,551
10. Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics) – 330,409