<p>
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game feels like a changing of the guard. Living legends like LeBron James and Kevin Durant are lagging behind in fan voting so far, while younger stars like Victor Wembanyama, Tyrese Maxey, and Deni Avdija have surged ahead. There’s only one week left for fan voting, and about a month after that, the 2026 NBA All-Star Game will go down on Feb. 15 from Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome.
The format of the NBA All-Star Game has changed significantly, but 12 players from the East and the West will still be named All-Stars. This year’s USA vs. The World format will feature two American teams of eight players and one international team also made up of eight players. Commissioner Adam Silver will step in to even the teams if the numbers don’t work out exactly. The fan vote still makes up 50 percent of the tally for the starters (the players and media get the other 25 percent), and the reserves will be chosen by the coaches.
A new round of fan voting results were released by ESPN insider Shams Charania on Tuesday. Here’s what the fan have right and wrong so far.
What fans got right in 2026 NBA All-Star Game voting so far
- Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the best player in the East: Giannis has missed 14 games already, but there’s still no coming close to touching his impact in the East. The Bucks star is scoring more than a point per minute right now, which no one has done since Wilt Chamberlain. He deserves to be showered in fan votes despite some nagging injuries.
- LeBron James doesn’t deserve to be an All-Star starter: LeBron James has dominated All-Star fan voting his entire career, and it would be understandable if the fans wanted to vote him in one more time at age-41. The reality is that there are far more deserving players for that honor this year, and LeBron just hasn’t played enough games or played well enough to get a starting nod. The coaches aren’t going to give him a sympathy vote, so it really looks like we might have an All-Star Game without LeBron this year. He’s made 21 consecutive All-Star Game appearances, but it might be over unless Adam Silver steps in.
- Stephen Curry is still that guy: Stephen Curry is 37 years old, and his Golden State Warriors are a fallen dynasty, but he’s still as electric as any offensive player in the league. So far this year, Curry ranks as the NBA’s fourth best offensive player by EPM. He remains by far the best shooter in the world with league-leading three-point volume on a per-possession basis while still knocking down 40 percent of those looks. LeBron might not deserve an All-Star nod anymore, but Steph still does despite 10 missed games.
- Michael Porter Jr. deserves All-Star recognition: Porter Jr. has been sensational as he’s transitioned from a Nuggets’ role player to the lead dog on the Nets. Brooklyn is terrible by design for lottery reasons, but head coach Jordi Fernandez has fully unlocked MPJ by significantly raising his usage and altering his play types. I remember covering MPJ as a high school player, and he was always supposed to have this type of upside; the injuries just took it away from him. The Nets’ lost season shouldn’t be held against Porter Jr. If he’s still in the East by the All-Star Game (he should be one of the league’s top trade candidates), he deserves to be an All-Star reserve. The fans have right to have him top-10 in the East.
What fans got wrong in 2026 NBA All-Star game voting so far
- Tyrese Maxey shouldn’t be ahead of Cade Cunningham: It’s fair to knock Cunningham for his middling scoring efficiency and turnover issues, but that overlooks so much about what makes him great. The former No. 1 pick has carried the Pistons to the top of the East this year by overpowering smaller guards on his way to the basket (and the free throw line) and by playing a major role on one of the league’s best defenses. Detroit needs Cade to create everything in the halfcourt, so of course he won’t be the most efficient scorer. More telling is that Cunningham has a +8.5 on/off net-rating this year. His impact can’t fully be captured in the numbers, but he deserves to be a starter along with Jalen Brunson in the East.
- Deni Avdija deserves to be an All-Star, but he’s still too high: I’ve been on the Deni-for-All-Star train since the start of the year. The forward just turned 25 years old, and he’s taken a huge leap this year mostly with his battering ram drives that get him to the foul line. There are numerous players in the West who should be ahead of him, though, and his vote total is honestly shocking. Never in a million years would I have guessed that Avdija would get more fan votes than LeBron even with the 41-year-old’s injuries. To me this is the single most surprising thing about the All-Star fan voting results this year.
- Paolo Banchero doesn’t deserve to be top-20 in the East: The biggest drop out from the last round of voting results to this one is Magic forward Paolo Banchero. I’ve always been a big Paolo guy, but the reality is that he just hasn’t played winning basketball this year. Orlando is +2.7 with him off the floor, and -1.6 with him on the floor. He’s arguably been the most disappointing player in the league this season. Not even being top-20 in the East is bleak for the former No. 1 overall pick, but it’s also fair.
- Jaylen Brown deserves to be an All-Star starter: The Celtics have stayed in the elite tier of the East even without Jayson Tatum this season, and Jaylen Brown’s improved shot-making is a big reason why. Brown is absolutely on-fire as a shooter from long two-point range, his finishing is better than ever, and he takes on tough defensive assignments every night. I know his on/off splits are ugly, but Boston deserves a starter for their surprising success this year, and Brown makes the most sense even if Derrick White may be quietly their most valuable player.
</p><p><a href=”https://www.sbnation.com/nba/1098806/nba-all-star-2026-fan-voting-results-right-wrong-lebron-james-deni-avdija” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Source</a></p>
