How to vote for 2020-21 NBA All-Stars?
Excitement for the 2021 NBA All-Star game is in full swing after the league opened up the ballots to fans this week to cast their votes. Although an actual game taking place is still under consideration, basketball addicts can vote for their favorite stars every day until the deadline.
Results of the voting always cause a stir in NBA News with opinion split surrounding those believed to have been robbed of a starting berth. This year is likely to be no different with numerous stars in each position currently being touted to be worthy of selection.
Let's have a look at how the voting will work and where fans can vote for who they believe is worthy of a place as an NBA All-Star.
How NBA All-Star voting works and where to cast your vote
The decision as to whether there will be an NBA All-Star game this year is yet to be announced. However, fans still have the opportunity to vote for their favorite players worthy of a place regardless of whether the spectacle goes ahead or not.
Voting commenced on the 28th of January and will run until 11:59pm ET on the 16th of February with the option of voting for your favorite stars available in multiple ways.
Fans can vote for their NBA All-Star's on the official league website, on the NBA app or on Twitter.
Voting for the NBA All-Star game is limited to two guards and three frontcourt players, which poses problems when there is a disproportionate amount of stars in one position outperforming others.
Fans will be able to submit their votes once per day on NBA.com and through the app while also selecting 10 unique stars per day on Twitter.
There are also 2-for-1 voting days which fans can take advantage of 5 times prior to the 16th of February deadline. These will take place on the 30th of January and the 2nd, 4th, 13th and 16th of February on all platforms.
In the past, there has been disagreement over the weight given to each voter category between the fans, media and players. Currently, fans account for 50% of the NBA All-Star vote with the media and league stars making up the other 50% equally between them.
The top ten voted players will make up the starting lineups, while the player from each conference who receives the most votes will captain the side.
Updates as to how voting is shaping up will be released on the 4th and 11th of February, while TNT will reveal the anticipated NBA All-Star selection live on the 18th. Five days later, the show will also announce who the league's head coaches have picked as reserves for the event.
Will James Harden be selected despite his forced departure out of Houston? Will LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo be voted as captains for a third-straight season? Should there be multiple Utah Jazz members involved considering their current winning streak?
All of these scenarios and more will likely be discussed in the buildup and fallout of the announcement of NBA All-Star voting which makes the process all the more gripping.