Stephen Curry, despite his recent slump, is the NBA’s most popular player according to early returns from All-Star voting. No player has received more votes so far than the Warriors’ two-time MVP.
Curry has received over 2.5 million All-Star votes, leading Kevin Durant (2.3 million) and LeBron James (2 million) in overall counts. The guard who’s averaging 26.8 points, 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game looks like a lock to represent the Western Conference as a starter.
This will be Curry’s eighth All-Star selection of his 13-year career.
The Warriors, who have an NBA-best 29-8 record, will be well-represented at All-Star Weekend in addition to Curry. Forwards Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green have both collected a significant amount of fan support, earning 933,355 and 691,423 votes respectively — fourth and fifth among Western Conference frontcourt players.
Wiggins, who has never been an All-Star, is averaging 19 points per game on career-best shooting efficiency numbers while providing stellar perimeter defense. Green, the six-time All-Defense player, has played in three All-Star Games.
With recent changes to voting rules, the leading vote-getter from each conference is deemed captain. They then select teams in a Draft from a pool of players who have also received enough votes.
Even without playing any games so far, Klay Thompson could earn enough votes to make the All-Star Game as well. He’s currently fourth among Western Conference guards with 367,743 votes. Thompson is expected to return to the court Sunday when the Warriors host the Cavaliers.
The 2022 All-Star Game will tip off in Cleveland on Sunday, Feb. 20.
