Coming into the season, many expected Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Luka Doncic to have his best years to date. Getting himself into outstanding shape in the offseason and having extra motivation after being traded away last season, there was a lot of anticipation for Doncic coming into the year.
Thankfully, Doncic has been all that and more as he leads the NBA in scoring while ranking in the top five in both assists and steals. With voting underway for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, Doncic is being powered not only by his performance, but also the backing of Lakers fans everywhere. With that being the case, it should come as no surprise that he is the leading vote getter in the first NBA All-Star voting returns, via NBA PR:
Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their conferences in the first fan returns in NBA All-Star Voting 2026.
Fans (50% of the vote) join NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%) in selecting five players in each conference honored as starters.
Next fan update: 1/6. pic.twitter.com/pHykl9yhTE
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 29, 2025
Of course, Doncic isn’t the only Lakers player represented as LeBron James is ninth in the West and Austin Reaves is right behind him at 10th. But at just under 1.25 million votes, Luka is about 60,000 votes ahead of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo as the leading vote getter in the league.
James is beginning to round into form as he eased his way back into things after missing the first 14 games of the season with sciatica. Reaves has been outstanding and seemed poised to make his first All-Star appearance, but is now out for at least four weeks with a calf injury.
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is the second-leading vote getter in the West, followed by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
In the East, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey is second behind Antetokounmpo with Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons and Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers rounding out the top five.
There is still plenty of time to vote and the format is still the same with fan vote accounting for 50% of the starter vote with players and media also accounting for 25% apiece. There is also a brand new All-Star Game format this year with two teams of 16 US-born players along with one team of eight international players facing off in a round robin tournament.
Luka Doncic says he and LeBron James must set tone for Lakers’ effort
With Reaves out, Doncic and James were able to end the Lakers’ three-game losing streak with a dominant victory over the Sacramento Kings. The team’s effort and energy were good and Doncic admitted that the onus is on James and himself to set the tone when it comes to that.
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