NBA All-Star fan vote has surprise inclusion in West
NBA fans appear to be at it again this year with trying to cause maximum chaos in All-Star voting.
The league released the results of the first round of fan voting for the 2022 All-Star Game. Included among the leaders for Western Conference guards was Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson, who has yet to even play in a single game this season. Thompson ranked ahead of players like Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Donovan Mitchell.
Thompson’s backcourt partner, Steph Curry, was the runaway leader among West guards and has also received the most votes of any NBA player so far. Luka Doncic and Ja Morant ranked behind Curry in the West guard voting.
Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Nets’ Kevin Durant lead the NBA’s first All-Star fan voting returns: pic.twitter.com/3812PFdcGb
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 6, 2022
The sharpshooter Thompson has not played since 2019 due to injury. He is nearing a return though and appears to have a specific date set.
The fan vote now only accounts for 50 percent of the total weighting with the other 50 percent split between media members and fellow NBA players. It was a change that the league made a few years ago after another Warriors player almost crashed the All-Star Game thanks to fans. But that won’t stop fans this year from showing love to Thompson in the ballot box.
Photo: May 14, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) stands on the court before the start of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers in game one of the Western conference finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports