How Does NBA All Star Voting Work?

The NBA All-Star Game is the annual showcase of the league’s best players. But how does the voting process work? We break it down for you.

How NBA All-Star Voting Works

The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition game played by the best players in the league. The game is held during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. Fans vote for the players they want to see in the game. Players and a media panel also vote. The starters are announced a week before the game. The reserves are announced two days before the game.

How Fans Can Vote

The NBA has been using fan voting to select the starters for the All-Star Game since the 1951-52 season. Fans can vote for their favorite players via the NBA app or on the league’s website. They can fill out one full ballot per day, and they can select two guards, three frontcourt players and two players regardless of position per conference.

How Players and Media Can Vote

Every fall, the NBA releases a list of players eligible to be voted as starters for the All-Star Game. The list includes 50 players from each conference: 25 frontcourt players (consisting of centers and power forwards) and 25 backcourt players (consisting of point guards and shooting guards). From there, fans have a month to vote for their favorite players via the NBA website, the official NBA app, Twitter, and Facebook.

Players and media members also get a say in who starts the game. Each group gets 25 percent of the vote, while fans continue to account for the remaining 50 percent. Although anyone can vote for whomever they want regardless of conference affiliation, every ballot must include two guards, three frontcourt players, and two wild card selections.

What’s the Purpose of NBA All-Star Voting?

The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition game played by the best players in the league. It is usually held mid-February. This game is a major part of the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. Players from each conference (Eastern and Western) are selected by a combination of fans, media, and current NBA players.

Determining the All-Star Starting Lineups

The starters for the NBA All-Star Game are chosen by a combination of fans, basketball media members, and current NBA players. In the summer, the league office puts out a ballot with two guards and three frontcourt players (forwards and centers) from each conference. Fans then have about a month to vote for their favorites online or via text.

The player with the most votes in each conference is named a starter, regardless of position. The next five highest total vote-getters in each conference are named the reserves. Then, the head coaches from each conference select two additional players to round out their rosters (these are usually players who were snubbed in the voting process). The final rosters are announced a few days before the game.

Determining the All-Star Reserves

The NBA All-Star reserves are selected by a vote among the league’s head coaches. Each coach selects two guards, three frontcourt players and two additional players regardless of position. Coaches are not permitted to vote for players on their own team. The reserves are announced live on TNT seven days before the All-Star Game.

How Has NBA All-Star Voting Changed Over the Years?

With the NBA All-Star game coming up, fans are wondering how their favorite players can make the team. In the past, All-Star voting was done entirely by fans. However, that has changed in recent years. Now, the fans still have a say, but the vote is also tallied with input from NBA players and media members.

All-Star Voting Format Changes

In an effort to make the All-Star game more competitive, the format was changed in 2017. Previously, the two starting lineups were selected by a combination of fan, player, and media voting, with each group accounting for one-third of the vote. The change now has fans responsible for 50 percent of the vote, while players and media will each account for 25 percent.

Players will still vote for other players as they have in the past, but they will only be able to select three frontcourt players and two guards from each conference, regardless of position. Media members will vote for all players regardless of position.

The committee also decided to do away with the traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format. Instead, the two teams will be selected by the leading vote-getters from each conference, regardless of position. The Captain with the most votes in each conference will then draft their own team from a pool of 22 All-Stars (eight reserves and 14 starters).

All-Star Balloting Process Changes

In 1988, the NBA instituted a new rule that allowed fans to vote for All-Star starters for the first time. The process has changed several times over the years, but the basic premise has always been the same: allow fans to have a say in which players they want to see in the All-Star Game.

The rules have changed somewhat over time. For example, in 1996, the NBA began allowing fans to vote via internet, and in 2005, they expanded voting to include text messaging. But perhaps the biggest change came in 2011, when the NBA did away with the traditional East vs. West format for the All-Star Game. Now, players are selected regardless of conference affiliation, and instead Drafted by two captains (who are also named via fan vote).

Despite these changes, one thing has remained consistent: fan voting plays a major role in who makes it to the All-Star Game. So how does NBA All-Star voting work? Read on to find out.

All-Star Balloting Process Changes
In 1988, the NBA instituted a new rule that allowed fans to vote for All-Star starters for the first time. The process has changed several times over the years, but the basic premise has always been the same: allow fans to have a say in which players they want to see in the All-Star Game.

The rules have changed somewhat over time. For example, in 1996, the NBA began allowing fans to vote via internet, and in 2005, they expanded voting to include text messaging. But perhaps the biggest change came in 2011, when the NBA did away with the traditional East vs. West format for the All-Star Game. Now, players are selected regardless of conference affiliation, and instead Drafted by two captains (who are also named via fan vote).

Despite these changes, one thing has remained consistent: fan voting plays a major role in who makes it to the All-Star Game. So how does NBA All-Star voting work? Read on to find out.