The NBA is introducing significant changes to its All-Star balloting procedures that will give players and members of the basketball media a say, alongside fans, in voting for All-Star starters.
Fans will continue to account for 50 percent of the vote total for All-Star starters, with players and a panel of media members accounting for 25 percent each.
“I guess they’re trying to fix the deserving factor, maybe,” said Kyrie Irving, a three-time All-Star who was left off the team last year as the Raptors’ Kyle Lowry surged ahead of him in the final round of voting. “Leaving it up to the players, that’s good as well. Leaving it up to the fans, that’s good as well. But the other 25 percent I think they need to throw out.”
All-Star voting is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET on Christmas Day, before the league’s annual holiday slate of five games. The All-Star Game is Feb. 19 in New Orleans.
Players and select media members will be eligible to complete one full ballot each, with players indeed able to vote for teammates or themselves if they wish.
NBA fans, as always, will be eligible to submit one full ballot daily through NBA.com or the league’s smartphone app, as well as through Twitter, Facebook and Google Search, and both Sina Weibo and Tencent Microblogs in China.
The ballot features slots for three frontcourt starters and two backcourt starters from both the Eastern and Western Conference. Fans were first given the opportunity to vote for NBA All-Star starters during the 1974-75 season.
Coaches in the East and West will continue to vote for the seven reserves in each conference.
Source: ESPN