Who are NBA players' favorite players? All-Star vote tells the tale

It’s well-known how much of a popularity contest All-Star voting is, but what you’re about to find out is that this extends beyond fans voting their favorite players into the prestigious game… it also applies when players vote for their peers. Now, players only received an All-Star ballot starting in 2016-17, so some of these results are a bit wonky, as several names on this list had long stretches of their primes occur before that change. Still, it’s a fun little case study.

Below, we statistically break down which NBA players are the most popular among their peers when it comes to All-Star voting based on the share of player ballots in which they have appeared during their time in the league.

Notably absent from this list are the likes of Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Jaylen Brown, which just goes to show that peer voting doesn’t always align with on-court performance.

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 55.70 percent of player All-Star ballots

An extremely popular player among his peers, two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo holds a sizable lead over the No. 2 finisher in this exercise. He is also the only one to ever crack 70 percent of the player All-Star vote, a feat he pulled off in 2018-19 when he earned an astounding 73.9 percent. That’s the single-highest mark in our entire database.

In fact, Antetokounmpo owns the three highest single-season totals in this category, also garnering 68.28 percent in 2017-18 and 67.89 percent in 2019-20. The Greek Freak has led the player vote four times as well, making him easily the most popular All-Star selection among his peers since the NBA started letting players vote in 2016-17.

Being in the less talent-laden Eastern Conference surely helped him perform so well here, but even so, the numbers are jarring.

Giannis Player All-Star Vote

2. LeBron James: 47.72 percent

The NBA’s GOAT, according to us, LeBron James has led the player All-Star vote twice in his career, although surely that number would be much higher if players had started voting prior to 2016-17.

There’s been a clear decline in the vote for James of late, as he went from getting 66.47 percent of the vote in 2017-18 to just 13.73 percent in 2025-26.

Again, James would have way more player All-Star votes under his belt if his athletic prime had taken place after 2015-16. James led the player vote twice in his career, at 61.11 percent in 2016-17 to 56.17 percent in 2020-21, an impressive feat in its own right.

LeBron James Player All-Star Vote

3. Kevin Durant: 41.57 percent

Earning 41.57 percent of the players’ All-Star vote since 2016-17, good for third place in our exercise, Kevin Durant peaked in the vote in 2021-22, his comeback season with the Brooklyn Nets, when he performed at an extremely high level after missing an entire year due to an Achilles tear.

In that campaign, Durant got 64.11 percent of the player All-Star vote. That was a higher percent of the vote than any of James’ finishes outside of one, just to break down how high a mark that is.

Kevin Durant Player All-Star Vote

4. Nikola Jokic: 33.62 percent

Despite being the best player of the 2020s, Nikola Jokic’s ranking here illustrates how peer voting doesn’t always reflect on-court dominance. The three-time regular-season MVP has never cracked even 60 percent of the player vote… and he’s only surpassed 50 percent once, which is almost hard to believe.

Jokic’s peak came in 2022-23, when he tied Antetokounmpo for the lead at 58.71 percent. He led the vote outright in 2023-24, although at just 49.50 percent.

Nikola Jokic Player All-Star Vote

5. Joel Embiid: 32.52 percent

Like Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid was likely aided here by spending his entire career in the weaker Eastern Conference. Even so, Embiid has never led the All-Star player vote. In fact, he’s only cracked 50 percent of the player vote once, back in 2018-19. In his MVP season of 2022-23, Embiid received just 48.49 percent of the player All-Star vote – less than both Jokic (49.50 percent) and Antetokounmpo (49.25 percent).

Joel Embiid Player All-Star Vote

6. Stephen Curry: 30.47 percent

Two-time league MVP Stephen Curry’s relatively low finish here may seem like a bit of a head-scratcher, that is, until you realize the unreal depth of the guard positions in the Western Conference over the last decade. If anything, it’s impressive that Curry leads all Western Conference guards here.

Curry peaked in the player All-Star vote in 2020-21, the season he won his fourth championship, when he got 45.14 percent of the vote.

Stephen Curry Player All-Star Vote

7. Luka Doncic: 24.03 percent

After the rightfully panned Luka Doncic trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, it should be noted that some current and former NBA players – namely, Draymond Green, Gary Payton, Kendrick Perkins and Gilbert Arenas – came to the defense of then-Mavericks GM Nico Harrison about the deal.

Well, that happened the same year Doncic received just 9.87 percent of the player All-Star vote, even lower than his rookie season (11.81 percent). Injuries likely played a role, but it’s still an interesting footnote in Doncic’s All-Star voting history. This season, Doncic rebounded to 24.61 percent – a number that still pales in comparison to his breakout 2019-20 campaign, when he earned an astounding 43.68 percent of the player vote.

Luka Doncic Player All-Star Vote

8. Kyrie Irving: 23.99 percent

It should come as no surprise that there’s a stark discrepancy between the media and player votes when it comes to Kyrie Irving, a supremely talented player who has nonetheless been divisive throughout his career. Irving has just three All-NBA selections (none as a 1st Teamer) and has never received a single MVP vote. Yet he ranks eighth overall in player All-Star voting since players began casting ballots.

Irving has even crossed the 50 percent threshold twice, one more time than Jokic has.

Karl-Anthony Towns Player All-Star Vote

9. Anthony Davis: 23.89 percent

As has been the case with many an NBA star, Anthony Davis was the beneficiary of the Lakers’ bump when it came to increased popularity, as Davis’ peak in the All-Star player vote came in 2019-20, his first in Los Angeles, and the year that the Lakers eventually won the Orlando bubble championship. That year, Davis earned 47.63 percent of the All-Star player vote, a threshold he has yet to come close to crossing again, though injuries have played a part in that. Davis did impressively earn 45.32 percent of the player vote in 2017-18, a season that saw him finish Top 3 in the MVP vote and lead the league in nightly blocks.

Anthony Davis Player All-Star Vote

10. James Harden: 21.58 percent

Had players had an All-Star vote prior to 2016-17, James Harden would likely have fared better in this study, as his unreal peak actually began in 2012-13. Missing from his sample size is a four-year stretch at the start of his Houston tenure in which he earned MVP votes each year while averaging 27 points and over six assists per game.

Even so, Harden finished with 40-plus percent of the All-Star player vote three times in his career and didn’t really fall off among his peers until the trade demand drama and subsequent move to Brooklyn in 2020-21. That season, Harden received just 15.22 percent of the player All-Star vote, and every season since, he has failed to eclipse even that low mark.

James Harden Player All-Star Vote

11. Kawhi Leonard: 19.88 percent

Despite his subdued personality, Kawhi Leonard has been fairly popular with his peers when it comes to All-Star voting, at least in the campaigns in which he was healthy (or not going through drama in San Antonio).

Leonard has crossed 40 percent of the player vote twice in his career and 50 percent once, in 2018-19, the season he eventually won a championship in Toronto. It’s kind of interesting to see how stars who usually play in the West fare when they play in the East. Just goes to show how much more talent-rich the Western Conference is compared to the Eastern.

Kawhi Leonard Player All-Star Vote

12. Jayson Tatum: 19.53 percent

It’s actually kind of surprising that Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum didn’t fare better in this exercise, considering he’s spent his entire career in the East, playing for a huge brand like that of the Celtics, and is so beloved by fans. Even so, Tatum has never crossed the 40 percent threshold in the players’ All-Star vote, not even in 2023-24, the year he helped lead Boston to its first championship since 2007-08.

Perhaps Tatum, like Durant, will get a bump in the player All-Star vote next season if he returns at his All-Star-level best following his brutal Achilles injury.

Jayson Tatum Player All-Star Vote

13. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 17.56 percent

One of the most surprising results of our research was that reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ranks just 13th in the player votes for the All-Star Game at under 18 percent. That just kind of shows how unserious players are about the vote. Even in 2025-26, Gilgeous-Alexander got just 30.83 percent of the player vote despite winning league MVP last season and leading the Thunder to a championship. Gilgeous-Alexander did get 41.04 percent of the vote last campaign, making it all the more shocking where he ranked this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Player All-Star Vote

14. Victor Wembanyama: 16.00 percent

On the other hand, former No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama ranking this low makes sense, as he only just started his career, though he probably should have gotten more of the All-Star player vote this season. For 2025-26, Wembanyama got just 22.02 percent of the player All-Star vote, despite putting up 24 points, 11 rebounds and over two blocks per game, while leading the Spurs on a team renaissance.

We don’t get it either.

Still, Wembanyama getting 7.29 percent of the player All-Star vote in 2023-24, his rookie season, is impressive in its own right, as that’s a better mark than a lot of other first-year players. For comparison, Tyrese Maxey got zero All-Star player votes as a rookie. Donovan Mitchell got 2.42 percent of the vote. Fellow former No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards got zero. And another former top pick, Cade Cunningham, got zero votes as a first- and second-year player.

Victor Wembanyama Player All-Star Vote

15. Tyrese Maxey: 14.10 percent

Speaking of Maxey, it’s eyebrow-raising that he ranks this high in this exercise, considering we just told you he got zero percent of the player All-Star vote as a rookie, meaning he only had five seasons to make up ground here with his peers. Making that task even tougher was the fact that Maxey only got 1.86 percent of the vote in his second season and 2.14 percent in his third.

That just goes to show how great Maxey has been over the past few campaigns, as the former Kentucky standout got 32.91 percent of the player All-Star vote in 2023-24 and 34.20 percent in 2025-26, well-earned distinctions with how well Maxey has played over the past three seasons.

Tyrese Maxey Player All-Star Vote

16. DeMar DeRozan: 13.99 percent

DeMar DeRozan’s place in this ranking may not raise many eyebrows – until you realize he’s ahead of the likes of Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell, and Paul George. That speaks to how well-liked DeRozan is among his peers. It also reinforces that player All-Star voting is a popularity contest, just like fan voting.

DeRozan hit a remarkable peak in 2021-22, earning 48 percent of the player vote when he arrived in Chicago and experienced his Bulls renaissance. For perspective on how high that mark is: neither Tatum nor SGA has ever come close to 48 percent.

DeMar DeRozan All-Star Player Vote

17. Donovan Mitchell: 13.60 percent

Despite his stellar play, Mitchell cracked 10 percent of the player All-Star vote just once during his time in Utah. That changed when he arrived in Cleveland. He has since earned 30-plus percent of the vote twice with the Cavaliers. Mitchell deserves credit, as his play has certainly warranted that support, but it also coincides with the East being weaker than the West talent-wise.

Donovan Mitchell Player All-Star Vote

18. Anthony Edwards: 12.10 percent

Going back to the conversation about the strength of each conference, you can’t tell us Edwards would rank this low if he spent his entire career in the Eastern Conference. It took Edwards reaching an All-NBA level of play to start cracking even double-digit percent of the player All-Star vote, and he has yet to even hit 30 percent of that vote. He did peak at 28.50 percent this season, a number that almost beats the mark reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander got this year.

Anthony Edwards Player All-Star Vote

19. Paul George: 11.87 percent

There’s a notable discrepancy between George’s player and media All-Star vote shares: George holds 11.87 percent of the player vote for his career but just 5.78 percent of the media vote. It tracks that George is popular among his peers—young players in particular seem to admire him. After all, former No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller once famously called George his GOAT, as did Carmelo Anthony’s son, Kiyan Anthony.

Paul George All-Star Player Vote

19. Jalen Brunson: 11.87 percent

Jalen Brunson’s popularity among his peers in All-Star voting has skyrocketed alongside his play in recent years. The former Villanova standout received zero percent of the player vote in his first two seasons, 0.52 percent as a third-year player, and 2.79 percent in his fourth. Yet he still ranks in the top 20 in our study. That’s because Brunson has earned 27.53 percent and 35.49 percent of the player vote over his past two seasons, respectively. A well-deserved honor given his level of play since arriving in New York.

Jalen Brunson Player All-Star Vote

21. Cade Cunningham: 11.68 percent

In a testament to his emergence, former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham led all players in the All-Star player vote this season, earning 41.19 percent. It’s well-deserved as Cunningham is averaging over 25 points and a league-leading 9.8 assists per game. He’s also playing winning basketball, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 34-11 record, first in the East.

Cade Cunningham Player All-Star Vote

22. Russell Westbrook: 11.46 percent

Triple-double machine Russell Westbrook has always been a well-liked player among his peers, which may not seem like it’s reflected by his place in this ranking, but it kind of is. That’s because a chunk of Westbrook’s prime occurred before players got an All-Star vote in 2016-17. Before that season, Westbrook had five All-NBA appearances (four as a 2nd Teamer and once as a 1st Teamer), led the league in scoring once and had two Top 4 MVP finishes. If we only look at Westbrook’s first three seasons after players got an All-Star vote, he got a 32.40 percent share of that vote, which would put him in the Top 6 here.

Russell Westbrook Player All-Star Vote

23. Bradley Beal: 11.30 percent

Full credit to Bradley Beal for earning his place in this exercise, but we have to admit, this is a case study in the relative strength of each conference, because you can’t tell us Beal would rank this high if he spent his entire career in the loaded Western Conference, especially with how guard-heavy the West has been over the past decade. Beal has only been an All-Star three times and made just 3rd Team All-NBA in his career, yet he has a higher place on this list than Damian Lillard (a nine-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBAer). That simply doesn’t add up, unless you take into account the conference each player suited up in for the bulk of their careers. Beal received 42.46 percent of the player All-Star vote in 2020-21, a higher mark than Gilgeous-Alexander has ever gotten in his career.

Bradley Beal Player All-Star Vote

24. Damian Lillard: 11.08 percent

Speaking of Lillard, his 11.08 percent of the player All-Star vote in his career is quite modest relative to the career he’s enjoyed. That shows the popularity contest aspect of All-Star player voting in his career, as well as how loaded the Western Conference has been for quite some time, especially among guards. Lillard is a four-time 2nd Team All-NBAer and a one-time 1st Team All-NBAer, and yet barely cracks our list here, which doesn’t make much sense. Lillard has cracked 30 percent of the player vote just once in his entire career, though we’d bet American currency that the future Hall of Famer would rank way higher here if he suited up in the East throughout his prime.

Damian Lillard Player All-Star Vote

25. Ja Morant: 11.00 percent

For Ja Morant to crack this list while guys like Jaylen Brown, Butler, Adebayo and even Booker missed the cut shows how ridiculous his peak was, when Morant was statistically one of the most-viewed players on social media thanks to his jaw-dropping nightly highlights. Morant peaked in the player vote in his breakout season, 2021-22, when he got 35.92 percent of the player vote. Morant put up 27 points, five rebounds and six assists per game that season, won Most Improved Player and finished seventh in the MVP vote.

Ja Morant Player All-Star Vote

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Who are NBA players’ favorite players? All-Star vote tells the tale

Who are NBA players’ favorite players? All-Star vote tells the tale

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