For a second consecutive year, initial returns from NBA All-Star fan voting have New Orleans forward Brandon Ingram in ninth place among Western Conference frontcourt players. This time, Ingram has also been joined in the top 10 by a Pelicans teammate.
Second-year pro Zion Williamson was sixth in the same West frontcourt category when the NBA announced initial voting returns Thursday morning, receiving 411,668 votes. Ingram’s ninth-place status resulted from 230,387 votes. The five West frontcourt players ahead of Williamson are LeBron James (2.2 million), Nikola Jokic (1.4 million), Kawhi Leonard (1.2 million), Anthony Davis (1.1 million) and Paul George (549,280).
According to the NBA, fans account for 50 percent of the vote to determine the 10 All-Star starters. Current NBA players and a media panel then account for 25 percent of the vote each.
Ingram was a first-time All-Star Game participant as a reserve in 2020 and played nine minutes for Team Giannis on Feb. 6 in Chicago’s United Center.
The second update on 2021 All-Star fan voting returns will be released Thursday, Feb. 11. TNT will unveil All-Star starters Thursday, Feb. 18, during the network’s pregame show. TNT will also announce the NBA All-Star reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, on Tuesday, Feb. 23.
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