Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving top All-Star voting; Nic Claxton also among leaders

We keep reading and hearing, from pundits, writers, even from the players themselves, that Kevin Durant and Kyrie are unliked — for a number of reasons, but in the larger basketball universe, there’s ample evidence that not only are KD and Kyrie liked, they’re very much liked. Certainly, that’s true in jersey sales worldwide and, as the news today proves, in All-Star voting as well.

In fact, the Nets two superstars finished first in the first tranche of balloting for Eastern Conference All-Stars, Durant with 3.1 million votes leads among front court players, Irving with 2.1 million leads in the back court.

And in a bit of a surprise, Nic Claxton also showed up in the list of frontcourt balloting garnering the ninth highest number of votes at 160,407, ironically just ahead of former teammate Jarrett Allen in 10th with 121,561.

Here’s the rundown...

Overall in balloting across both conferences, Durant is second to LeBron James who has a 70,000-vote lead. Irving is No. 7, but still ahead of a number of other superstars. He has more than twice as many votes as Ja Morant for example. He’s also nearly a million votes ahead of former teammate James Harden.

Fan voting is one component of All-Star voting. Media and NBA players themselves will also play a role in making up the final roster. The 2023 All-Star Game will be played on February 19, 2023 in Salt Lake City.

• LeBron James, Kevin Durant lead early NBA All-Star starter voting - AP
• Nets didn’t overreact to win streak, but the NBA took notice - Barbara Barker - Newsday
• Kevin Durant in NBA MVP conversation on way to leading East in All-Star votes - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• James, Durant lead early in NBA All-Star starter voting - AP