It is election season once again.
The first 2024 NBA All-Star fan voting return was released on Thursday, and the Kings are on the outside looking in ahead of this year's game at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their respective conferences in the first fan returns of #NBAAllStar Voting presented by AT&T.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 2, 2025
Fans account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. NBA players and a media panel account for 25% each.
Next fan update: 1/9. pic.twitter.com/OoIIa3S3fn
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Sacramento guard De’Aaron Fox and forward Domantas Sabonis are ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, as members of the backcourt and guards. Notably, first-year Kings wing -- and six-time All-Star -- DeMar DeRozan was nowhere to be found among the Western Conference’s top 10 players at either position, despite the 6-foot-6 wing averaging 20.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists for his 15-19 squad.
Fox, whose lone All-Star appearance came during the 2022-23 season, earned 132,937 votes and placed ahead of Devin Booker (120,602) and Norman Powell (110,222). During the 2024-25 NBA season, Fox is averaging career highs in points (26.8) and rebounds (5.0) with a strong 6.2 assists per game. Still, he ranks behind Ja Morant (213,780), James Harden (314,452), Anthony Edwards (411,749), Kyrie Irving (503,567), Steph Curry (810,357), Luka Dončić (870,071) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (1,053,683).
Sabonis, a three-time All-Star, collected 148,810 votes, only ranking ahead of Jaren Jackson Jr. (103,142). Like Fox, Sabonis is averaging career highs in points (20.6) and rebounds (13.8), with 6.1 assists. He trails Andrew Wiggins (187,530), Jalen Williams (188,722), Alperen Sengun (314,223), Victor Wembanyama (928, 501), Anthony Davis (999,540), LeBron James (1,167,661), Kevin Durant (1,268,799) and Nikola Jokić (1,422,121).
The league’s first voting return is interesting, to say the least.
NBA
Nevertheless, Fox and Sabonis -- and maybe DeRozan -- likely would receive more recognition for their career seasons if the Kings were better. Sacramento hovering around the bottom of the Western Conference and being days removed from firing coach Mike Brown probably doesn’t move the needle enough for the casual fan.
More voting returns are to come, though. The NBA followed its release of Thursday’s return by saying the next batch will be shared on Thursday, Jan. 9.