The journey isn't over yet. The NBA announced Monday evening the starting lineups for the All-Star Game, and the name of Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who stood seventh in Western Conference fan voting as of a week ago, remained outside the starting five and will wait another two weeks to learn whether he'll participate in the marquee event.
The voting breakdown for All-Star starter selection is 50% from fans, 25% from selected media members, and another 25% from league players, meaning the Israeli star's chances of being selected didn't depend solely on him and global fans.
Fifth in fan voting
The NBA released the vote distribution in the East and West, revealing that Avdija climbed to fifth place in the West in fan voting during the final week and overtook Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards with 2,202,605 votes – a gap of 130,000 votes from fourth-place Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
He failed to crack the starting lineup after being selected only 10th in the West among players (35 votes) and ninth among media (just 3 votes), which gave him a weighted ranking of 7.25 – ahead of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard, respectively.
The All-Star reserves, seven from the West and seven from the East, will be selected by league coaches, and the results will be announced on February 1. Avdija, who has been averaging 26.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game, has a very good chance of making it, both because of numerous injuries in the West and because of his strong ability and his team's performance.
This year, the All-Star format changed to three teams – two American and one international, with at least eight players on each team. If one team needs additional players, Commissioner Adam Silver will decide who will be added. This year's selections, both for starters and reserves, are not position-dependent, unlike previous years.
All-Star starting lineups:
West: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Steph Curry, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić.
East: Jalen Brunson, Jaylen Brown, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In total, 5 players were selected for the rest of the world team and another 5 players for one of the American teams. It's important to emphasize that there's no limit on the number of players per team, but coaches may consider the number of players on each team and aim for 8 international players and 16 domestic players. In any case, Avdija's chances of being selected for the game have not been damaged.
