The Chase Center was loud. Like, really loud. San Francisco finally got its turn to host the midseason classic, but the buzz wasn't just about the scenery. It was about a total identity crisis for the game itself. We all saw the 211-186 disaster in Indy last year. Nobody wanted a repeat of that layup line. So, the league pivoted. Hard.
If you’ve been following the nba vote all star 2025 cycle, you know it felt different from day one. Usually, we just argue about who got snubbed. This time, we were trying to figure out how a four-team tournament would actually work. It’s kinda wild when you think about it. The NBA basically admitted the old "East vs. West" format was dead in the water.
The Numbers That Actually Mattered
Voting opened up back in December, and the returns were a mix of "yeah, obviously" and "wait, really?" Giannis Antetokounmpo ended up being the overall leading vote-getter with over 4.4 million votes. That’s a massive number. It shows that despite the Bucks' ups and downs, the Greek Freak is still the face of the league for a huge chunk of the planet.
But look at the West. LeBron James secured his 21st selection. 21 years. Most people aren’t even at their jobs for 21 years, let alone playing world-class basketball. He wasn't the top guy in the West this time, though. That honor went to Nikola Jokic, who pulled in nearly 3 million fan votes.
The battle for the final starting spots was where things got spicy. In the Western Conference frontcourt, Victor Wembanyama was breathing down Kevin Durant’s neck. Wemby ended up with 2.2 million fan votes. He didn't quite leapfrog KD for a starting spot in the initial reveal, but the message was sent. The future is already here, and it’s seven-foot-four.
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How the 2025 Voting Process Shifted the Power
We still had the 50/25/25 split. 50% fans, 25% players, and 25% media. Honestly, the players and media saved some of these guys. Take Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He’s a superstar, but he doesn't have the "legacy" vote that Steph Curry or Luka Doncic has. Because the players and media recognize he’s arguably the best guard in the world right now, he locked in that starting spot.
The East backcourt was a total dogfight. Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell eventually took the crowns. It’s funny—a few years ago, New York Knicks fans were just hoping for a winning record. Now they’ve got a guy starting the All-Star Game. Mitchell, meanwhile, had the Cleveland Cavaliers playing some of the most consistent basketball in the league, so his selection felt like a "no-brainer" for anyone actually watching the games.
The 2025 Starters at a Glance
- Eastern Conference: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson.
- Western Conference: Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Wait, notice anything? Karl-Anthony Towns starting in the East. That still feels weird to type after the trade from Minnesota. But he’s been a force in New York, and the fans responded.
The Format Swap Nobody Expected
The nba vote all star 2025 wasn't just about picking 24 guys to play a long, boring game. It was about seeding a tournament. The league moved to a four-team setup: Team Shaq, Team Chuck, Team Kenny, and a fourth team made up of the Rising Stars winners (Team Candace).
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Each of the TNT "Inside the NBA" guys drafted their squads. This added a layer of pettiness and comedy that we usually only get on Thursday nights. Shaq went for the veterans. Chuck went for "his guys." Kenny went for speed.
The games were untimed. First to 40 points. This was the "Elam Ending" logic applied to the whole night. If you want to win $125,000 per player, you actually have to play defense for about ten minutes. It worked. The intensity in the semifinals was the highest we’ve seen in an All-Star setting since the 2020 game in Chicago.
Snubs and Surprises
Let's talk about the guys who got left out of the starting lineup. Anthony Edwards. Ant-Man is probably the most exciting player in the league, yet he didn't crack the starters because the West backcourt is a literal graveyard of Hall of Famers. You’ve got Steph and Shai. Where do you put Ant? He ended up as a reserve, but he played like he had a chip on his shoulder during the actual tournament.
Then there’s the "legacy" factor. Some people complained that LeBron shouldn't be a starter based purely on this season's stats compared to some younger guys. But come on. It’s the All-Star Game. It’s a show. If LeBron James is healthy, he’s starting. That’s just the way the NBA works.
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What This Means for 2026 and Beyond
The 2025 cycle proved that fans are tired of the status quo. The high vote totals for international players like Jokic and Giannis show that the NBA is no longer a US-centric league. We’re seeing a shift where the "face of the league" is a rotating door of global icons.
The tournament format was a success, but it wasn't perfect. Some players still looked like they were worried about their vacation plans in Cabo. But compared to the 2024 blowout? This was a masterpiece.
Actionable Insights for the Next Season
If you’re a fan looking to make your vote count more effectively next year, keep these things in mind:
- Triple-Vote Days are Key: The NBA usually designates specific days (like Christmas or MLK Day) where your vote counts three times. If you really want a dark horse player in, those are the days you can't miss.
- The "3-for-1" Strategy: Don't just vote for the locks. LeBron and Giannis are getting in regardless. Use your votes to support the players on the bubble—the guys like LaMelo Ball or Alperen Sengun who need that fan surge to overcome the media's bias toward winning teams.
- App vs. Web: The NBA App often has exclusive voting rewards or "streak" bonuses. If you're a die-hard, that's where you need to be.
The nba vote all star 2025 wasn't just a popularity contest. It was a litmus test for the league's new direction. By the time Steph Curry was hoisting the MVP trophy in his home arena, it was clear: the tournament format is likely here to stay. It brought back a shred of dignity to a weekend that was dangerously close to becoming irrelevant.
Moving forward, the league needs to keep tweaking the incentives. The cash prize is a start, but maybe the winning team's conference should get home-court advantage in the Finals again? Or maybe we just enjoy the fact that for the first time in years, we saw NBA players actually trying to block a shot in February.