It’s not just Damian Lillard who made history on Thursday after being named an All-Star starter for the first time in his career. Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo accomplished an iconic feat himself — one that shattered a long-standing LeBron James record.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Tops the Polls
The results of the NBA All-Star votes were released on Thursday as the ten starters from both conferences were announced. Joining Giannis and Lillard in the East are Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Haliburton.
The West will be represented by LeBron, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
What makes this vote so special for Antetokounmpo, however, is that for the first time in his illustrious career, he has the honor of accumulating the most votes among all players (h/t Scott Grodsky of CBS):
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the NBA’s leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.
This ends a 7-year streak for LeBron James.
— Scott Grodsky (@ScottGrodsky) January 26, 2024
As Grodsky points out, this is also the first time in eight years that LeBron has not emerged as the top vote-getter.
I wouldn’t exactly peg this as a changing-of-the-guard type of moment between LeBron and Giannis. Then again, I also wouldn’t hold it against you if you thought the same.
What you can say for sure is that Team Giannis will want to secure another win against Team LeBron this year. 2024 will be the sixth time in a row Antetokounmpo and James will be captaining their respective teams, with LeBron holding a 4-1 advantage.
However, it was Team Giannis that secured a victory last year and they will now be looking to make it back-to-back wins this season.
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2 Comments
Giannis hasn’t been all star captain past 6 years straight as article states, Curry and KD have been the opposite captain against Lebron as well
@Johnny Lendon
You are right. Giannis has not been captain for 6 years straight. I remember Curry being a captain and just last year or 2022 KD was captain against LeBron.