The NBA released the second returns of fan votes for the 2026 NBA All Star game. The Charlotte Hornets have one player that showed up in the top 20 of vote getters in the Eastern Conference, and it’s exactly who you’d expect.
> Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo remain the leaders in their conferences in the second fan returns in NBA All-Star Voting 2026.
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> Fans (50% of the vote) join NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%) in selecting five players in each conference honored as starters. [pic.twitter.com/u8tlbj9GA8](https://t.co/u8tlbj9GA8)
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> — NBA Communications (@NBAPR) [January 6, 2026](https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/2008599519261532516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
LaMelo Ball is 12th in the East in fan voting. If the All Star teams were entirely determined by the fan vote, that would mean he’d squeak onto the roster. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. The starting five are determined by a split between the fan vote (50%), a player vote (25%), and a media vote (25%). The latter two contributions were put in like 9 or 10 years ago to prevent Zaza Pachulia from making the All Star team. The All Star reserves selections have nothing to do with the fan vote. They are selected by the coaches.
Ball’s place on the list is probably more because of his name recognition than his production this season. He’s having a good season averaging 20/8/5, but it’s not quite all star caliber production for a player on a team that’s outside of the playoff picture. There are a handful of guys below him like Scottie Barnes, Norman Powell, Josh Giddey, and Franz Wagner that are probably more deserving and are more likely to get selected by the coaches. Still, it’s always nice to see some Hornets representation on these lists.
All that said, there’s still some time for the votes to change. Ball could get hot and get an influx of votes in the last few weeks before voting closes. Also, with Cooper Flagg making the top 20 for the West, I’d like to see Kon Knueppel get enough votes to at least sneak onto the fan voting list.
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