Lakers, Luka Doncic
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) gestures during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena on January 2, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic is still in disbelief that he leads the 2026 NBA All-Star Voting by an overwhelming margin.
The NBA announced on Wednesday that Doncic (2,229,811) leads all players across both conferences, followed by Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (2,092,284), Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (1,998,560), New York Knicks‘ Jalen Brunson (1,916,497) and Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey (1,908,978) in the second fan returns.
Doncic realizes it’s “pretty amazing” that he’s nearly 200K votes clear of the second-placed Antetokounmpo and almost 250K clear of anyone else in the West.
“Honestly, it does [hit me a certain way],” Doncic said of fans showing up in droves to support his case as the most popular player in the NBA.
“It’s the first time that happened to me [leading in All-Star Voting].
“Honestly, it’s pretty amazing — I mean, a kid from Slovenia could only dream about that. Dream about being in the NBA. It’s pretty amazing, so I really appreciate all the votes. When I saw the votes, it definitely hit me. It’s amazing.”
Luka Doncic: New Face of the NBA
Shockingly, Golden State Warriors‘ Stephen Curry (1,844,903), Lakers’ LeBron James (1,059,855) and Houston Rockets’ Kevin Durant (997,386) all finished outside the top-5 in overall voting, while only Curry cracked the top-5 in the Western Conference.
Many analysts believe Doncic has now elevated to the status of the new face of the NBA, with several other metrics also supporting that argument. Since arriving in Los Angeles, Doncic has led the NBA in merchandise sales, social media engagement, YouTube views, All-Star voting and nearly every other metric to gauge a player’s popularity.
Doncic is also the most-watched player across all NBA platforms, with content involving the Lakers star generating over 845M views as of Dec. 22, 2025.
Reaching New Heights With Lakers
While Doncic was a global superstar even during his time with the Dallas Mavericks, his popularity has risen to new heights since he was traded to the Lakers. Even LeBron James — who became the face of the NBA long before he arrived in Los Angeles — saw a huge spike in his popularity and business interests when he became a Laker.
Another factor working in Doncic’s favor is his age. At 26, he seems destined to be a member of the Lakers for at least 10 years and possibly deliver them multiple championships. He realizes the weight of responsibility that comes with being the No. 1 guy for the Lakers, a franchise that has been represented by the greatest of greats.
“Kobe brought so many championships here. LeBron brought a championship here. So I want to be the next one to do that, for sure,” Doncic said last year. “I met Kobe, I’m playing with LeBron, just as a little kid in Slovenia, I just wanted to play basketball. Just wanted to touch the NBA. And now I’m playing with the best.”
“Honestly, just sharing the court with him. It’s the 23rd season. It’s insane,” Doncic recently said. “Just sharing the court with him is special. He sees things that other people can’t. He’s here to help us all, so it’s amazing. It’s only his first game back, and he plays amazing, so I’m excited to play some more.”