First batch of '23 NBA All-Star Game fan voting includes 3 former Wildcats

A trio of former Kentucky Wildcats is on the hunt to make next month’s All-Star Game.

On Thursday afternoon, the first fan voting returns for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in February were released, featuring 40 total players split into four different groups. Among the early leaders in fan voting are some familiar faces for the Big Blue Nation, including Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns.

Davis is the leading vote-getter among the three one-time ‘Cats with 2,063,325 votes already accounted for, 10th most among all players on the ballot. Gilgeous-Alexander is in good shape with 911,774 votes as a result of his breakout season while Booker is lagging behind a bit with just 224,961 votes, but still made the ballot for his group.

You can vote for your favorite Wildcats through the link here. All votes on Friday, Jan. 6 will count as triple.

Fan voting equates to 50 percent of all All-Star votes, with 25 percent going to the media and the other 25 percent going to players. This is the first of several updates ahead of the Feb. 19 All-Star Game, with the next batch rolling out on Thursday, Jan. 12. Voting is split into four groups: Eastern Conference guards, Eastern Conference forwards, Western Conference guards, and Western Conference forwards. Only 24 total players will make the final roster.

Despite sitting out the previous 10 games due to a stress injury in his right foot, Anthony Davis is still hauling in fan votes. He’s played 25 games for the globally popular Lakers franchise, averaging 27.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.1 blocks in 33.4 minutes per outing. Prior to his injury, which could keep him on the bench for several more weeks, he was playing the best basketball of his career and was building a legitimate MVP case.

But Davis, who has made nine All-Star Games throughout his career, is still in good shape to at least get voted into the event, even if he ultimately has to sit out due to the injury and is replaced by someone on the outside looking in. His Lakers teammate, LeBron James, received the most votes of any player with over 3.1 million. No matter how bad the Lakers might be — currently 17-21 on the year — the well-known franchise is always going to see plenty of fan participation.

Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander, who has yet to make an All-Star Game, is also playing the best ball of his life and is on pace to play the most games since his second NBA season in 2019-20. He’s pouring in 30.9 points per game for the surprisingly decent Thunder (16-22) to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per contest. SGA is shooting impressive splits of 49.7 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 91.5 percent from the free throw line on a career-high 10.3 attempts per game. He’s hit the 30-point mark 22 times in 34 appearances this season.

As for Booker, he was also having a borderline MVP-caliber season before a groin injury sent him to the sideline. Still, he’s played 29 games for the 20-19 Suns, posting averages of 27.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on a shooting split of 47.7/37.0/85.0. Prior to the injury, which has caused him to miss eight of Phoenix’s last nine games, he felt like a lock to make a fourth straight All-Star Game roster. Earning the eighth-most votes among Western Conference guards isn’t an ideal start for him, but he’s sure to pick up some ground with the media and players.

The only omission worth mentioning from a Kentucky perspective is the lack of De’Aaron Fox on the ballot. The 25-year-old point guard has the typically broken Sacramento Kings right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race at 20-17. Fox is averaging 23.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.9 assists this season while shooting a career-high 50.4 from the field, 33.7 percent from deep, and a career-high 79.7 from the charity stripe. And yet, Kings fans couldn’t even get him enough votes to crack the Top 10 — or even beat out Lakers’ rotation player Austin Reaves, who is averaging just 10.8 points this season.

There’s still a lot of time left to vote, though.