Kemba Walker voted in as All-Star starter

Kemba Walker has been voted in as a starter for the Eastern Conference in the NBA All-Star Game February 16 in Chicago.

Walker will be making his fourth straight appearance in the game and first as a Celtic. It’s his second start, having made it last season from the Hornets.

He will be joined in the East’s first five by top vote-getter Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Toronto’s Pascal Siakam and Atlanta’s Trae Young.

Walker was third among guards in fan balloting, which accounted for 50 percent of the equation, behind Young and Kyrie Irving. Voting by players and media made up 25 percent each, with Walker topping the backcourt picture by his peers (Bradley Beal was second). He was picked first at guard by the media, with Young at No. 2.

The latter two votes were enough for him to easily move ahead of Irving.

The seven reserves from each conference will be voted on by the coaches and announced next Thursday.

Celts Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are well in the running, with Tatum finishing fifth in the fans’ frontcourt voting. He was also picked fifth by the players, but was seventh by the media. Brown was seventh by fans, 13th by players and 11th by media.

(Fans voted Tacko Fall sixth in the East frontcourt. He finished ninth when the tally was complete.)

Walker leads the Celtics in scoring with a 21.7 average, with Tatum and Brown close behind at 21.5 and 20.0, respectively.

LeBron James had the most votes for the West, with Luka Doncic, James Harden, Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard also chosen to start.

James and Antetokounmpo are thus the captains and will draft their sides from the starters’ pool.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2GixWDF