Tyrese Haliburton leads East guards in first returns of fan vote for 2024 NBA All-Star game in Indy
Tyrese Haliburton leads East guards in first returns of fan vote for 2024 NBA All-Star game in Indy
He is no longer under the radar. It's clear fans globablly have noticed Haliburton elevating his game, leading the NBA in assists and helping the Pacers stack wins.
One year after being voted a first-time NBA All-Star by head coaches, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is now tracking to start for the first time when the game is held in his city.
On Thursday, the NBA shared the first returns for the fan voting, which accounts for 50% of the vote, to determine the five starters in each conference. They listed 10 frontcourt players and 10 backcourt in each conference, so 40 players total.
And Haliburton received the most votes among Eastern Conference guards with nearly 1.4 million. That’s about 400,000 more than Damian Lillard, who is in second.
Haliburton, 23, was most recently named the conference player of the week and he’s averaging career-highs this season: 24.9 points, 12.7 assists per game and shooting 50.1% from the field.
He benefitted from the Pacers’ run to the In-Season Tournament championship game and thus three consecutive games on national TV. (They were scheduled for just one before the season.) As I shared last week, his Instagram following rocketed up 40% and content featuring his highlights delivered 122 million views, according to the NBA.
Visibility and exposure matters, along with high-quality play, and this is proof.
Overall, Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (2.1 million) and Lakers’ LeBron James (2 million) lead all vote getters. Haliburton’s tally ranks ninth overall.
No other Pacers are currently in the mix. The Pacers are 19-14 and own the longest active win streak in the NBA with five consecutive victories.
Current NBA players (25%) and a panel of media (25%) make up the other 50% of the vote for the starters.
Based on the first returns, the East starters would be Haliburton and Lillard, along with Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid. That checks out.
Fan voting runs until Jan. 20. The next update will be provided in another week, on Jan. 11.
The 2024 NBA All-Star game will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. All-Star Saturday night, which includes the skills challenge, 3-point shootout and slam dunk contest, will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium the night before.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced in Indy on opening night that they will return to the usual East v West format (rather than a draft of teams pregame) with a standard 48-minute clock.
“There’s something about being in Indiana and Indianapolis that makes you think about the game at its roots,” he said. “Ultimately, we thought if there was ever a place to restore the NBA to something that seemed more classic was at an All-Star game in Indianapolis.”
