Players, media now have say too on NBA All-Star balloting

By Dugout Philippines

NEW YORK–For the first time ever, NBA players and basketball media will join fans in selecting the starters for NBA All-Star 2017 in New Orleans.

NBA All-Star Voting 2017 presented by Verizon will tip off at 12 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 26 (Philippine Time) before an exciting lineup of five Christmas Day matchups on ABC and ESPN.

Fans were first given the opportunity to vote for NBA All-Star starters during the 1974-75 season.

This year, the league will extend the platform to include two other important constituents of the game – NBA players and NBA media.

Fans will account for 50 percent of the vote, while all current players and a panel of basketball media will account for 25 percent each.

Players and media will be able to complete one full ballot, featuring three frontcourt players and two guards from both the Eastern and Western Conference. Players may vote for their teammates or themselves.

NBA fans may submit one full ballot each day through NBA.com, the NBA App (available on Android and iOS), Twitter, Facebook and Google Search, as well as via Sina Weibo and Tencent Microblogs in China. All current NBA players will be available for selection.

How to vote:

NBA.com voting page at NBA.com/vote: Fill out one full ballot per day (per day is defined as once every 24 hours) on NBA.com/vote from a desktop or mobile browser. Fans can select up to two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference when choosing starters.

NBA App: Access the ballot and vote through the app, which is available on Android and iOS. Fans can fill out one full ballot per day, and select up to two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference when choosing starters.

Twitter: Tweet, retweet or reply with an NBA player’s first and last name or Twitter handle, along with the hashtag #NBAVOTE. Each Tweet may include only one player’s name or handle. Fans may vote for 10 unique players each day throughout the NBA All-Star voting period.

Facebook: Post the player’s first and last name along with the hashtag #NBAVOTE on your personal Facebook account, or comment on another’s Facebook post. Each post may include only one player’s name. Fans may post votes for 10 unique players per day throughout the voting period.

Google Search: Search “NBA Vote All-Star” or “NBA Vote Team Name” (ex: NBA Vote Celtics), and use respective voting cards to select teams and then players. Fans may submit votes for 10 unique players per day throughout the voting period.

Fan voting updates will be shared on Jan. 6 and Jan. 13, 2017 (Philippine Time).

Voting will conclude on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 12:59 p.m. (Philippine Time).

Starters will be announced live on TNT on Friday, Jan. 20 (Philippine Time), during a special one-hour edition of TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader.com at 8 a.m. (Philippine Time), featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith. The special will air prior to TNT’s exclusive doubleheader featuring the Washington Wizards at the New York Knicks (9 a.m. Philippine Time)) and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the LA Clippers (11:30 a.m. Philippine Time).

The Eastern Conference and Western Conference All-Star reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, will be announced the following week on Friday, Jan. 27 (Philippine Time).

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