Slovenian basketball superstar tops fan voting for 2026 NBA All-Star Game

Slovenian NBA star Luka Dončić's popularity continues to ascend. The 26-year-old has been named a starter for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game after receiving the most fan votes among all players in the league.

This marks his sixth career NBA All-Star selection (2020-24, 2026) and his fifth as a starter, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is the fan favourite regardless of conference, winning by nearly 200,000 votes. He finished 6th in the player survey and 2nd in the media panel voting. Fans accounted for 50% of the vote, while current NBA players and a media panel each made up 25%.

Currently the league's leading scorer, Dončić has now become the 15th player in NBA history to earn his sixth All-Star selection before the age of 27.

He received over 3,400,000 votes in total, which made him the only Western Conference player to surpass three million votes, finishing ahead of Greek-Nigerian superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who received more than 3,200,000 votes.

The All-Star Game is set to take place in Los Angeles on 15 February. In addition to the Slovenian phenom, the Western Conference NBA All-Star starters include Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Stephen Curry and Victor Wembanyama.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference starting five features Antetokounmpo, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson and Jaylen Brown.

Hosted at the Los Angeles Clippers' home arena, this year's All-Star spectacle will feature a new format. The event will see a three-team tournament structure where the squads compete against one another, with the top two teams advancing to a final showdown. Two of the teams will be made up of American players, while the third will feature international stars. Each of the four matchups will be played over a 12-minute duration.

Following a blockbuster trade last season, Dončić is currently averaging 33.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game. He is one of only three players in the league averaging 30-plus points and the only player averaging at least 30 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

He is one of the faces of the league, making impact off the court as well and showcasing his global appeal. Last season, he became the first international player ever to top the most popular jerseys list, and a month ago he was reported to be the most-viewed player across NBA social media platforms this season (845 million views).

Photo: Xinhua/STA