Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is continuing on a resurgent MVP campaign and was revealed to lead the entire NBA in All-Star fan voting in Wednesday's released results.
Doncic is having a career year posting averages of 33.7 points (leads NBA), 8.0 rebounds and 8.8 assists in 28 games for the fourth-seeded Lakers.
Following Los Angeles' 107-91 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, Doncic reacted gratefully to the news.
"Honestly, it does (hit me a certain way)," Doncic said. "It's the first time that happened to me. It's pretty amazing; a kid from Slovenia only could dream about that. Dream about being in the NBA. It's pretty amazing, so I really appreciate all the votes... It definitely hit me. It's amazing."
Lakers coach JJ Redick touched on Doncic's placement in the votes as well, saying, "That's awesome. I think he's established himself as a global superstar. He has for years now. Certainly speaks to the popularity of the Lakers brand and the amount of fans that follow us and cheer for us and live and breathe with every shot in every game like everyone in that locker room does and I think he's a fantastic representative of this organization."
MORE: Luka Doncic reacts to Trae Young trade to Atlanta Hawks
How will the All-Star Game work this year?
Doncic will likely be suiting up against his Lakers counterpart, LeBron James, during February's All-Star Game due to the newly-introduced USA vs. World format.
The NBA announced in early November the 2026 All-Star Game in the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles will feature of two teams consisting of U.S. Players and one team of international players competing in a round-robin tournament.
This is yet another effort to draw waning interest back to the signature weekend of the basketball season. Although traditional fans would have liked to see both Lakers representatives lacing up together with and against the best players in the league, the game must be more competitive.
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