Boston Celtics

Jayson Tatum inches closer to All-Star start; Jaylen Brown rises to third in backcourt fan vote

Jayson Tatum only trails Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant in All-Star voting among frontcourt players.

Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics dribbles downcourt next to Jaylen Brown #7 during the first half of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden on October 28, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are setting themselves up for an All-Star appearance in 2023. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

By Conor Ryan

1 minute to read

Jayson Tatum is getting closer and closer to an All-Star start in Salt Lake City.

The NBA released the latest round of All-Star fan voting on Thursday, with Tatum continuing to build a lead over 76ers center Joel Embiid for the third and final frontcourt slot in the Eastern Conference.

Jaylen Brown also continues to rise up the list among guards, leapfrogging Philadelphia’s James Harden and moving into third place among backcourt candidates.

Tatum currently has 4,521,414 votes, giving him a slight edge over Embiid in that starting spot. The Celtics star and MVP candidate is still behind Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (5,970,196) and Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant (5,838,182).

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Brown (2,097,700) might be making progress in his respective voting pool, but he still faces an uphill climb for a starting spot. Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving (3,968,041) and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell (3,851,233) currently lead the way among Eastern Conference guards.

Fan submissions account for 50 percent of the All-Star voting. Player votes count for 25 percent and a media panel counts for the other 25.

Voting ends on Saturday at 11:59 p.m. The starters for the annual event will be announced on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game will tip off at Vivint Arena on Feb. 19.

The Celtics are reportedly setting the foundation for an All-Star event of their own. TNT’s Chris Haynes reported during Thursday’s Celtics-Warriors’ game that Boston plans on submitting a bid for TD Garden to host the 2026 NBA All-Star Game.

https://twitter.com/ClipIt_NBA/status/1616242705818087424

It would be a long time coming for Boston. The Celtics have not hosted an All-Star Game since 1964. Among the four major pro sports leagues, the Red Sox hosted Boston’s last All-Star Game at Fenway Park back in 1999.

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Conor Ryan

Sports Writer

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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