Bronny James, Jayson Tatum Headline the Wildest Names to Receive 2026 NBA All-Star Votes
The NBA has officially announced the 2026 All-Star starters, but while the headline names were mostly predictable, the ballots themselves revealed something far more surprising.
As usual, All-Star starters were determined by a weighted voting system — 50% fans, 25% players, and 25% media — producing the following results:
2026 NBA All-Star Starters
Eastern Conference
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Giannis Antetokounmpo
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Jalen Brunson
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Cade Cunningham
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Tyrese Maxey
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Jaylen Brown
Western Conference
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Nikola Jokić
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Luka Dončić
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
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Stephen Curry
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Victor Wembanyama
The biggest storyline surrounding the starters was LeBron James, whose historic two-decade run as an All-Star starter finally came to an end. But once the league released the full voting breakdown, attention quickly shifted to a far stranger revelation:
Dozens of players with little — or no — on-court impact this season received All-Star votes from their peers.
And leading that list was LeBron’s own son.
Bronny James Receives All-Star Votes From NBA Players
Among the most shocking names to appear on official player ballots was Bronny James, the Lakers rookie and son of LeBron James.
According to the released data, Bronny received two All-Star votes from current NBA players.
Through 24 games this season, Bronny is averaging:
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1.5 points
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0.4 rebounds
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1.1 assists
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6.9 minutes per game
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Shooting 31.8% from the field, 30.2% from three
He has not logged more than 20 minutes in any game and has spent significant time in the G League, where his numbers have been more respectable — but still far from All-Star caliber.
NBA reporter Tim Reynolds summed up the absurdity succinctly:
“There are two NBA players who voted for Bronny James to start the NBA All-Star Game. Another four voted for Isaac Jones, who has scored five points this season.”
Whether the votes were jokes, gestures of support, or players simply filling out ballots without much care remains unclear — but Bronny’s inclusion became the symbol of just how unserious some player voting can be.
Other Shocking Western Conference Vote-Getters
Bronny was far from alone.
Jonathan Kuminga, who has not played since mid-December and is reportedly on his way out of Golden State following a trade demand, received an All-Star vote despite declining production and extended absence.
Additional Western Conference players who received votes despite minimal impact include:
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Dario Šarić (five games, 8.2 minutes per game)
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Cody Williams, struggling through a historically poor plus-minus season
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Damian Lillard, who has yet to play this season
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Dejounte Murray
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Jeff Green, now 39 years old with just 32 total points this year
Several of these players have barely seen the floor — yet still appeared on ballots submitted by fellow professionals.
Eastern Conference Ballots Were Just as Bizarre
The Eastern Conference voting produced an equally confusing list of names.
Jayson Tatum, who tore his Achilles during last year’s playoffs and has not played a single game this season, still received a player vote.
Other eyebrow-raising vote recipients included:
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Vladislav Goldin (Miami Heat rookie: 1 minute played, 0 points)
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Taurean Prince, out for the season
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Collin Castleton, no appearances
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Emanuel Miller (five games, 25 total points)
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Drew Peterson, who is not currently on an NBA roster
In total, 122 players received at least one All-Star vote from another player, according to DLLS Sports’ Tim Cato.
A Longstanding Problem With Player Voting
This isn’t a new phenomenon.
Cato reminded fans that questionable ballots have been part of the process for years, citing the infamous Zaza Pachulia All-Star campaign and a 2018 list of players who appeared to vote for themselves.
As Cato bluntly put it:
“NBA players still don’t take their All-Star votes seriously. Just look at the ballots.”
While fan voting is often criticized for popularity contests, this year’s results suggest player voting may be just as unreliable — if not more so.
What It All Means
The All-Star starters themselves remain worthy selections, and most of the league’s elite will still be rewarded when coaches announce reserve picks later this week.
But the ballot breakdown exposes a flaw the NBA continues to tolerate:
when players treat voting as a joke, it undermines the credibility of the process.
From Bronny James to inactive players to names not even in the league, the 2026 All-Star vote once again showed that prestige doesn’t always equal seriousness.
And while the All-Star Game evolves on the court, the voting process off it still has a long way to go.
