Last year, Bradley Beal said he felt disrespected when the Washington Wizards guard wasn’t voted into the All-Star Game.
A year later, the respect appears to be there.
The NBA announced the first share of fan votes Thursday for next month’s All-Star Game — and Beal is leading all guards in the Eastern Conference in fan voting with 1,273,817. Fan votes only account for 50% of the final tally, with the media and players selecting the other starters. Once the starters are determined, then coaches vote on the reserves.
Beal’s share of votes reflects the tremendous season that the 27-year-old has had so far. Beal leads the league with 35 points per game — almost five more than the next player, Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant. The Wizards are 5-13 and sit near the bottom of the East, but Beal has become one of the premier players in the NBA.
Beal drew greater support than other notable players like Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving and Brooklyn’s James Harden, who were second and third in votes behind Beal in the East.
The NBA and the players’ union are in discussion to hold an actual All-Star Weekend next month in Atlanta — reversing course on the original plan to skip the event due to the pandemic. Even if a game is not played, All-Star teams will still be determined.
On Wednesday, Beal became the first player to score at least 25 points per game in 17 straight contests to start a season since Wilt Chamberlain.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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