The NBA All-Star weekend is considered a mid-season extravaganza organized to entertain the fans.
So, it comes as no surprise, that the fans have a huge say in which players participate in the NBA All-Star Game, the headlining event of the weekend.
Up until 2017, the starters for the NBA All-Star Game were completely decided by fan voting but since, the league has shifted to a weighted process wherein fan voting accounts for 50%, with player and media voting accounting for 25% each.
However, the selection process for the All-Star benches has remained the same. So, who does vote for the All-Star Game reserves?
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Who votes for reserves of the NBA All-Star Game?
The head coaches of the 30 teams votes for the reserves for every NBA All-Star Game.
Each coach selects two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards – guard/forward – with the only provision that any coach cannot vote for their own players.
If one of the 14 All-Star reserves voted are unavailable for the Game, then the NBA Commissioner selects a replacement. If one of the starters are unavailable for the Game, the All-Star head coach of that team chooses the reserve that will be the replacement in the starting line-up.
Over the recent years, the reserves for the NBA All-Star Game have been announced on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” Thursday show – a week after the starters have been revealed.