Domas joins Kings’ Fox in NBA All-Star voting top 10 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Domantas Sabonis is moving on up.
After noticeably being absent in the first two rounds of 2023 NBA All-Star fan voting, the Kings center cracked the top 10 in the third and final fan voting returns, released Thursday.
With 686,291 votes, Sabonis leapfrogged Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard for the 10th spot in fan voting among Western Conference frontcourt players. The 26-year-old joins teammate De’Aaron Fox in the top 10 vote-getters at their respective position groups.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James leads all players in fan votes with 6,506,682 while the Golden State Warriors‘ Steph Curry leads all guards with 5,151,822 votes.
Despite not garnering enough votes to be in the top 10 in the previous two fan vote returns, Sabonis being named the Western Conference Player of the Week for Jan. 9-15 surely helped his case.
Sabonis, who missed the Kings’ 116-111 win over the Lakers on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena with a non-COVID illness, has been on a tear in January.
In eight games this month, the Kings’ star center is averaging 19.8 points, 13.9 rebounds and 8.5 assists in 36.2 minutes per game. Most importantly, Sacramento is 5-3 in those eight games, even as Sabonis plays with a fractured right thumb.
Fox remains in 10th place among Western Conference guards with 382,173 votes after garnering 221,068 votes in the second fan vote returns. During the Kings’ current five-game win streak, the 25-year-old is averaging 22.6 points and 6.4 assists on 52 percent shooting from the field.
RELATED: Domas named Player of the Week to boost All-Star case
For context, fan votes account for 50 percent of the vote to determine who will be a starter for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. Players and coaches both make up 25 percent each.
Considering Fox and Sabonis have powered the Kings to the third-best record in the Western Conference halfway through the season, it’s only fair the tandem get the recognition they deserve.
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