Dallas Mavericks player Luka Doncic leads 2020 All-Star votes

In a surprising turn of events, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is the leading vote-getter in the first returns for the All-Star game this coming February. Garnering 1,073,957 votes, he might end up leading "Team LeBron" over LeBron James, who has 1,020,851 votes.

The young 20-year old Slovenian is even ahead of MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has 1,073,358 votes and leads the Eastern Conference players. According to Mavs Money Ball, Doncic got the third-most votes behind James and Antetokounmpo last year, but wasn't selected to play. He was the only other player apart from the two captains with more than 4 million votes. The guards selected to start were James Harden and Kyrie Irving for Team LeBron. Team Giannis choose Stephen Curry and Kemba Walker.

Fans will not let that oversight continue for a second straight year. Doncic, who is only in his second NBA season, could end up as the youngest All-Star game top vote-getter if he wins this year. But his youth shouldn't be an issue. The young Slovenian is a walking triple-double this season. In fact, in their game against the Charlotte Hornets last Saturday, Doncic scored 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. It is his 10th triple-double of the season, and the most in Mav's franchise history for a single season. The previous record was held by Jason Kidd at 9, posted 15 years ago. Doncic already has an impressive tally and we are not even halfway into the season. He also leads all players in the league on triple-doubles ahead of LeBron James, who has 8 and Nikola Jokic with 7.

It's sad that he was overlooked to play in what should have been his first All-Star appearance last year. He did participate in other activities such as the Rising Stars Game and the Skills Challenge. His rookie status shouldn't have been an issue. Otherwise, it defeats the purpose of the All-Star vote. Now in his second year, Doncic is proving he is a popular player across the board. His season averages of 29 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.9 assists show that he deserves a slot in the All-Star game.