Jaylen Brown received the 6th-most All-Star fan votes in the Eastern Conference, per the NBA’s first returns, released Monday.
Brown received 808,276 votes, trailing Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (1,192,296), Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (1,072,449), New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (1,040,601), Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (1,000,171), and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (851,155).
And, while 6th isn’t a bad place to be, it’s a surprising result given Brown’s play this season; the four-time All-Star is in the midst of the best season of his 10-year NBA career, and the Celtics have surpassed expectations with a 19-12 record.
Brown is averaging 29.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, while shooting 50.6% from the field, 37% from three, and 77.9% from the line. His scoring, assists, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage are all at career-highs.
On Sunday, he tied Larry Bird for the longest streak of consecutive 30+ point games in franchise, tallying his 9th straight 30+ point game with 37 points against the Portland Trail Blazers.
And, his teammates have praised his play this season.
“He’s just a top player in this NBA,” Payton Pritchard said on Friday. “He should be in the MVP conversation, for sure, and he shows it every night. JB is a tough cover — he can shoot it at all three levels, is athletic and strong, and he’s got a good handle and pull-up game. So he’s just a tough cover, and he’s showing it.”
Jaylen Brown could be an All-Star reserve instead of a starter if voting holds
As it currently stands, Brown is in danger of not being named an All-Star starter, with a final decision determined by players and the media. Fans voting represents 50% of the vote to determine the five players from each conference honored as starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, with current NBA players and a media panel accounting for 25% each. All-Star reserves are selected by the NBA’s 30 head coaches. The NBA All-Star game will take place on February 5th in Los Angeles.
If voting ended today, Antetokounmpo, Maxey, Brunson, Cunningham, and Mitchell would be the East’s five starters. Brown would be a shoo-in for a reserve spot.
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Interestingly, Brown would fare better if he played in the Western Conference; in the West, only Luka Doncic (1,249,518), Nikola Jokic (1,128,962), and Stephen Curry (1,031,455) received more fan votes than Brown.
While being an All-Star reserve is nothing to scoff at, it’d likely be a disappointing outcome for Brown given his play this season. In the East, only Maxey (30.7 points) and Mitchell (30.2 points) have averaged more points per game, though Brown’s Celtics have a better record (19-12) than Maxey’s 76ers (16-14) and Mitchell’s Cavaliers (17-16). Antetokounmpo has only appeared in 18 games, and his Bucks team currently has the East’s fifth-worst record at 13-19.
No other Celtics player was in the Top 20 in All-Star voting, though the Celtics have also been campaigning for Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. Fan voting opened on December 17th and closes on January 14th. Fans can submit one full ballot per day via the official NBA website or the NBA App.
