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NBA All-Star 2020: Second Wave of Votes Not Kind to 76ers' Ben Simmons

Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons hasn't received a ton of love for the 2020 NBA All-Star game.

Justin Grasso

NBA All-Star 2020: Second Wave of Votes Not Kind to 76ers' Ben Simmons
NBA All-Star 2020: Second Wave of Votes Not Kind to 76ers' Ben Simmons /

The race to the NBA 2020 All-Star game is off and running. For the Philadelphia 76ers, they could potentially be represented by what looks like two players. Like last season, Sixers' center Joel Embiid and their point guard, Ben Simmons, are the likely candidates to make it, but judging by the couple waves of fan votes, two Sixers representatives may not happen this season.

As expected, Embiid is close to the top when it comes to Eastern Conference votes. During the first wave of results from the fans, the Sixers' big man placed second in total votes with over 606,000 votes. The 76ers big man was right behind the reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokoumpo.

Ben Simmons, on the other hand, didn't do as well as his teammate. Although he was ranked within the top ten of the Eastern Conference frontcourt votes, Simmons ranked sixth, behind Zach LaVine, Derrick Rose, Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, and Trae Young.

Lately, the 76ers' social media team has been attempting to make a push for Embiid, Simmons, and then some, but it looks like their techniques haven't been enough for the fan votes. On Thursday, the second wave of results are out, and they are not favorable for everybody in Philly.

Joel Embiid fared well during the second wave of votes, surpassing one million and remaining just behind Milwaukee's Greek Freak.

As for Simmons, he didn't get the same push. While the six original prospects stayed in front of Simmons, Toronto's Kyle Lowry, and Boston's Jaylen Brown jumped ahead, leaving Simmons sitting in eighth place for the East's guard votes.

Fans, media, and player voting will conclude in a few weeks on January 20th. The 2020 All-Star game is set to play in Chicago on February 16th.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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