Joel Embiid Places Just Behind Durant, Giannis in All-Star Voting

On February 20, 2022, some of the NBA's best players will get together for the yearly All-Star game. For the last four seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers had a steady representative in the big showcase as Joel Embiid had notched an appearance every year since the 2017-2018 run.

This season, Embiid is on pace to make his fifth-straight appearance in the All-Star game. While the voting just began a couple of weeks ago, the first results from the fan votes prove that Embiid's on the right track to crack the All-Star game once again.

On Thursday, the NBA announced the official first return from the fan votes. As expected, Embiid was the only member of the Sixers within the top ten of any Eastern Conference category. 

Embiid placed third just behind Milwaukee Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant for the frontcourt voting. 

A Look at the First Results

Brooklyn's Durant garnered the second-most amount of votes overall behind Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry. Antetkokounmpo placed third behind Durant and just in front of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

Meanwhile, Embiid placed seventh-overall in the early fan voting with 1.2 million votes. While he placed fourth in the Eastern Conference voting behind Durant, Antetokounmpo, and Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan, Embiid's still in great shape to notch his fifth-straight All-Star appearance and be the lone representative for Philadelphia in Cleveland next month.

Typically, the Sixers have two representatives, as Ben Simmons has notched an All-Star appearance over the last three seasons. However, the disgruntled guard remains off the floor, ensuring he won't make the trip to Cleveland this season.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.