Kuzma tops Wizards in All-Star fan voting originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Kyle Kuzma is seventh among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in NBA All-Star fan voting, as the first round of results was released on Thursday. He is the only member of the Wizards to appear in the top 10 among frontcourt players and guards.

With 234,035 votes, Kuzma is nearly two million votes behind Joel Embiid, who is third among frontcourt players and represents the cutoff to be named a starter. All-Star starters are determined by 50% fan votes, 25% media votes and 25% votes from NBA players.

Two notable omissions in the first round of voting would be Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal, as the Wizards have three players averaging 20-plus points per game this season. Kuzma, 27, is putting up career-highs in points (21.3), field goal percentage (46.0) and assists (3.8) while also pulling in 7.5 rebounds per game.

Beal was the last Wizards player to start the All-Star game, as he did so in 2021. That was also the last time the Wizards had a representative in the annual showcase.

Kuzma has never been an All-Star previously in his career. Beal has made it three times, while Porzingis was selected once. 

The 2023 All-Star Game is set for Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City, where Kuzma played college basketball for the University of Utah.