Philadelphia 76ers' Nik Stauskas, from left, Robert Covington, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric celebrate after Covington's go-ahead basket in the final seconds of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, in Philadelphia. Philadelphia won 93-91. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

The NBA released the first fan voting returns for the 2017 All-Star Game and former Kansas center Joel Embiid is on the cusp of breaking into the top three spots among Eastern Conference frontcourt players.

The Philadelphia rookie received 221,984 votes at the first checkpoint, garnering more fan support than established East stars such as New York’s Carmelo Anthony (189,817) and Indiana’s Paul George (138,332) among frontcourt candidates.

The league splits players into two groups — guards and frontcourt players — for voting purposes, and only three East players lead Embiid so far: Cleveland superstar LeBron James (595, 288), Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (500,663) and the Cavaliers’ top big man, Kevin Love (250,347).

Through 23 games, Embiid is averaging 19.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks for Philadelphia (9-24), despite playing only 25.0 minutes a game up to this point. Still, the 22-year-old big man from Cameroon has become an instant fan favorite thanks to not only his mind-boggling skill set for a 7-foot-2 player, but also his amusing persona, often on display on social media platforms.

There is my chance to finally be with my CRUSH so i need your help y'all ha….. Joel Embiid #NBAVote https://t.co/lzxoKq2n10

— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) December 29, 2016

WOWWW RT @realDonaldTrump Joel Embiid #NBAVote

— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) January 5, 2017

NBA fans can submit one All-Star ballot each day during the voting period, through NBA.com, the NBA App, Twitter, Facebook and Google Search. All current NBA players are available for selection. 

For the first time in NBA All-Star Game history, this season players and media will have a say in the starters, too — not just the fans. All current players and a media panel each carry 25 percent of the weight in the voting process, while fan votes count for 50 percent. According to the NBA, player and media voting will begin next week, with each participant completing one full ballot featuring two guards and three frontcourt players from both conferences. 

After all the votes come in, players will be ranked in each conference by position (guard and frontcourt) within each of the three voting groups – fans, players and media. Each player’s score will be calculated by averaging his weighted rank from each voting group. 

The five players (two guards and three frontcourt players) with the best score in each conference will be named All-Star starters. Fan voting will serve as the tiebreaker for players in a position group with the same score.

#NBAVote Joel Embiid Posts Strong Early Returns in All-Star Voting » https://t.co/TDjgyDA4L6 pic.twitter.com/wWs8kxTmPa

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 5, 2017

The next fan voting update comes Jan. 12. Voting for fans, players and media concludes Monday, Jan. 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET.  The East and West All-Star reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, will be announced the following week, on Jan. 26.

The 2017 All-Star Game will be played in New Orleans, on Feb. 19.

NBA ALL-STAR FAN VOTING

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Frontcourt

LeBron James (CLE) 595,288

Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) 500,663

Kevin Love (CLE) 250,347

Joel Embiid (PHI) 221,984

Carmelo Anthony (NY) 189,817

Jimmy Butler (CHI) 189,066

Kristaps Porzingis (NY) 184,166

Paul George (IND) 138,332

Hassan Whiteside (MIA) 72,628

Jabari Parker (MIL) 64,141

Guards

Kyrie Irving (CLE) 543,030

Dwyane Wade (CHI) 278,052

DeMar DeRozan (TOR) 253,340

Isaiah Thomas (BOS) 193,297

Derrick Rose (NY) 129,924

Kyle Lowry (TOR) 128,940

John Wall (WAS) 87,360

Jeremy Lin (BKN) 59,562

Kemba Walker (CHA) 52,122

Avery Bradley (BOS) 32,822

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Frontcourt

Kevin Durant (GS) 541,209

Zaza Pachulia (GS) 439,675

Kawhi Leonard (SA) 341,240

Anthony Davis (NO) 318,144

Draymond Green (GS) 236,315

DeMarcus Cousins (SAC) 202,317

Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) 125,278

LaMarcus Aldridge (SA) 101,724

Blake Griffin (LAC) 100,524

Marc Gasol (MEM) 97,370

Guards

Stephen Curry (GS) 523,597

James Harden (HOU) 519,446

Russell Westbrook (OKC) 501,652

Klay Thompson (GS) 293,054

Chris Paul (LAC) 173,830

Damian Lillard (POR) 117,857

Eric Gordon (HOU) 76,609

Manu Ginobili (SA) 65,832

Andre Iguodala (GS) 64,247

Zach LaVine (MIN) 53,642