NEW YORK, 14 January 2004 — Toronto’s Vince Carter remained the leader in fan balloting for the National Basketball Association’s All-Star Game with just six days to go before voting concludes.
The leading vote-getter for the game in three of the past four seasons, Carter has received 1,629,169 votes after the third returns were announced on Monday. The All-Star Game, in Los Angeles on Feb. 15, would be his fifth. Michael Jordan and Julius Erving are the only other players to receive the most votes three or more times.
Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, remained second overall and has by far the biggest lead at a position. Wallace has received 1,465,308 votes, more than 1,100,000 ahead of the retired Alonzo Mourning of the New Jersey Nets, who underwent a kidney transplant in December. Despite facing trial for sexual assault, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant remains third overall and tops the Western Conference with 1,333,262 votes. Houston’s Steve Francis is second among Western guards with 727,103.
Bryant’s teammate Shaquille O’Neal leads all centers in the West with 1,115,881 votes, edging China’s Yao Ming, who has 1,091,997. Despite having missed 10 games in December and early January with a bruised right knee, Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson is fourth overall and leads Eastern Conference guards with 1,322,327 votes.
