LOS ANGELES: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James continue to receive what is shaping up to be many happy returns.
Bryant of the defending NBA Champion LA Lakers and “King James” of the Cleveland Cavaliers were the leading vote-getters in their respective Western and Eastern Conferences, after the third returns of the NBA All-Star balloting was released by the league on Thursday.
Bryant, currently the league’s top scorer, is the overall leader with 1,606032 votes. Meanwhile, James, the reigning league Most Valuable Player, is second with 1, 579, 530.
Bryant, a three-time All-Star MVP, who shared the honors with Shaquille O’Neal in last year’s mid-season showpiece, is joined at the guard position by Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady (649,563) who regained the lead over Phoenix Suns’ Steve Nash by a scant 1,005 votes.
Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony paces forward in the West (1,410,356) while German wunderkind Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks (753,971) is second. The Suns’ Amar’e Stoudemire (1,143,849) is the leading vote-getter among Western Conference centers.
In the East, James is joined at the other forward spot by Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett, MVP of the 2003 All-Star Game with 1,317,739 tallies. Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade (1,539,968) and Philadelphia 76ers’ Allen Iverson (806,749) hold down the guard positions.
Iverson appears among Western Conference guards on the paper ballot, but because he began the season with Memphis, his votes count toward the Eastern Conference guards due to his signing with Philadelphia on Dec. 3.
Last year’s leading vote getter, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, rounds out the East starting five at center with 1,479, 625 ballots.
Paper balloting by fans worldwide will continue through Jan. 10, and wireless voting on NBA.com will run through January 18 before the results are announced on Thursday January 21.
On January 28, the head coaches in each conference will vote to determine the remaining All-Stars in their respective conference.
The 59th NBA All-Star Game will be played on February 14 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, before a crowd of more than 80,000, the largest to ever witness a basketball game.
