Kobe Bryant leads early All-Star voting
On what has become his farewell tour season, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is leading the 2016 All-Star voting. Golden State's Stephen Curry is second and Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James is third.
Bryant is averaging a little more than 17 points per game, and shooting 34% from the floor, some of the worst numbers of his career. But the fans are apparently showing appreciation for his 20 seasons to get him into what would be his 18th and final All-Star game, which will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Feb. 14.
All current NBA players are available for selection. Fans can select up to two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference when choosing starters via NBA.com or the NBA App.
Here are the leaders:
Eastern Conference
Frontcourt
1 LeBron James (Cle) 357,937
2 Paul George (Ind) 283,785
3 Andre Drummond (Det) 148,278
4 Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 132,119
5 Pau Gasol (Chi) 109,585
6 Kevin Love (Cle) 92,177
7 Chris Bosh (Mia) 91,896
8 Kristaps Porzingis (NYK) 85,606
9 Hassan Whiteside (Mia) 72,923
10 Giannis Antetokounmpo (Mil) 25,926
11 Jonas Valanciunas (Tor) 12,341
12 Joakim Noah (Chi) 10,808
13 Paul Millsap (Atl) 10,501
14 Marcin Gortat (Was) 9,443
15 DeMarre Carroll (Tor) 8,885
Guards
1 Dwyane Wade (Mia) 300,595
2 Kyrie Irving (Cle) 138,191
3 Kyle Lowry (Tor) 128,131
4 Jimmy Butler (Chi) 111,220
5 John Wall (Was) 103,094
6 Derrick Rose (Chi) 72,709
7 DeMar DeRozan (Tor) 69,042
8 Jeremy Lin (Cha) 61,832
9 Isaiah Thomas (Bos) 45,014
10 Nicolas Batum (Cha) 20,596
Western Conference
Frontcourt
1 Kobe Bryant (LAL) 719,235
2 Kevin Durant (OKC) 349,473
3 Blake Griffin (LAC) 182,107
4 Kawhi Leonard (SA) 164,521
5 Draymond Green (GS) 160,350
6 Anthony Davis (NO) 156,161
7 Tim Duncan (SA) 127,543
8 DeMarcus Cousins (Sac) 101,930
9 Dwight Howard (Hou) 66,598
10 LaMarcus Aldridge (SA) 65,019
11 Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 56,377
12 DeAndre Jordan (LAC) 49,696
13 Enes Kanter (OKC) 47,806
14 Harrison Barnes (GS) 43,343
15 Kevin Garnett (Min) 42,285
Guards
1 Stephen Curry (GS) 510,202
2 Russell Westbrook (OKC) 267,699
3 Chris Paul (LAC) 146,335
4 Klay Thompson (GS) 138,587
5 James Harden (Hou) 135,531
6 Rajon Rondo (Sac) 66,164
7 Andre Iguodala (GS) 62,407
8 Damian Lillard (Por) 47,615
9 Manu Ginobili (SA) 42,413
10 Tony Parker (SA) 40,693
How to vote:
- NBA.com voting page at NBA.com/vote: Fill out one full ballot per day on NBA.com/vote from a desktop or mobile browser.
- NBA App: Access the ballot and vote through the app, which is available on Android and iOS. Fans can fill out one full ballot per day.
- Twitter: Tweet, retweet or reply with the player’s first and last name, along with the hashtag #NBAVOTE. Each tweet may include only one player’s name. Fans can vote for 10 unique players each day throughout the All-Star voting period.
- Facebook: Use the player’s first and last name along with the hashtag #NBAVOTE in a post on your personal Facebook account, or comment on another’s Facebook post. Fans can post votes for 10 unique players per day, and each vote may contain only one player’s name.
- Instagram: Post an original photo with the hashtag #NBAVOTE and the player’s first and last name in the photo caption. Fans can vote for 10 unique players per day, and each vote may contain only one player’s name.
- SMS: Text the player's last name to 6-9-6-2-2 ("MYNBA") on any wireless device. Fans can vote for 10 different players per day per phone number via SMS voting by sending 10 separate SMS messages, each one with a different player's last name. Message and data rates may apply.
- Google Search: Search “NBA Vote All-Star” or “NBA Vote Team Name” (ex: NBA Vote Celtics) and use respective team cards to select players. Voters can submit one vote per player per day, with up to 10 total votes per day.
Voting will conclude Jan. 18, 2016, at 11:59:59 p.m. ET.