NBA All-Star Releases Result Of 1st Wave Of Voting; Lebron James, Kevin Durant Are Top Vote-Getters? Is Kobe Bryant Going To All-Star?
The National Basketball Association has released the figures for its 2014 All-Star balloting and as expected Lebron James came out on top with 854,105 votes. Coming at second is Kevin Durant who garnered a close 850,728 votes.
Surprisingly, injured Kobe Bryant is third place (723,031) despite being injured for most of the season. It is yet to be determined if he will be able to play for the ASG.
Joining James and Durant in their prospect first five for their respective conferences are:
Eastern Conference:
Paul George of Indiana Pacers - 712,808 votes
Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks - 580,795 votes
Dwyane Wade of Miami Heat - 565,455 votes
Kyrie Irving of Cleveland Cavaliers - 524,000
Western Conference:
Dwight Howard of Houston Rockets - 408,623
Blake Griffin of Los Angeles Clippers 399,357
Kobe Bryant of Los Angeles Lakers - 723,031
Chris Paul of Los Angeles Clippers - 533,647
For the West team, other names that might be called on February are Kevin Love, Tim Duncan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Anthony Davis, Pau Gasol, Andre Iguodala, Stephen Curry, Jeremy Lin, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook.
Possible reserve for the East team are Roy Hibbert, Chris Bosh, Kevin Garnett, Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose, John Wall, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Deron Williams.
Fans still have less than one month to cast their votes. According to a statement posted by the league on its website:
"Balloting concludes on Monday, Jan. 20, and starters will be announced live on TNT on Thursday, Jan. 23, during a special one-hour edition of the Emmy Award-winning pregame show Inside the NBA at 7 p.m. ET, featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith. The special will air prior to TNT's exclusive doubleheader featuring the Los Angeles Lakers at the Miami Heat (8 p.m. ET) and the Denver Nuggets at the Portland Trail Blazers (10:30 p.m. ET)"
The 2014 ASG weekend will be held in New Orleans on February 14-16. State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will feature Sears Shooting Stars, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, and Sprite Slam Dunk. Other events at NBA All-Star 2014 will include the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, and NBA All-Star Jam Session.