NEW YORK, Dec. 25, 2015 – The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant is the leading vote-getter in the first returns of NBA All-Star Voting 2016 presented by Verizon. Bryant, a 17-time All-Star, received 719,235 votes to claim the top spot, ahead of the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (510,202) and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, who leads the Eastern Conference with 357,937 votes.
James, the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George (283,785) and the Detroit Pistons’ Andre Drummond (148,278) pace the East’s frontcourt players. The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade (300,595) is the leading vote-getter among East guards, followed by the Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving (138,191).
Curry, who leads the NBA in scoring (31.2 ppg) for the 27-1 Warriors, is followed in the Western Conference guard voting by 2015 NBA All-Star Game MVP Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (267,699). Bryant, the Thunder’s Kevin Durant (349,473) and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin (182,107) lead all West frontcourt players.
Bryant is the leading scorer in NBA All-Star Game history (280 points), and his 17 All-Star selections are second all time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 19. A 20-year NBA veteran, Bryant announced last month that this will be his final season.
The 65th NBA All-Star Game will tip off Sunday, Feb. 14 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, the first All-Star Game to be held outside of the U.S. The game will be seen by fans in more than 200 countries and territories and will be heard in more than 40 languages. TNT will televise the All-Star Game in the U.S. for the 14th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 31st year of NBA All-Star coverage.
NBA All-Star Voting 2016 presented by Verizon is an all-digital program that gives fans everywhere the opportunity to vote for their favorite players as starters for the All-Star Game. New to the voting program this year, fans can cast their daily votes directly through Google Search on their desktop, tablet and mobile devices. They can also vote on NBA.com, through the NBA App (available on Android and iOS), SMS text and social media networks including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as via Sina Weibo and Tencent Microblogs in China.
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.
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 Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, at 11:59:59 p.m. ET. Starters will be announced live on TNT on Thursday, Jan. 21 during a special one-hour edition of TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader.com 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 Clippers at the Cavaliers (8 p.m. ET) and the San Antonio Spurs at the Phoenix Suns (10:30 p.m. ET).
NBA All-Star 2016 in Toronto will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. Along with the NBA All-Star Game, the Air Canada Centre will also host the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 12 and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 13. Other events at NBA All-Star 2016 include the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and the NBA Development League All-Star Game presented by Kumho Tire.
See below for the first returns of NBA All-Star Voting 2016 presented by Verizon.
NBA ALL-STAR 2016 VOTING PRESENTED BY VERIZON
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
