NEW YORK, Jan. 7, 2016 – The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James continue to lead their respective conferences in the second returns of NBA All-Star Voting 2016 presented by Verizon. Bryant, a 17-time All-Star selection, tops all players with 1,262,118 votes, ahead of the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (925,789). James, seeking his 12th All-Star nod in 13 seasons, leads the Eastern Conference with 636,388 votes.
James, the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George (457,554) and the Detroit Pistons’ Andre Drummond (261,158) continue to pace the East’s frontcourt players, with the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony (255,536) close behind. The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade (562,558) and the Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving (271,094) are still the leading vote-getters among East guards, followed by the Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry (242,276).
Curry and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook (479,512 votes) maintain the top two spots among Western Conference guards. Bryant and the Thunder’s Kevin Durant (616,096) remain ahead in the West frontcourt voting, while the Warriors’ Draymond Green (332,223) has moved into the third spot. Green, who has an NBA-high seven triple-doubles this season, leads the San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard (330,929) by a slim margin.
The 65th NBA All-Star Game will tip off on 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.
The next balloting update for NBA All-Star Voting 2016 presented by Verizon will be shared on Thursday, Jan. 14. Voting will conclude on Monday, Jan. 18 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 before TNT’s exclusive doubleheader featuring the L.A. Clippers at the Cavaliers (8 p.m. ET) and the Spurs at the Phoenix Suns (10:30 p.m. ET). The All-Star Game reserves, selected by the NBA’s 30 head coaches, will be revealed live on TNT on Thursday, Jan. 28.
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 or handle, 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.
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 second 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) 636,388
2 Paul George (Ind) 457,554
3 Andre Drummond (Det) 261,158
4 Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 255,536
5 Pau Gasol (Chi) 209,006
6 Chris Bosh (Mia) 194,429
7 Kevin Love (Cle) 172,517
8 Hassan Whiteside (Mia) 168,549
9 Kristaps Porzingis (NYK) 160,170
10 Giannis Antetokounmpo (Mil) 48,768
11 Jonas Valanciunas (Tor) 30,023
12 Marcin Gortat (Was) 27,185
13 Joakim Noah (Chi) 23,121
14 DeMarre Carroll (Tor) 22,797
15 Paul Millsap (Atl) 21,625
Guards
1 Dwyane Wade (Mia) 562,558
2 Kyrie Irving (Cle) 271,094
3 Kyle Lowry (Tor) 242,276
4 Jimmy Butler (Chi) 220,429
5 John Wall (Was) 207,274
6 DeMar DeRozan (Tor) 170,539
7 Derrick Rose (Chi) 159,787
8 Jeremy Lin (Cha) 122,988
9 Isaiah Thomas (Bos) 87,452
10 Reggie Jackson (Det) 44,525
Western Conference
Frontcourt
1 Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,262,118
2 Kevin Durant (OKC) 616,096
3 Draymond Green (GS) 332,223
4 Kawhi Leonard (SA) 330,929
5 Blake Griffin (LAC) 298,212
6 Anthony Davis (NO) 261,491
7 Tim Duncan (SA) 228,995
8 Zaza Pachulia (Dal) 194,421
9 DeMarcus Cousins (Sac) 190,060
10 Enes Kanter (OKC) 183,468
11 LaMarcus Aldridge (SA) 124,404
12 Dwight Howard (Hou) 120,424
13 Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 99,681
14 DeAndre Jordan (LAC) 91,186
15 Harrison Barnes (GS) 82,427
Guards
1 Stephen Curry (GS) 925,789
2 Russell Westbrook (OKC) 479,512
3 Chris Paul (LAC) 268,672
4 Klay Thompson (GS) 267,602
5 James Harden (Hou) 249,877
6 Rajon Rondo (Sac) 120,767
7 Andre Iguodala (GS) 111,575
8 Manu Ginobili (SA) 100,602
9 Tony Parker (SA) 86,238
10 Damian Lillard (Por) 81,035
