Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant gained the 18th All-Star selection of his career as the starters for the NBA mid-season showcase were announced.
Bryant, the five-time NBA champion who has confirmed he will retire this year after the conclusion of his 20th season, had paced fan voting for All-Star starters for weeks, despite his own on-court struggles and those of the Lakers.
Bryant topped all vote-getters with 1,891,614, and will start alongside Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard in the Western Conference front court, with Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry – the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player – and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook rounding out the West starting lineup.
Bryant’s 18th selection to the All-Star game is the second-most ever behind the 19 of fellow Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However, injuries have sidelined him from some All-Star Games for which he was selected. He missed the last two because of injury.
In the Eastern Conference, the news of Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James earning his 12th All-Star selection was overshadowed by the team firing coach David Blatt on Friday night, according to reports. Associate coach Tyronn Lue will take over following an agreement on a multi-year deal as Blatt’s dismisal comes after he guided the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in his lone full season and a 30-11 mark this campaign.
Joining James in the East starting lineup are Indiana’s Paul George and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks in the frontcourt, with the backcourt starting spots going to Miami veteran Dwyane Wade and Toronto’s Kyle Lowry. The selection is the second in a row for Lowry, who will represent the hometown Raptors at the event after receiving a late voting surge to overtake Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving.
Anthony, Durant and George are off to strong starts this season after missing significant time last season because of injuries. Durant, the top vote-getter in 2014, was relegated to a reserve role in last year’s All-Star Game.
Anthony started the contest but had season-ending knee surgery shortly thereafter, while George missed most of last season recovering from a broken leg. Anthony edged Chicago’s Pau Gasol – a starter last year – by just 360 votes for the final starting spot in the East front court. The All-Star reserves will be named on January 28.
