The 2015 NBA All-Star Game will be held in New York City, with the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and Madison Square Garden in Manhattan both hosting the event. Recently, voting for the All-Star Game began and the first ballot returns have been announced.
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According to NBA All-Star, Kobe Bryant is currently second amongst Western Conference guards:
#NBAAllStarNYC Balloting by @Sprint 1st Returns W. Guards: S.Curry (549,095), K.Bryant (521,542), J.Harden (336,998). pic.twitter.com/SZnVZF5skT
— 2015 NBA All-Star (@NBAAllStar) December 25, 2014
With a nearly 200,000 vote lead on James Harden of the Houston Rockets, Kobe seems well on his way to being elected to the 17th All-Star Game of his career. Bryant ranks second on the all-time list to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who was selected 19 times in his career.
Bryant isn’t the only person to make the list in the first ballot returns as Nick Young is currently the 13th ranked player in the frontcourt with 32,050 votes.
Young won’t make the game, but it is interesting that he has become so popular in this last season and a half with the Lakers. Even though he won’t be a part of the game, Young’s focus is on getting in the three-point shootout, which he has been campaigning for.
Despite a drop in efficiency from Bryant this season, he remains one of the NBA’s most popular players. The fact that he is still fourth in All-Star votes trailing only Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis is proof of that.
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