On 16 different occasions, Kobe Bryant has been voted a starter in the NBA All-Star Game by basketball fans around the globe. He can now add number 17 to the list.
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On the NBA on TNT, they announced the starters for the 2015 edition and Bryant was selected as the starting guard, via Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times:
Kobe Bryant selected an NBA All-Star for the 17th time. Whether or not he can play in the game in a few weeks is the great unknown.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) January 23, 2015
Bryant will be joined in the backcourt by Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, who was the leading overall vote-getter. Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies, Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers and Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans round out the starters in the West giving the team a very sizable frontcourt.
Across the way in the Eastern Conference, LeBron James was the leading vote-getter and will be joined by former Laker, Pau Gasol and New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony in the frontcourt. John Wall of the Washington Wizards and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors round out the East starters.
For Bryant, this is his 17th official start in the All-Star Game which will be held in New York this year. He failed to play in two of those games, however, including last year’s game which he missed due to injury. Whether or not Bryant will actually suit up for this game remains to be seen. Kobe suffered a torn rotator cuff in the loss to the New Orleans Pelicans recently that puts his immediate future in doubt.
[divide]Lakers Kobe Bryant Discusses Future Possibility Of Being Shutdown