Le Basketbawl

NBA Commissioner David Stern must be tickled pink right about now, because if the vote totals from the fans is a clear indication of the Association’s popularity, than it is at an all time high! The NBA released the starters for the 2009 NBA All-Star game Thursday, and five  players exceeded the previous highest vote count in the history of the NBA. Houston Rockets center Yao Ming had received the most votes back in 2005, when he set the record with 2,558,278 fan ballots. He now resides in both sixth and seventh place, as he missed his previous high mark this year by a little more than 25,000 votes  (2, 532,958). The new record holder is the man they call “Superman” Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, who is the only player in the history of the NBA All-Star game to receive more than 3 million votes (3,150,181). Howard will man the pivot spot for the Eastern Conference team, he will be joined by Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (2,940,823), Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics (2,066,833) Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (2,741,413) and Detroit Pistons guard Allen Iverson (1,804,649).

Kobe  Bryant was the recipient of the most fan votes in the Western Conference, as the Los Angeles Lakers guard received 2,805,397 votes for the February 15, contest. He will share the back court with New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul (2,134,798), Rockets center Yao Ming, San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (2,578,168), and Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire (1,460,429). The reserves will be announced next week.