Curry second in second returns of NBA all-star voting

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, February 14 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, the first All-Star Game to be held outside of the US 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 US 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, January 14. Voting will conclude on Monday, January 18 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET. Starters will be announced live on TNT on Thursday, January 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, January 28.

NBA All-Star Voting 2016 presented by Verizon is an all-digital program that gives fans everywhere the opportunity to vote for their favourite 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.