Curry, LeBron highlight NBA All-Star Game starters
It took a late push, but LeBron James was supplanted at the 11th hour as the NBA All-Star Game's leading vote-getter.
Warriors point guard and MVP favorite Stephen Curry, who has Golden State off to its best start in franchise history with an NBA-best 34-6 record, passed James to finish at the top of the list.
Curry became the first Warrior to lead the NBA in All-Star votes since Rick Barry in 1976, while also becoming the first member of Golden State to start consecutive All-Star games since Chris Mullin in 1991 and 1992.
"This means a lot, it's something that I don't take for granted," Curry said in a statement, according to ESPN. "To have support of fans not only in the Bay Area but across the nation and across the world, supporting not only myself but our team, it means a lot."
Injured Los Angeles Lakers veteran Kobe Bryant, who was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his right shoulder Thursday, is among the players voted in as starters alongside Curry in the Western Conference.
| PLAYER | POSITION | TEAM | VOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Curry | G | Warriors | 1,513,324 |
| Kobe Bryant | G | Lakers | 1,152,402 |
| Anthony Davis | F | Pelicans | 1,369,911 |
| Blake Griffin | F | Clippers | 700,615 |
| Marc Gasol | F | Grizzlies | 795,121 |
The Warriors' Steve Kerr will coach the star-studded West team. He's the first rookie coach to earn the nod since Larry Bird of the Indiana Pacers led the Eastern Conference in 1998.
Kerr will have the honor of coaching a team that features 21-year-old phenom Anthony Davis, the youngest member of the 10 starters.
Blessed! Truly appreciate all the fans out there for the support pic.twitter.com/wtbaNAwBVZ
— Anthony Davis (@AntDavis23) January 23, 2015
| PLAYER | PPG | RPG | APG | PER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Curry | 23.2 | 4.8 | 8.1 | 27.8 |
| Kobe Bryant | 22.3 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 17.5 |
| Anthony Davis | 24.3 | 10.4 | 1.6 | 31.6 |
| Blake Griffin | 23.0 | 7.6 | 5.0 | 22.7 |
| Marc Gasol | 19.3 | 8.2 | 3.7 | 22.7 |
James was the leading vote-getter in the Eastern Conference and will be joined by first-time All-Star Kyle Lowry, who passed Dwyane Wade with a late push to become the second guard alongside John Wall.
Lowry was trailing Wade by more than 100,000 votes in the last round of voting returns, but a major social media campaign helped the point guard represent the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors and capture a spot in the starting lineup.
| Player | Position | Team | VOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Wall | G | Wizards | 886,368 |
| Kyle Lowry | G | Raptors | 805,290 |
| LeBron James | F | Cavaliers | 1,470,483 |
| Carmelo Anthony | F | Knicks | 647,005 |
| Pau Gasol | F | Bulls | 974,177 |
With Wall and Lowry both starting, it will mark the first time the East has had two first-time starters at guard since 2000, when Allen Iverson and Eddie Jones got the nods.
Chicago Bulls power forward Pau Gasol joins hometown favorite Carmelo Anthony in the starting frontcourt, and will play opposite his brother, Marc Gasol.
| PLAYER | PPG | RPG | APG | PER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Wall | 17.0 | 4.3 | 10.0 | 20.6 |
| Kyle Lowry | 19.8 | 4.9 | 7.5 | 21.9 |
| LeBron James | 26.0 | 5.5 | 7.4 | 25.4 |
| Carmelo Anthony | 24.0 | 6.7 | 3.1 | 21.7 |
| Pau Gasol | 18.7 | 11.4 | 2.7 | 22.1 |
The Gasol brothers are set to become the first pair of siblings in NBA history to start in the same All-Star Game when the event takes place Sunday, Feb. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
''Knowing that I will be facing my brother Pau for the opening tip, it will be a true accomplishment for our family and a memory I will cherish for the rest of my career,'' Marc Gasol said in a statement through the Memphis Grizzlies. ''It holds special meaning to be voted in by the fans, and I look forward to representing my teammates, the organization, the city of Memphis and (the) entire Mid-South community and Grizzlies fans across the world.''
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer will coach the Eastern Conference team. Budenholzer has Atlanta in first place in the East with a 35-8 record.
Head coaches in each conference will select the All-Star reserves, which will be announced next Thursday.