Kobe Bryant is moving closer to being voted to start his 17th All-Star Game of his career if the latest All-Star ballot returns are any indication.
According to NBA.com, Bryant remains in a comfortable second place among Western Conference guards, trailing only Stephen Curry:
Curry is joined in the Western Conference backcourt by the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (862,568). The West frontcourt is led, in order, by Davis, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin (490,786) and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol (476,660).
So far, Bryant has totaled 862,568 votes which is the fourth highest total in the entire NBA, trailing only LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Curry. With over 170,000 more votes than the third-highest guard, James Harden of the Houston Rockets, it would take a massive run for Bryant to lose his spot.
Though they have no chance of being voted into the game, both Jeremy Lin and Nick Young remain on the All-Star ballot returns as well. Lin ranks ninth among guards with 148,763 votes while Young is 14th among front court players with 62,502 votes.
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Bryant has proven a lot of people wrong who did not believe he could come back after two serious injuries. Bryant is averaging 23 points, five rebounds and five assists in his 19th season and has recently improved his efficiency and assists in his last few games since returning from missing three games to rest.
While he may not be the player he once was, Bryant remains one of the league’s most popular players and these votes show that.
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