Fan Forum: LeBron James Has Best Shot to Catch Kobe Bryant as Top NBA All-Star Vote-Getter

The NBA released its third installment of All-Star balloting on Thursday, and Kobe Bryant is leading the way with 1,391,597 votes.

It makes sense, of course. Kobe is the face of one of the league’s most popular franchises, and it doesn’t hurt that the All-Star Game will be played at the Staples Center, which is Kobe’s home turf.

Though Bryant is currently leading the way, the Eastern Conference is jam-packed with stars that have also eclipsed the million mark when it comes to All-Star bids.

Surpassing Kobe in votes won’t be easy, but there is one player who has the status to do so. He’s the player everyone loves to hate — LeBron James.

James already has pulled in 1,194,091 votes thus far — second in the Eastern Conference behind Dwight Howard (1,205,159) — but expect the superstar’s tally to keep surging until voting concludes on Jan. 23. While there are several LeBron haters out there, there also are plenty of supporters who will become very close with their computer’s “refresh” key over the next couple of weeks.

Currently, the highest Celtics vote-getter is Rajon Rondo with 929,781 votes, fourth in the East behind Dwyane Wade (1,167,649). Rondo, Wade and Howard are all great players, but James has the best shot to finish with the most votes in the Eastern Conference and overtake Kobe in the overall race.

Do you think any Eastern Conference players can catch Kobe Bryant on the NBA All-Star ballot? Share your thoughts below.

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Which Eastern Conference player will catch Kobe Bryant in NBA All-Star votes?online surveys