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Kobe leads Curry in early NBA All-Star returns
Posted On Dec 27 2015
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In his final year in the NBA, Kobe Bryant said he was surprised – shocked might be a better word – when he saw he was leading all players in the first round of the 2016 All-Star voting. Joining him in the Western Conference backcourt based on current voting is 2015 NBA All-Star Game MVP Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder with 267,699.
Bryant is the leading scorer in NBA All-Star Game history (280 points), and his 17 All-Star selections are second all time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 19. Randle is putting up 11.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and will get to tangle with Blake Griffin.
Home court advantage was not at all a factor, but the Los Angeles Clippers were able to clip the Los Angeles Lakers during the late Christmas day game at the Staples Center.
Clearly, the fans have spoken and want Bryant in the game as he bows out of his 20th season, but the numbers in his favor seem rather staggering.
“I feel really honored, having played several games on Christmas and being in so many households at a very special time”, Bryant said.
National Basketball Association scoring leader Curry averages 31.2 points a game for the defending National Basketball Association champion Warriors, who have the league’s top record at 27-1. But at this time last Christmas, James was ahead of Curry – so there is time for both Curry and James to catch the Laker legend.
The Clippers entered the season contending for a title, but are just 16-13 entering their first game with the Lakers. Bryant also played five minutes off the bench on Christmas as a rookie in 1996. The Clippers have lost three in a row to would be rivals in the Spurs, Rockets and Thunder. “It hurts.”… F Paul Pierce has played on Christmas Day for four different teams in the past four years, including Boston, Brooklyn and Washington.
For Facebook, a fan must post a status with #NBAVOTE and the player’s first and last name, which is far more labor intensive than simply pressing a retweet button on video of Bryant dunking with #NBAVOTE included in the tweet.
