Kobe Bryant Selected To 18th All Star Game

In terms of voting, Bryant led the competition by a comfortable margin, as fans voted for the 20-year professional to get one last taste of the NBA’s midseason celebration.

It was the fourth time that Bryant was the leading vote-getter and his 16th time as a starter, the most in All-Star history.

Golden State’s Steph Curry was, predictably, second in voting with 1.6m.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook and the San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard were voted starters for the first time.

Bryant and the West All Star will take on LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, Dwayne Wade and Kyle Lowry for the East in this years All Star Game.

Miami’s Dwyane Wade starts at guard with Lowry, who overcame a 32,000-vote deficit to Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving after the last update. They must vote for two guards, three forwards and two wild cards, and as it goes, it’s likely a player with a strong argument to make the team will be left off.

Bryant’s 18th selection for the All-Star game is the second-most ever behind the 19 of fellow Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. As for Bryant, the overwhelming response by fans in his final All-Star Game is meaningful to him. In his very first All-Star Weekend in 1997, Bryant became the youngest slam dunk champion at 18 years old. After missing 55 games to injury last season, Durant said it’s great to be back in the starting lineup for the All-Star Game.

Anthony nosed out Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol by 360 votes for the final starting spot.

It is a couple of weeks away from the annual all-star game. Most or all of these players will be selected as reserves, but these are the five most egregious examples of that and the five biggest snubs for the 2016 All-Star Game starters.

Bryant was asked if he believes another player could match or surpass his 81-point game.