| NO. | PLAYER (TEAM) | POS. | HT. | WT. | BIRTHDATE | FROM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | * LeBron James (Miami) | F | 6-8 | 250 | 12/30/84 | St. Vincent/St. Mary HS |
| 1 | * Amar’e Stoudemire (New York) | F | 6-10 | 240 | 11/16/82 | Cypress Creek HS (FL) |
| 3 | * Dwyane Wade (Miami) | G | 6-4 | 220 | 01/17/82 | Marquette |
| 1 | * Derrick Rose (Chicago) | G | 6-3 | 190 | 10/04/88 | Memphis |
| 12 | * Dwight Howard (Orlando) | C | 6-11 | 265 | 12/08/85 | SW Atlanta Christian Academy (GA) |
| Head Coach: TBD, determined by the best record in the conference through games played Feb. 6 | ||||||
| NO. | PLAYER (TEAM) | POS. | HT. | WT. | BIRTHDATE | FROM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | * Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City) | F | 6-9 | 230 | 09/29/88 | Texas |
| 15 | * Carmelo Anthony (Denver) | F | 6-8 | 230 | 05/29/84 | Syracuse |
| 24 | * Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers) | G | 6-6 | 205 | 08/23/78 | Lower Merion HS (PA) |
| 3 | * Chris Paul (New Orleans) | G | 6-0 | 175 | 05/06/85 | Wake Forest |
| 11 | * Yao Ming (Houston) | C | 7-6 | 310 | 09/12/80 | Shanghai, China |
| Head Coach: Gregg Popovich (San Antonio) | ||||||
Derrick Rose will be starting in the NBA All-Star game in Los Angeles. Last year he became the first member of the Bulls to PLAY in the All-Star contest since Michael Jordan in 1998, and now he becomes the first Bull to START since that same game at Madison Square Garden in ’98 when MJ was the game’s MVP.
EAST G: Derrick Rose, Bulls
Did the fans get it right? Yes. Rajon Rondo was really the only other candidate and Rose only recently took him over for the starting spot. But with the numbers Rose has put up plus the with just how exciting he is, he’s the correct choice. Rondo would’ve been a fine pick, but Rose is emerging as an MVP candidate and is the only player in the league averaging 24 points and eight assists a game. Rose is the game’s youngest starter by a few days over Kevin Durant.
G: Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Did the fans get it right? Yes. Wade is one of those guys that really will be a starter for life. Some worried when he teamed up with LeBron that his numbers might dip. They haven’t. Wade’s still awesome. So again, a good pick by the fans.
F: LeBron James, Miami Heat
Did the fans get it right? Yes. Let me tell you, these Eastern voters are smart people. But then again, it’s not hard to be when all the top players are also the biggest fan favorites. It helps in the East that there really wasn’t an alternative either though. LeBron hasn’t suffered any kind of drop-off in popularity or production, pulling in a huge number of votes while also making yet another All-Star team as a starter.
F: Amar’e Stoudemie, New York Knicks
Did the fans get it right? Yes. Stoudemire becomes the first Knick starter since 1997 when Patrick Ewing was named to the team. This is really the most debatable position in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Garnett was on top for a good part of the year but Amar’e overtook him in January. Tough call really and neither guy is a bad pick. But Stoudemire has helped restore basketball in New York has put up huge numbers and is establishing himself as an MVP candidate. Garnett, while excellent, was injured for a few weeks and doesn’t have the same numbers as Stoudemire.
C: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
Did the fans get it right? Yes. When your other options are Shaquille O’Neal an injured Andrew Bogut and I don’t know Nazr Mohammed (seriously, who else is there?) Howard is a pretty easy pick. He’s got this spot locked up for a while and as his total votes showed, he’s one the league’s biggest names around the world.
WEST
G: Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Did the fans get it right? Yes. This was a close one. The Western guards is the deepest position in the league. Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker, Steve Nash, Monta Ellis and on and on. But Paul has been good all season and across the board in statistical categories, Paul is at the top or very near it.
G: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Did the fans get it right? Yes. Kobe led the way in votes again and anchors the West squad. There’s no question that as long as he’s still bouncing a ball that he’s earned a spot in this game. And with the biggest name across the world in terms of basketball, he’ll have a starting spot for a long time too.
F: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Did the fans get it right? Yes. The league’s leading scorer and the youngest starter for the West. At just 22, Durant is probably just now starting a very, very long run as an All-Star starter. A lot of people wondered that if in small-town Oklahoma City that he’d gain the national recognition needed to become a big-name star, but evidently that wasn’t a problem. Durant was the second-leading vote-getter in the West behind Kobe.
F: Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
Did the fans get it right? No. A tough call but first of all, Melo isn’t really a power forward. And since Durant beat him out in the forward vote, Carmelo is the one that’s cut. No doubt Melo is having a nice season, but with Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol and Kevin Love playing the ACTUAL position, it’s hard to justify Melo being a starter. One of those guys is more deserving of this spot based on what they’ve done this year.
C: Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
Did the fans get it right? Um, no. Yao has only played in five games and trust me, he wasn’t that amazing in those five games. Yao is the poster child for what’s wrong with fan voting. Other than Yao, you can really make the case that the other nine starters are justified. But because of China, Yao is voted in again while other more deserving players sit behind him. The commissioner will fill this spot and it’ll likely be with the runner-up Andrew Bynum, a pick that’s still not that good.