Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett and Chinese center Yao Ming remain the top vote-getters overall and among non-US players in National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game voting totals announced Thursday.
Garnett, traded from Minnesota to Boston before the start of the season, has played a key role in the Celtics' 27-3 start and leads overall with 1,527,963 votes.
Fellow Eastern Conference forward LeBron James is second overall and in balloting at the position with 1,294,019 votes.
James and Garnett appear to be certain of starting spots in the February 17 game at New Orleans as Toronto's Chris Bosh is a distant third among East forwards at 411,313.
Yao leads international players with 1,077,244 votes and appears set for a spot as the Western Conference's starting center with Orlando's Dwight Howard setting the center pace in the East with 1,260,987 votes, third-best overall.
Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs has 1,049,641 votes and Denver's Carmelo Anthony has 1,029,335 votes to lead Western Conference forward balloting.
In the backcourts, Miami's Dwyane Wade leads the East with 1,019,582 votes with New Jersey's Jason Kidd second at 743,683.
Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant leads West guards, and all West players, with the fourth-best vote total at 1,234,111 while Houston's Tracy McGrady ranks second on 809,395.
Chasing McGrady for the second backcourt starting spot are Denver's Allen Iverson with 694,611 votes and Phoenix's Steve Nash, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player from Canada, with 684,813.
(Agencies via China Daily January 4, 2008)
