Before they voted, it turns out the fans did not take into account Kobe Bryant’s fight against Father Time. Nor did fans worry about the Lakers’ season-long struggles.
Bryant still led in the first returns on the 2016 NBA All-Star ballot, his 719,235 votes ahead of the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (510,202) and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (357,937).
Presuming he plays in the 2016 NBA All-Star game on Feb. 14 in Toronto, this would mark Bryant’s 18th and last All-Star appearance before he retires following the 2015-16 season. Bryant, who is playing his 20th NBA season, has the second most All-Star selections behind only former Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19).