Starters named for 2014 All-Star Game in New Orleans
By: Pelicans.com
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors will start in his first NBA All-Star Game, having secured the top spot among Western Conference backcourt players after the final returns of NBA All-Star Balloting 2014 presented by Sprint. Curry (1,047,281) is joined in the West backcourt by the L.A. Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (988,884), who was selected to play in his 16th All-Star Game, second all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19).
LeBron James of the Miami Heat was the leading overall vote-getter with 1,416,419 votes, followed closely by Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who finished with 1,396,294 votes.
The 63rd NBA All-Star Game will be exclusively televised on TNT from New Orleans Arena on Sunday, Feb. 16. The All-Star Game, also broadcast live on ESPN Radio, will collectively reach fans in 215 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.
James, an All-Star for the 10th time in 11 seasons, is joined in East’s front court by the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George (1,211,318) and the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony (935,702). The Heat’s Dwyane Wade (929,542) and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving (860,221) comprise the Eastern Conference’s starting backcourt. Wade is also making his 10th trip to the All-Star Game in 11 seasons.
Durant, who earned his fifth All-Star nod, is joined in the front court in the West by the L.A. Clippers’ Blake Griffin (688,466) and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Love (661,246), who overtook the Houston Rockets’ Dwight Howard for the final starting front-court spot in the West. It’s the fourth straight All-Star nod for Griffin, while Love is set to play in his third All-Star Game.
New Orleans Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis finished seventh in the front-court voting and will have to make the team as a reserve.
NBA All-Star Balloting 2014 presented by Sprint, which concluded Jan. 20, gave fans around the world the opportunity to vote daily for their favorite players as starters for the 2014 NBA All-Star Game. For the second year in a row, NBA fans voted via social media networks, including Facebook and Twitter, and Sina Weibo and Tencent Microblog in China. This season, the NBA expanded social media voting to include Instagram.
In selecting reserves for the 2014 NBA All-Star Game, the 30 NBA head coaches must vote for seven players within their conference, including two guards, three front-court players and two players regardless of position. Coaches are not permitted to vote for players on their own team. After the coaches select the reserves, if a player is unable to participate in the All-Star Game, the NBA commissioner will select the replacement. Reserves will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 30, on TNT.
The East and West All-Star coaches and coaching staffs are determined by the best record in the conference through games played Feb. 2. Indiana’s Frank Vogel was already named coach in the East on Jan.14, by virtue of the team’s record. The Heat’s Erik Spoelstra and the Spurs’ Gregg Popovich are not eligible, having coached in the 2013 NBA All-Star Game.
NBA All-Star 2014 in New Orleans will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 12th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports' 30th year of All-Star coverage. State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will feature Sears Shooting Stars, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, and Sprite Slam Dunk. Other events at NBA All-Star 2014 will include the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, and NBA All-Star Jam Session. The 2014 game will mark the second NBA All-Star celebration in New Orleans. The city also hosted the event in 2008.