Jan 21, 2016
Lowry voted into NBA All-Star Game
The 2016 NBA All-Star Game will be held next month in Toronto and there will be a hometown Raptor in the starting lineup. Kyle Lowry will join Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade in the Eastern Conference backcourt.
TSN.ca Staff
The 2016 NBA All-Star Game will be held next month in Toronto and there will be a hometown Raptor in the starting lineup.
Kyle Lowry will join Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade in the Eastern Conference backcourt. Lowry trailed Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving into the final week of voting, but was voted into a second consecutive All-Star Game after a late voting surge. He overcame Wade late in voting a year ago to secure his first selection. The 29-year-old native of Philadelphia is averaging career highs in points per game (20.9), rebounds (5.0), steals (2.5) and three-point percentage (.383).
This is Wade's 12th All-Star selection. The 34-year-old Chicago native is averaging 18.1 points, 4.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 29.9 minutes a night.
Up front, the East is led by LeBron James. This will be the 12th All-Star Game for the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player. James is fifth in the NBA in scoring at 25.1 PPG and is averaging 7.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 35.7 minutes a night.
Paul George makes his third All-Star appearance. The Indiana Pacers star has fluorished in a move to power forward in his first full year back from a broken leg incurred at a USA Basketball Camp in the summer of 2014. George is averaging 23.7 PPG, 7.4 boards and 4.1 assists.
Carmelo Anthony rounds out the frontcourt. This will be Anthony's ninth All-Star appearance in his 14 NBA seasons. The 31-year-old New York City native has averaged 21.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 34.9 minutes a night for the resurgent Knicks.
In the West, Kobe Bryant heads to his 18th All-Star Game. The 37-year-old led all players in voting in this his 20th and final season in the Association. The Los Angeles Lakers legend is averaging 16.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 29.3 minutes a night. Bryant is a four-time All-Star Game MVP. Bryant hasn't actually played in an All-Star Game since 2013.
Also in the Western Conference frontcourt is Kevin Durant. A native of Washington, DC, Durant is third in the league in scoring with 25.8 points a night for the Northwest Division-leading Oklahoma City Thunder. This will be Durant's seventh All-Star appearance.
The San Antonio Spurs' Kawhi Leonard makes his first All-Star appearance to complete the forward complement. The 2014 NBA Finals MVP and reigning Defensive Player of the Year has averaged 20.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 33.2 minutes a night for the Southwest Division leaders. Leonard overtook Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green in the last week of voting and barely held off Dallas Mavericks forward Zaza Pachulia by just 14,000 votes.
The Western Conference backcourt is highlighted by the league's top scorer and reigning MVP. The Warriors' Stephen Curry is off to his third All-Star Game, leading the league with 29.9 points a game. He's also averaging 6.5 dimes per night and shooting .509 from the field.
His partner in the back is Russell Westbrook. In his eighth season, Westbrook is averaging 24.0 points, 9.8 assists and 7.1 rebounds a night for the Thunder. This is Westbrook's fifth All-Star Game.
EASTERN CONFERENCE STARTERS
POSITION | PLAYER | TEAM | CAREER ALL-STAR APPEARANCES | TOTAL VOTES |
---|---|---|---|---|
Frontcourt | LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers | 12th | 1,089,206 |
Frontcourt | Paul George | Indiana Pacers | Third | 711,595 |
Frontcourt | Carmelo Anthony | New York Knicks | Ninth | 567,348 |
Backcourt | Dwyane Wade | Miami Heat | 12th | 941,466 |
Backcourt | Kyle Lowry | Toronto Raptors | Second | 646,441 |
WESTERN CONFERENCE STARTERS
POSITION | PLAYER | TEAM | CAREER ALL-STAR APPEARANCES | TOTAL VOTES |
---|---|---|---|---|
Frontcourt | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers | 18th | 1,891,614 |
Frontcourt | Kevin Durant | Oklahom City Thunder | Seventh | 980,787 |
Frontcourt | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs | First | 782,339 |
Backcourt | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | Third | 1,604,325 |
Backcourt | Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma CityThunder | Fifth | 772,009 |
The seven reserves for each conference will be announced at a later date.
The 2016 NBA All-Star Game goes live from the Air Canada Centre on February 14 at 7pm et/4pm pt.