Howard will be joined on the Eastern Conference all-star team by forwards LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks. James' Miami teammate Dwyane Wade and reigning league MVP Derrick Rose will start in the backcourt.
The Western Conference will have a heavy Los Angeles influence, with Bryant's Laker teammate Andrew Bynum and Clippers Chris Paul and Blake Griffin in the starting lineup. Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant is the West's fifth starter.
Bryant will be playing in his 14th consecutive all-star game, tying a record held by Jerry West, Karl Malone and Shaquille O'Neal.
There really aren't any surprises in either lineup, and all ten starters are absolutely deserving of the honor. I picked all five of the Eastern Conference starters and four of five in the West. The only deviation from my list: I had Dirk Nowitzki over Griffin, and that was mostly due to Nowitzki's otherworldly performance in the 2011 Playoffs. Besides, the pool of deserving forwards in the West is ridiculously deep.
The 2012 NBA All-Star game will be played on Dwight Howard's home court - the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida - on February 26.
All-Star Reserves
The all-star reserves will be selected by a vote of the coaches in each conference. Each coach must select two guards, two forwards, a center and two "wild cards." The reserves will be announced during TNT's NBA pregame show on Thursday, February 9th. If any player cannot participate due to injury, a replacement will be named by the league office.
All-Star Coaches
The coaches with the Eastern and Western conference's best records as of February 15 will coach the all-star squads. If the deadline were today, Chicago's Tom Thibodeau (19-6) and Oklahoma City's Scott Brooks (17-4) would do the honors.Boston's Doc Rivers and San Antonio's Gregg Popovic are ineligible, having coached last year's all-star teams.
Official Vote Tallies
Eastern Conference:Forwards: LeBron James (Mia) 1,360,680; Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 1,041,290; Amar'e Stoudemire (NYK) 383,734; Kevin Garnett (Bos) 367,914; Chris Bosh (Mia) 324,605; Luol Deng (Chi) 276,205; Paul Pierce (Bos) 215,020; Carlos Boozer (Chi) 175,828; Andrea Bargnani (Tor) 152,362; Josh Smith (Atl) 119,638.
Guards: Derrick Rose (Chi) 1,514,723; Dwyane Wade (Mia) 1,334,223; Rajon Rondo (Bos) 547,110; Ray Allen (Bos) 382,147; Deron Williams (NJN) 208,697; Jose Calderon (Tor) 132,167; Richard Hamilton (Chi) 111,368; John Wall (Was) 96,606; Kyrie Irving (Cle) 96,346; Joe Johnson (Atl) 66,145.
Centers: Dwight Howard (Orl) 1,600,390; Joakim Noah (Chi) 236,497; Tyson Chandler (NYK) 163,077; Joel Anthony (Mia) 101,307; JaVale McGee (Was) 63,765; Al Horford (Atl) 50,396.
Western Conference
Forwards: Kevin Durant (OKC) 1,345,566; Blake Griffin (LAC) 876,451; Pau Gasol (LAL) 470,353; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 468,435; Kevin Love (Min) 373,880; LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 279,500; Tim Duncan (SA) 185,069; Lamar Odom (Dal) 142,830; Danilo Gallinari (Den) 110,245; Rudy Gay (Mem) 95,228.
Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,555,479; Chris Paul (LAC) 1,138,743; Ricky Rubio (Min) 397,456; Steve Nash (Pho) 276,268; Russell Westbrook (OKC) 262,186; Kyle Lowry (Hou) 185,584; Monta Ellis (GS) 156,603; Chauncey Billups (LAC) 120,961; Jason Kidd (Dal) 114,924; Manu Ginobili (SA) 111,273.
Centers: Andrew Bynum (LAL) 1,051,945; DeAndre Jordan (LAC) 322,056; Marc Gasol (Mem) 285,525; Nenê (Den) 207,102; Marcin Gortat (Pho) 136,168; Kendrick Perkins (OKC) 99,811.
