Kobe, LeBron lead NBA All-Star voting

Kobe, LeBron lead NBA All-Star voting

Honoree Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers poses at the 14th annual GQ magazine "Men of the Year" party in Los Angeles November 18, 2009.

NEW YORK, Dec. 24 -- Kobe Bryant is leading the NBA All-Star balloting while LeBron James is in second place in the latest voting according to the statistics from the league on Thursday.

Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard who won his fourth NBA crown last season, paces the overall balloting with 1,380,383 votes while Cleveland star James finishes second overall with 1,351,292 votes.

Bryant finished second in the NBA with 29.3 points a game. James stood third with 28.7 points a game. The two superstars will meet Friday as the Lakers host the Cavaliers in one of five NBA match-ups on Christmas Day.

Voting continues through Jan. 18 for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, set to be played before a crowd of more than 80,000 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium on Feb. 14.

Cleveland Cavaliers basketball star LeBron James talks on a phone outside the Sun Valley Inn in Sun Valley, Idaho July 9, 2009. The resort is the site for the annual Allen & Co's media and technology conference.

Bryant and Phoenix's Steve Nash lead the race for starting Western Conference guards with Nash's Suns teammate Amare Stoudemire set to start for West center.

Nash who has garnered 546,064 votes as Houston's Tracy McGrady is trailing the Canadian for by only 4,874 votes.

NBA scoring leader Carmelo Anthony of Denver, who is averaging 30.5 points a game, sets the pace among Western Conference forwards with 1,204,234 votes with Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki of Germany second at 668,243.

Spaniard Pau Gasol of the Lakers is third behind Nowitzki at 565,414 with San Antonio's Tim Duncan fourth on 564,728.

James and Boston's Kevin Garnett with 1,113,213 votes set the Eastern Conference forwards pace with third place Chris Bosh of Toronto having less than half of Garnett's total.

Orlando's Dwight Howard leads East centers with 1,252,786 votes with Cleveland's Shaquille O'Neal second at 455,239.

Miami's Dwyane Wade leads East guards with 1,314,215 votes with Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers next at 635,084 and Vince Carter of Orlando third at 554,779.
(Reuters)