Kobe Bryant has already been selected to 17 all-star games and while his numbers on the court do not support him making an 18th appearance this year in Toronto, the fans damn sure support it. Kobe is leading all players in voting for the all star game and it is not even close!
@IamJoeSports
Bryant has 719,235 votes — well ahead of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry (510,202), the next-highest vote-getter, and more than twice as many as Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James (357,937).
After the Lakers loss to the Clippers last night, even he had to admit he was shocked at the votes he saw earlier in the day.
“Listen, I was making a little coffee run this morning, got some gas and decided to just go on Instagram and peruse,” he said, “and [I] saw the damn votes, and I was like, ‘What the hell?’ Shocked doesn’t do it justice.”
He added, “It’s exciting. What can I say? Just thankful.”
The 2016 NBA All-Star Game, to be held in Toronto, would be Bryant’s last, as he has announced his plans to retire after this season, his 20th in the NBA. His 17 All-Star selections are second all-time behind former Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had 19. Bryant, 37, is the leading scorer in NBA All-Star history (280 points).
Everyone knows Kobe doesn’t deserve to make it based on this season alone but we can all agree he needs to be there for one final hurrah.
