Bryant leads voting for All-Star game

LOS ANGELES: Kobe Bryant, in his swan song season for the Los Angeles Lakers, is the early leader in voting for the 2016 NBA All-Star game, the NBA announced on Friday. Despite his mediocre form this season, Bryant has logged 719,235 votes, more than 200,000 ahead of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (510,202). LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers leads the Eastern Conference with 357,937 votes, followed by Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (300,595). The 65th NBA All-Star game will be played in Toronto on Feb. 14. Voting runs until Jan. 19. Fans will select three frontcourt players and two guards from each conference. Bryant, 37, is listed as a frontcourt player. Bryant, who announced last month that the 2015-16 campaign will be his final season, is the all-time highest NBA All-Star scorer with 280 points. His 17 All-Star selections is second behind the 19 appearances by Kareem AbdulJabbar, the legendary Lakers center. —Reuters