Kobe is 3rd Overall in All-Star Voting

Dec 13, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles the ball around of Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

After playing in only 3 games this season, (2 of which have been pretty forgettable), Kobe Bryant is 3rd in the NBA in 2014 All-Star voting. The NBA All-Star twitter account posted this on Thursday:

He sits behind only LeBron James at #1, and Kevin Durant at #2. Here is a list of the leaders from the 1st ballots:

After another poor game yesterday against Oklahoma City, I hope Kobe isn’t turning into the Allen Iverson of 2014. Personally, I can’t see how forcing Kobe into the PG slot in his 3rd game back when he is averaging over 6 TO per game, not to mention the defense, is going to be a recipe for success. However, this voting poll is a microcosm of why the Lakers decided to keep Kobe around: money, publicity, fans. These 3 things make Kobe worth over $50M to the Lakers so it’s not exactly a surprise when he gets voted in as a starter after 3 pretty bad games. From a fan perspective, Kobe should be starting in the All-Star game until he retires. Let’s hope he starts playing like he deserves it.

CC