The NBA released the starting teams for the 2009 NBA All-Star teams on Thursday, and the man known as “Superman” received more votes than any other player in the history of the Association. Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard set the new record for votes received by an All-Star candidate with 3,150,181, the only player in NBA history to break the 3 million mark. Houston Rockets center Yao Ming held the title previously when he set the record with 2, 558, 278 in 2005. Howard will be the center for the Eastern Squad, the other starters will be Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, Detroit Pistons guard Allen Iverson, and Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was the recipient of the most votes in the Western Conference with 2,805,397 to earn one of the guard selections. He will be sharing the back court with New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, the fans also selected Yao Ming at center, the San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan, and the Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire. The game will be held in Phoenix on February 15, the reserves will be announced next week.