West:
C Yao Ming 1,411,923
F Tim Duncan 715,916
F Kevin Garnett 785,865
G Kobe Bryant 1,187,505
G Tracy McGrady 1,057,057
allen iverson has 3rd most votes as western guard
East:
C Shaquille O'Neal 855,544
F Chris Bosh 497,283
F LeBron James 1,323,989
G Vince Carter 726,040
G Dwyane Wade 983,321
dwight howard will fill in for shaq if shaq cant play
dwight was listed on the ballot as c so even tho he got more votes than bosh he still wont start
As I said after the first returns, fan voting has its faults but looking at the way the starting lineups are shaping up, have the results really been so terrible? Of those ten players, how many couldn't be considered All-Star players in today's league in any way, shape or form? Perhaps two or three due to injuries. Not nearly a high enough percentage of the participants to suggest fan voting is a complete and utter joke, in my view.
The All-Star game is for the fans as much as it is about recognising top players in the game. Fan voting has been in place for a long time and is yet to produce a game filled with players who by no means deserve to be there or fans don't enjoy watching. The most questionable selections throughout the years have generally been replacements when multiple players have had to sit out with injury, and those players are selected by the league; whether they start or not is then up to the coach.
Yes, ideally the All-Star game should feature the 12 best players from each conference battling it out for bragging rights while putting on a show for the fans in the process and it's true that fan voting becomes somewhat of a popularity contest. But that doesn't really interfere with the All-Star concept since the most popular players tend to be among the best in the league. It does of course guarantee a spot to a player who may not be having his finest season but such players are usually favourites to be selected to the team anyway. And as I said before, such players hardly make up a majority of the All-Star rosters.