The NBA announced tonight that Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has been selected as a starter for the Eastern Conference in a vote by the fans for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game. James was the top vote-getter in the conference with 1,089,206 votes.
The 2016 All-Star appearance will mark the 12th consecutive (all starts) for the two-time NBA All-Star MVP (2006 and 2008). In his previous 11 All-Star appearances, James has averaged 25.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 31.2 minutes while shooting .516 from the field. He will become just the sixth player to start in at least 12 All-Star Games, joining Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan and Bob Cousy. Among all-time leaders in All-Star Game history, James ranks first in three-pointers made (27), second in points scored (278), second in scoring average (25.3), second in field goals made (113) and ninth in assists (68).
View some of the best snapshots from LeBron's past All-Star appearances with the Wine and Gold.
In 2015-16, the 6-8 forward has appeared in 39 games (all starts) with averages of 25.1 points (fifth in NBA) on .502 shooting from the field, 7.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 35.7 minutes per game. He has also won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award twice this season (November 16-22 and January 4-10), and his 50 Player of the Week honors are the most in league history. James and the Cavaliers sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 29-11 record.
The 65th NBA All-Star Game will tip off on Sunday, Feb. 14 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, the first All-Star Game to be held outside of the U.S. The game will be seen by fans in more than 200 countries and territories and will be heard in more than 40 languages. TNT will televise the All-Star Game in the U.S. for the 14th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports' 31st year of NBA All-Star coverage.