Astute NBA observers will notice that one of those 10 players has not taken the court in quite some time. In fact, Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant has played only six games on the season and none since fracturing his left tibial plateau on Dec. 17 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Controversy alert! Code: purple and gold!
Not to worry, fans of justice: Bryant will likely not play in the All-Star Game, per Bleacher Report's Ethan J. Skolnick:
But what does the selection of Bryant to the All-Star Game say about the fan voting process? About the very idea of democracy itself? Are we sliding down the slippery slope toward one-world Socialist dictatorship? Won't somebody please think of the children?
Sean Highkin of USA Today attempted to put our minds at ease by citing historical precedent:
When fans vote for All-Star teams, there are always going to be a few ridiculous choices. Kobe making it is no different from Yao Ming being voted a starter in 2011 (when he played five games) or Allen Iverson winning the fan vote in 2010 (when he washed out of the league).
So it would seem that Bryant's victory in the fan voting will not destroy the game, let alone tear a hole in the fabric of the space-time continuum. Another, more worthy player will take his place, and the game will go on as scheduled.
How did Bryant end up as the second-leading vote-getter among Western Conference guards in the final tally? Honestly, the bigger surprise is that he didn't end up first.
The NBA allowed voting through social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and two Chinese networks: Sina Weibo and Tencent. Weibo and Tencent's Weixin are the two most popular social media pl...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
