The Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson were named to the 2011 NBA All-Star Ballot that was unveiled Thursday, during a special tip-off event in Los Angeles, the Official Host City of NBA All-Star 2011. NBA All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile will begin this afternoon at 3 p.m. ET. The 60th NBA All-Star Game, which will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the U.S., and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages, will be played at STAPLES Center on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011.
Howard has been named to the All-Star team the past four seasons and has been a starter each of the last three years, including becoming the first player in league history to eclipse the 3 million vote mark with an NBA-leading 3,151,181 votes in 2009. Carter is an eight-time All-Star, while Lewis has been named to the team twice and Nelson has been selected once.
2011 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile, with associate partner 2K Sports, allows fans around the world to vote daily for their favorite players as starters for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game. There are several ways fans can cast their votes, including: at each NBA arena; in 20 languages on NBA.com; and through mobile phones by texting the player’s last name to 6-9-6-2-2 (“MYNBA”) or by visiting m.nba.com on any wireless carrier.
For SMS voting, fans can vote for All-Stars any time by texting a player’s last name from their mobile phones on any wireless carrier. Fans can cast one SMS vote per day, per phone number. Message and data rates may apply. T-Mobile customers will receive an exclusive 15 percent discount code to NBAStore.com for voting via SMS voting. Upon voting, T-Mobile customers will get a bounceback message with a discount code for them to use on NBAStore.com.
Fans can vote directly on NBA.com or use their Facebook profile information to help create an NBA.com All-Access account, which enables them to complete a ballot. After submitting their All-Star selections, fans will have the ability to share them with their friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter, and encourage others to cast their ballots.
For the first time, fans can print paper ballots at home through their web connected HP Photosmart printer1. HP customers can simply download and launch the NBA print application directly from the touchscreen panel on the front of their printer.2 Fans can print one specially coded ballot per day and put it in the mail as directed on the form. Paper balloting at NBA arenas and through the NBA Print App on HP printers will continue through Jan. 17, while wireless and SMS balloting, and voting on NBA.com will conclude Jan. 23. Starters will be announced live on TNT on Jan. 27, during a special one-hour pregame show at 7 pm ET featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. The special will air prior to TNT’s exclusive doubleheader featuring the Miami Heat at the New York Knicks (8 pm ET) and the Boston Celtics at the Portland Trail Blazers (10:30 pm ET).
The NBA All-Star ballot lists 120 players – 60 each from the Eastern and Western conferences – with 24 guards, 24 forwards, and 12 centers from each conference comprising the list. Voters select two guards, two forwards and one center from each conference. The 120 players on the ballot were selected by a panel of media who regularly cover the NBA: J.A. Adande (ESPN.com), Marv Albert (TNT), Art Garcia (NBA.com) Marc Spears (Yahoo! Sports), Doug Smith (The Toronto Star) and Ian Thomsen (Sports Illustrated).
NBA All-Star 2011 in Los Angeles will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. The week leading up to the 60th NBA All-Star Game will feature a full slate of community-enhancing activities, fan festivals and events, including the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service, the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, and NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm. NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas, the hugely successful interactive basketball celebration, will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center. Los Angeles and the STAPLES Center will host NBA All-Star 2011, marking the fifth time The City of Angels and the second time STAPLES Center will be the site of the annual celebration. STAPLES Center last played host to NBA All-Star in 2004, and L.A. also hosted the All-Star Game in 1963, 1972, and 1983.
In conjunction with All-Star Balloting, 2K Sports will give fans the opportunity to experience Los Angeles and the best of basketball by entering the NBA® 2K11 Sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to NBA All-Star 2011 and have their likeness as a digitized player incorporated in next year’s game, NBA® 2K12.
