Kevin Durant Named All-Star Starter

Durant was the leading vote-getter at forward for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:10 pm

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Jan 27, 2011 4:21 PM CDT

Grant Belcher
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Thunder’s Kevin Durant was selected as a Western Conference starter for the 2011 All-Star Game, the league announced Thursday.

Fans select the NBA’s All-Star starters each year by voting for their choices online, through text messages and in team arenas.

Durant was the leading vote-receiver for Western Conference forwards with more than 1.7 million, and will start alongside fellow forward Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets.

He was selected as an All-Star in 2010, and this will be his second selection, but first as a starter. This season, he is averaging 28.6 points (good for first in the NBA), 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

Durant posted the following on his Twitter account just moments after being announced as a starter: "Thank you all for voting me into the All-Star game I am extremely humbled! I wish I could thank u all personally!!!! Thank u this is a dream"

Fans select the starters and the All-Star coaches select the reserves, which will happen in a week.

Fellow Oklahoma City Thunder player Russell Westbrook is among the West players considered to have a good shot at garnering a reserve spot from the coaches. He finished fifth among West guards in fan voting with about 660,000.

L.A. Clippers forward and former OU and OCS player Blake Griffin is also in the running for a spot. He was fourth among Western Conference forwards in fan voting with 1.03 million.

Joining Durant and Anthony in the Western Conference starting lineup will be guards Chris Paul of New Orleans and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers as well as center Yao Ming of Houston.

Yao has a large international backing that voted him as the starting center despite the fact that he is out for the season with a foot injury. With Yao unable to play, NBA commissioner David Stern will select a center to replace Yao in the starting lineup.

Representing the Eastern Conference in the starting lineup are guards Dwyane Wade of Miami and Derrick Rose of Chicago. LeBron James of Miami and Amar’e Stoudemire of New York will start at the forward spots, and Dwight Howard of Orlando will start at center.

Durant scored 15 points and grabbed five points off the bench in last year’s All-Star game in Dallas.

The 2011 game will take place Sunday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. central on TNT.