Kobe Bryant has played like the furthest thing from an NBA All-Star this year, but the fans are almost certain to vote him in now that he has announced he is retiring at the end of the season. However, the league clearly doesn’t want Kobe taking a spot away from one of the excellent guards in the Western Conference.
Bryant is a shooting guard, and he has been named an All-Star 17 times as a backcourt player. But this year, Kobe is listed as a frontcourt player on the official NBA All-Star ballot.
Why? As Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk notes, Kobe has primarily played the three this year so rookie D’Angelo Russell and second-year guard Jordan Clarkson can man the backcourt. That could be why he is listed as a frontcourt player on the ballot, but the more likely reason is so voting Kobe in doesn’t prevent fans from voting two the West’s best guards — Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Chris Paul — into the starting lineup.
Of course, Kobe is going to be occupying a spot that someone is more deserving of no matter what position he is listed at. But as crazy fans like these have reminded us, Bryant is one of the most important players in league history. Someone will just have to be snubbed.
