Chris Paul Named All-Star Starter

Chris Paul was named to his fourth straight NBA all-star team Thursday. It is the second time he has been voted by the fans as a starter. Kobe Bryant, Yao Ming, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony were named as the other Western Conferencer starters. Eastern conference all-star starters are Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, and Amar'e Stoudemire.

Paul received 1,281,591 votes fan votes, good for second among guards in the West. 

"Man, that's an honor.  I think it says a lot about our team and our organization, and I'm honored. It's a huge honor," Paul said of his selection. "My first year being an All-Star was 07-08 in New Orleans and I was chosen by the coaches. To have an opportunity to be chosen by the fans and by the coaches, it gives you both perspectives. I'm grateful by the fans who made this possible."

Paul leads the league in steals with 2.62 per game, ranks third in the league in assists at 9.7 per game, and is first among NBA point guards in 3-point field-goal percentage, hitting 46.2 percent from behind the arc.

David West and Emeka Okafor are other Hornet hopefuls for all-star selection by the coaches. Coaches will fill out their ballots next week and 7 reserves will be chosen in each conference. Yao Ming is hurt, and will be unavailable, meaning the West will have 8 more players chosen. Injury replacements are chosen by NBA comissioner David Stern.