The Orlando Magic host the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, so it's fitting that Dwight Howard, its superstar center, dominated the early All-Star balloting. In the initial results of fan voting, which the NBA released Thursday, Howard leads all players with 754,737 votes, more than 10 as many as Joakim Noah, the next-closes Eastern Conference center. Kobe Bryant leads Western players with 690,613 votes.
The Miami Heat figure to be well represented as well, with LeBron James garnering 640,789 votes, first among East forwards and second among East players overall. Dwyade Wade also looks like a lock to start in the game once again, though he trails Derrick Rose by a small margin for No. 1 among East guards.
Were the lineups set as a result of this balloting, Rose, Wade, James, Carmelo Anthony, and Howard would start for the East. Chris Paul, Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Andrew Bynum would get the nod out West.
Hedo Turkoglu is the only other Magic player to place in the top 10 at his position, ranking No. 10 among East forwards. Though Jason Richardson and Jameer Nelson appear on the ballot, they are not listed in the first voting results.
Elsewhere for the Heat, Chris Bosh ranks No. 5 among East forwards, while Joel Anthony is No. 4 among East centers.
NBA All-Star Weekend is set for Feb. 24-26.
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