Newz Forum: BASKETBALL: Yao, Shaq lead early All-Star voting

Shaquille O'Neal leads his new conference in early All-Star game voting, while Yao Ming is No. 1 overall in the NBA.

O'Neal, traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Miami Heat in the offseason, tops the Eastern Conference with 854,930 votes as of Thursday. Yao, the center for the Western Conference's Houston Rockets, is the only player with more votes, 881,223.
Fans can vote through Jan. 23, and All-Star starters will be announced Feb. 3. The game is Feb. 20 in Denver.

Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, the reigning league MVP, is third overall, leading West forwards with 751,586 votes, followed by San Antonio's Tim Duncan with 570,090.

Yao's teammate Tracy McGrady (680,373) is the top guard in the West, trailed by the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (673,665).

In the East, Toronto's Vince Carter (619,959) and Orlando's Grant Hill (552,328) lead the forwards, while Cleveland's LeBron James (557,538) and Philadelphia's Allen Iverson (521,245) top the guards.

Associated Press