NBA All-Star Game 2016: Latest Reaction to All Starters and Top Snubs

The NBA released the starting lineups for the 2016 All-Star game to great fanfare on Thursday night. 

Reigning masters of the game such as Steph Curry and LeBron James will join older hats Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade as starters for the big exhibition, set for Feb. 14 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Here's a look at the lineups for each conference.

Western Conference
Eastern Conference
Position	Player	Team	No. of Votes
Guard	Steph Curry	Golden State Warriors	1,604,325
Guard	Russell Westbrook	Oklahoma City Thunder	772,009
Frontcourt	Kobe Bryant	Los Angeles Lakers	1,891,614
Frontcourt	Kevin Durant	Oklahoma City Thunder	980,787
Frontcourt	Kawhi Leonard	San Antonio Spurs	782,339
Position	Player	Team	No. of Votes
Guard	Dwyane Wade	Miami Heat	941,466
Guard	Kyle Lowry	Toronto Raptors	646,441
Frontcourt	LeBron James	Cleveland Cavaliers	1089,206
Frontcourt	Paul George	Indiana Pacers	711,595
Frontcourt	Carmelo Anthony	New York Knicks	567,348

The obvious source of controversy is Bryant, who not only made the starting lineup but was the lead vote-getter overall. The 37-year-old is unquestionably one of the greatest players of all time, but his play this year has been far from All-Star caliber.

Bryant is averaging 16.3 points on a career-low 34.5 shooting percentage. And yet, he'll be in Toronto for his 18th All-Star Game. Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey wondered why another all-time great player wasn't getting more love as a legacy pick: 

ESPN's Mike and Mike noted Bryant's shooting percentage hasn't been seen from an All-Star starter in quite some time:

In another fine example of the contentious results that arise from online fan voting, Dallas Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia nearly made the starting lineup, even pulling ahead of Golden State's Draymond Green.

Celebrity backers have become a big part of the voting process, and Pachulia's late voting push was no different. SB Nation pointed out Vine star Hayes Grier threw his considerable social-media presence behind the 31-year-old center: 

ESPN.com's J.A. Adande pointed out Pachulia was trending on Twitter after the announcements were made:

It's one thing for Bryant to make it with legacy votes, but Pachulia's inclusion would likely have been incredibly difficult for most fans to comprehend. The Mavs center is having a fine season, averaging 10.5 points and 10.8 boards per game, but he's hardly worthy of All-Star-starter status and seems unlikely to make the reserves with those numbers.

Pachulia's voting surge and Bryant's presence made doubly sure that Green, who leads the league with eight triple-doubles, didn't make the starting lineup. TNT commentator and basketball great Charles Barkley made the case for Green, per Bleacher Report:

Kawhi Leonard, the player who did edge out Pachulia and Green for the final frontcourt spot in the West, is certainly deserving of his All-Star-starter status. He joined a very exclusive list in making his first All-Star game, per ESPN Stats & Info: 

Leonard is playing his typically brilliant defense this season while stepping up his game on offense in nearly all phases. He's been especially lethal from beyond the arc, shooting 48.4 percent from three. Yahoo Sports' Chris Mannix believes this will be the first All-Star appearance of many for the the Spurs star:

As for the East, an aging Wade (18.1 PPG, 4.6 APG, 4.1 RPG) made the starting lineup. While he's not having a standout year, his numbers are far better than Bryant's and don't look out of place among those who were also voted in by the fans. Still, ESPN Insider's Kevin Pelton (via ESPN.com) felt he probably doesn't need to be a starter in this game:

"

Again, it's their vote to use however they want, but it's harder to make the case for an aging Wade as a starter given that there isn't the same last-chance factor as with Bryant. Wade doesn't merit an All-Star spot on performance and could probably use the time off as he deals with shoulder issues.

"

John Wall and Jimmy Butler are just two of the players who arguably should've gotten a merit-based starting nod over Wade.

If it's any consolation to fans of the biggest snubs, they still have a chance to see their favorite players get a reserves nomination. The likes of Green, Wall and Butler, for example, are virtual locks for Toronto.

Those lineups will be revealed Jan. 28 on TNT and are likely to spark even further debate, as there aren't enough spots to include all of the league's best stars.