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NBA: Household names and Zaza Pachulia (who?) top early All-Star polls

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img figcaption="" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/01/06/gloden-010617.jpg"/><div class="embed-desc">Warriors center Zaza Pachulia leads Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis among frontcourt players in the West All-Star voting. Pachulia only trails teammate Kevin Durant in that category. Photo by Russ Isabella, USA Today Sports </div></figure></div>LeBron James. Kyrie Irving. Kevin Durant. Steph Curry.And Zaza Pachulia.Yup, they&#x27;re all making a lot of noise in the preliminary NBA All-Star Game balloting results announced Thursday by the league.Pachulia is the fifth Beatle on the Warriors&#x27; team, but the 32-year-old center has more votes than more heralded teammates Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.The 14-year journeyman from the former Russian republic of Georgia is second only to Durant among Western frontcourt players.Durant collected 541,209 votes, followed by Pachulia (439,675), San Antonio&#x27;s Kawhi Leonard (341,240) and New Orleans&#x27; Anthony Davis (318,144).Pachulia&#x27;s surge in the polls has made for an interesting subplot in these voting returns. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/01/05/fans-are-voting-for-zaza-pachulia-like-crazy-heres-why-he-still-wont-start-the-nba-all-star-game/">Several</a> <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/warriors/article/Warriors-Zaza-Pachulia-makes-unexpected-surge-10837996.php">news</a> <a href="http://http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2017/1/5/14180200/nba-all-star-voting-2017-zaza-pachulia-warriors-starter-fan-votes">sites</a> explain the phenomenon, some attributing it to the fact that his native country of Georgia has been crowdfunding polling efforts.Pachulia has started all 32 games for the Warriors, averaging 5.2 points and 5.8 rebounds. He was signed in the offseason by the Warriors to fill the shoes vacated by Andrew Bogut.He came into the league in 2003 as a 19-year-old and played his first season with the Orlando Magic. He suited up for the Atlanta Hawks most of his career and has made stops in Milwaukee and Dallas.As a member of the Mavericks last season, Pachulia also <a href="http://http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/dallas-mavericks-all-star-zaza-pachulia-strange-true-story-uprising-012216">boggled</a> minds when his name turned up among the highest-vote getters for the All-Star game in Toronto in February.Voting concludes on January 16 with starters announced three days later. All-Star reserve players, selected by NBA coaches, will be announced on January 26.(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com" target="_blank">Sports website.</a>)

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were the top vote-getters in the first preliminary NBA All-Star Game balloting results announced Thursday.

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were the top vote-getters in the first preliminary NBA All-Star Game balloting results announced Thursday.