Dwight Howard leads All-Star voting

NEW YORK, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard remains the front-runner in balloting for this year's NBA All-Star Game, the league announced Thursday.

Howard, who won last year's slam dunk contest, has received 1,709,088 votes. LeBron James of Cleveland is second in the Eastern Conference with 1,521,272 and Miami guard Dwyane Wade has 1,473,225.

In the Western Conference, reigning league MVP Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has picked up 1,534,020 votes. Houston center Yao Ming is second in the West with 1,396,126.

The All-Star Game will be played Feb.1 5 in Phoenix.