Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, with 643,786 votes, and Boston's Kevin Garnett, with 495,514, lead Eastern Conference forwards. New Jersey's Yi Jianlian is third followed by Bosh, who has 274,195 votes.

Two guards, two forwards and one centre from each conference get voted into the game by fans online and through paper ballots, with the rest of the roster being filled out by voting among NBA head coaches.

Last year, Bosh created a YouTube video in which he played a Texas used car salesman pleading for all-star votes.

It didn't work. But Bosh, a three-time all-star, was selected as a reserve by coaches and was later named to the starting lineup to replace the injured Kevin Garnett. He finished the game with 14 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes.

Raptors teammate Jermaine O'Neal is fourth among centres, while Jose Calderon, on the ballot for the first time, is fifth among guards. Miami's Dwyane Wade and Detroit's Allen Iverson lead Eastern guards.

Victoria's Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns is seventh among Western Conference guards with 142,410 votes, while Montreal's Samuel Dalembert of the Philadelphia 76ers is a distant second to Howard among East centres with 116,708 votes.

San Antonio's Tim Duncan and Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire lead Western Conference forwards, while L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant and New Orleans' Chris Paul pace guards and Houston's Yao Ming is the leading vote-getter among centres in the West.

The 58th NBA all-star game will be played in Phoenix on Sunday, Feb. 15.

Voting continues through Jan. 19.