"This is insane!"
That was pretty much the reaction of every fan after the NBA officially announced the first round of voting results for the 2010 All-Star Game in Dallas.
Here's how the numbers looked:
In the East, the top two guards were Dwyane Wade with 675,100 votes and Allen Iverson with 654,005.
Let's be honest—statistically, AI was clearly past his prime. But the reason behind his high vote count? Easy...
All the A.I. fans across the globe united to get him back on the All-Star stage one last time.
The fanbase mobilized like an army. They just wanted one more chance to see their hero suit up at All-Star Weekend.
And honestly, that's what makes the All-Star Game interesting—pure popularity, pure nostalgia.
Iverson's not putting up All-Star numbers anymore. But ever since he returned to Philly, he stirred something in the hearts of every A.I. stan.
It was like a final tribute to a generation growing up and fading into the sunset.
Still, Lin Yi already knew—those fans were about to be disappointed.
If things unfolded the way he remembered, Iverson was going to pull out of the All-Star Game. The proud Answer had come back hoping to push the Sixers to the playoffs... only to find out the team was more like a floating fish than a fighting force.
And early next year, something worse—Iverson's young daughter would fall seriously ill, battling a high fever that wouldn't go down.
Meanwhile, over in the West, the top two guards were Kobe Bryant (975,010 votes) and Steve Nash (745,001).
From the 2008–09 season into 2009–10, Kobe's popularity was at its absolute peak. The Mamba was still unstoppable, and with the Suns reviving their run-and-gun style, fans were excited to watch Nash work his magic again.
Third in the West among guards? Chris Paul.
But CP3 was having a rough season with the Hornets struggling, and it was tough to compete with Nash's comeback popularity.
Still, it wasn't just the Iverson fans who were going to be disappointed. The Kobe crowd was in for a letdown too.
Lin Yi remembered clearly—Kobe ended up skipping the Dallas All-Star Game because of fractured knuckles on his index finger.
Yep, he gave up both the All-Star appearance and a nearly guaranteed All-Star MVP—just to stay fresh for the Finals.
Now that's what you call championship focus.
Next up: Western forwards.
Carmelo Anthony led with 851,450 votes, followed by Tim Duncan with 560,010.
This was Melo Mania.
The dude was killing it—shooting nearly 49% from the field and averaging close to 29 points a game. With George Karl coaching and Billups running the show, Melo was entering the golden years of his career.
As for Duncan, well... his fans were as chill as he was.
Let's be real—they probably voted while meditating.
Behind him was Dirk Nowitzki, just 7,000 votes back, but even that wasn't enough to make a real dent. Pau Gasol? No particular love for the All-Star Game. The only real threat in sight? Kevin Durant.
But back then, even when KD said he wanted to drink Scarlett Johansson's bathwater, he still didn't have enough fans to push him into the top two.
T/N: Savage, lol.
Over in the East, the top forwards were basically untouchable:
LeBron (985,210) and "Hardened" (875,010) were on another level.
At the center in the West, Amar'e Stoudemire was leading with 561,500 votes.
Yao Ming's injury had finally opened up a spot after years of domination.
Second place in the West? Andrew Bynum, with 175,001 votes.
Honestly, it's wild that Bynumite ever had the nerve to call himself the best center in the West.
Didn't he remember what happened to Dampier when he made that claim?
But the real bombshell came from the East...
Brace yourselves.
The leading vote-getter for Eastern Conference center was:
Lin Yi — with 1,856,501 votes.
Dwight Howard? The Superman who had planned to battle Lin for the top spot?
He just... closed his laptop quietly after seeing the numbers.
Sure, Howard was still popular. He even pulled in 821,007 votes.
But that wasn't even close to Lin Yi.
Not even a fraction.
What kind of madness is this?!
If the vote gap had been just a few hundred thousand, Dwight and his team probably had a full PR campaign ready to roll.
But a million-plus?
No way they were catching up—not even if Howard begged LeBron to give him all his votes.
Insane. Just absolutely wild.
"This is terrifying!"
"Are Chinese fans taking over the All-Star Game again?!"
But nope. Not this time.
Even the official NBA site confirmed: 60% of Lin Yi's votes came from American fans.
Why? Simple.
Lin Yi's been stealing the spotlight all season.
That smooth, graceful style of his was already turning heads. Then he dropped 61 in just three quarters.
Next thing you know, he torches the Lakers at Staples again—and boom, his fan base explodes.
And just when you thought it couldn't go any higher, he announces he's entering the dunk contest?
Yeah... the hype train has no brakes.
In recent years, the dunk contest had kinda gone cold—aside from Dwight doing some comedy dunking, most stars weren't interested anymore.
But the league kept giving Lin opportunities... and he never missed.
Just check YouTube: clips of him obliterating Dalembert, Ryan Anderson, Oden, and Okafor are still racking up views.
And that tomahawk crossover dunk he threw down against the Spurs? Broke the internet—fans didn't even know where to look.
Turns out, American fans love a good hype machine too.
"We want Lin Yi! We love Lin Yi!"
Even Lin Yi himself couldn't stay calm after seeing his vote total. He could be setting a record nobody's gonna break for a long time.
Back in the 2009 Rookie Group chat, Curry and Harden were the first to drop their reactions:
"Yo, All-Star starter? That's wild! That's the dream!"
Curry was hyped. "Even if I only make it once in my life, I'd be happy."
"Yo, me too," Harden laughed.
Meanwhile, DeRozan—also getting ready for the dunk contest—jumped in too:
"So jealous. Yo, Lin, go easy on us in the dunk contest, alright?"
Flynn chimed in too:
"Lin! I need an AI-signed jersey! And the shoes too! I'm a lifelong A.I. fan."
But for Lin, being named an All-Star starter in his rookie year?
That's legendary. And different from the Yao Ming Miracle, too.
Even the NBA confirmed it—even without the Chinese vote count, Lin Yi's still top of the votes.
Howard? Yeah, that one stung.
He went on record during an interview:
"Y'know, it's always tough to go up against those big guys from the East…"
Translation: I just got whooped.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Stern? He was grinning from ear to ear.
We've got ourselves a goldmine for a few more years, he thought.
There was this quiet understanding between Lin Yi and Stern—Lin was heating the All-Star buzz, and Stern loved it. This game had everything now: stories, drama, star power, and sky-high expectations.
Who'd win? Who cared?
Hype first, results later.
But just when Stern thought he was peaking again as the league's top dog...
A familiar stench was about to drop that would shake the entire NBA once again.
...
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