LAS VEGAS, United States - Worldwide fan balloting began to decide starting berths in the 56th National Basketball Association All-Star Game here next February.

The program gives supporters a chance to place their favorites on the court for the opening tip when the Eastern Conference and Western Conference elite meet on February 18, 2007.

Fans can vote in 20 languages on the league's website, at all NBA arenas, the Thomas and Mack Center host arena and via certain cellular telephone services.

For the first time in NBA history, 13 NBA arenas will carry a Spanish version of the NBA ballot in addition to the English one.

The ballots include 60 players from each conference - 24 guards and 24 forwards and 12 centers - selected by a media panel of NBA reporters.

Voting by paper ballot concludes January 15 with on-line voting concluding six days later. Starting lineups will be announced January 25.

Coaches in each conference will vote to determine the remainder of their side's roster. Those names will be revealed February 1.

Chinese center Yao Ming, Germany's Dirk Nowitzki, France's Tony Parker and Boris Diaw, Canada's Steve Nash, Argentina's Manu Ginobili, Spain's Pau Gasol, Brazil's Leandro Barbosa, Serbian Perja Stojakovic and Russian Andrei Kirilenko are among global players on the Western Confernece ballot.

Australia's Andrew Bogut, Sudan's Luol Deng, Turkey's Hedo Turkoglu, Serbian Nenad Krstic, Slovenia's Primoz Brezec, Georgia's Zaza Pachulia and Lithuania's Zydrunas Ilgauskas are among non-US choices on the Eastern Conference ballot.