In the latest returns of fan balloting released Thursday, Iverson is third among Western Conference guards with 1.30 million votes, approximately 31,000 less than McGrady, the star of the Houston Rockets (1.33 million).

Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson, pictured 05 January 2007, is closing the gap on Tracy McGrady for a starting spot in next month's National Basketball Association All-Star Game.[AFP]

Since being traded from Philadelphia to Denver on December 19, Iverson has slipped from first to third in the scoring race.

However, if he overtakes McGrady in the voting - which ends Monday for paper balloting and January 21 for online balloting - he will become just the second player since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 to be voted as a starter following a mid-season trade.

Vince Carter was voted as a starter after being traded from Toronto to New Jersey in 2004.

Iverson has no chance of catching Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, who leads all West guards with 1.54 million votes.

Rockets centre Yao Ming, currently out with a knee injury, leads all players with 1.77 million votes.

Yao was sidelined for at least six weeks and perhaps longer with a fractured tibia suffered December 23.

Yao leads his position balloting by more than 1 million votes.

In the East, James and Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors (684,620) lead the forward voting, although Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers (621,476) could overtake Bosh.

At guard, the leaders are Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (1.37 million) and Carter (1.00 million), with Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards a distant third with 788,249.

The leader at centre is Miami's Shaquille O'Neal, who also is out with an injury but should be returning later this month.

He has 1.14 million votes, over 150,000 more than Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.

The All-Star Game is February 18 in Las Vegas.

The starters will be announced January 25 and reserves February 1.