"A league MVP at 22, Derrick Rose is still young enough at 23 to get a kick out of being selected to the All-Star Game.

Rose was named a starter for the Eastern Conference team Thursday — his third consecutive All-Star selection in his four-year career and second consecutive start. He was the second-leading vote-getter (1,514,723) on the Eastern Conference team behind Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (1,600,390) and third overall behind the Lakers' Kobe Bryant (1,555,479).

"It means a lot, especially from our fans to vote for me,'' said Rose. "I didn't [realize] that I had all those votes. It shows a lot. I don't take anything for granted. I'm appreciative of every one of my fans that went online and voted for me.""