New York ? Grant Hill of the Orlando Magic edged Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal by slightly more than 65,000 votes for a starting spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

Hill received 1,497,489 votes in fan balloting to O’Neal’s 1,432,438, allowing him to join Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter and LeBron James as the starting five for the East at the All-Star game Feb. 20 in Denver.

Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets received a record 2,558,278 votes in winning the starting spot at center for the Western Conference. He will line up alongside Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan of San Antonio, the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and Houston’s Tracy McGrady.