As expected, Seattle SuperSonics point guard Gary Payton was named to the Western Conference All-Star team Tuesday, the eighth time he has been chosen.

It was the third consecutive season that Payton was not elected a starter by the fans, being outvoted by Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Steve Francis of the Houston Rockets.

But Payton became the franchise's career leader in All-Star Game appearances, eclipsing Jack Sikma's seven appearances.

"It's a great honor," Payton said. "It's more of an honor for the guys on my team this year because a lot of my stats (are) up, and they've been doing a lot of things for me. I credit them in making this one. This one was real special."

Payton joined Karl Malone, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Peja Stojakovic, Wally Szczerbiak and Chris Webber as the West's reserves.

The odd part about Payton being named a reserve for the game this year, which will be played in Philadelphia on Feb. 10, is that he is having one of the best seasons, if not the best, of his career.

He is averaging 22.9 points (12th in the league), 9.2 assists (third),

4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in

41.2 minutes a game (third) while leading a team that many thought would be no better than .500 to the sixth spot in the Western Conference, which would be good enough for a playoff spot if the season were to end today.

Francis, on the other hand, has missed almost half his team's games with a variety of injuries and illnesses, including recent bouts with migraine headaches.

"We haven't been on national television this season," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "So fans haven't had an opportunity to see what Gary has done.

"He's basically been carrying the team, for the most part. This is probably one of his best seasons."

"It doesn't make any difference to me," Payton said. "The real voting to me is the coaches' vote."

No other Sonics player finished among the top 10 in fan voting at their positions.

However, Desmond Mason will participate in the All-Star Saturday events. He will play on the sophomore team in the rookie-sophomore game, and then will defend his slam dunk championship later that night.

Time change - The Sonics' game in Toronto on Feb. 24 has been changed from 2:30 p.m. to

3 p.m. (PST).