After being ruled out as a starter for the first time since 2004, LeBron James was chosen on Sunday (1st) as one of the reserve players for the NBA All-Star Game, on February 15, in Los Angeles.
The 41-year-old Los Angeles Lakers winger thus extended his call-up streak to 22 consecutive games, one of the countless records he has accumulated in his career.
“Twenty-two in a row… Not bad. Blessed, honored, truly,” LeBron told reporters in the Madison Square Garden locker room as he prepared for the game against the New York Knicks.
James maintained his All-Star status in his 23rd, and possibly final, NBA season. Without giving any hint about his future, LeBron boasts impressive averages of 21.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists, but played only 30 of the Lakers’ 47 games due to various physical problems.
Since being selected first overall in the 2003 NBA Draft, the greatest scorer of all time has only missed the All-Star Game in his rookie season.
Since his debut in 2005, his place in the starting lineup remained intact until January 19, when this year’s ten-man All-Star team was announced.
His absence from the Western Conference quintet was interpreted by many as the beginning of the end of an era in the NBA, with King James as the central figure with his four titles and 10 Finals played.
This time, fans, players and journalists nominated Stephen Curry (Warriors), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Luka Doncic (Lakers), Victor Wembley (Spurs) and Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) as starters.
LeBron’s sequence was then in the hands of the coaches, responsible for choosing the 14 players who will start the exhibition game on the bench at the Intuit Dome, the Los Angeles Clippers’ futuristic court.
In Sunday’s announcement, broadcast on NBC, the names of the Western Conference reserves were revealed one by one: Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Kevin Durant (Rockets), Devin Booker (Suns), Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers), Chet Holmgren (Thunder) and, finally, revealing the mystery, LeBron James.
Antetokounmpo is still a doubt for the match
Jamal Murray, the 2023 NBA champion with Denver, Holmgren and Avdija will make their All-Star debuts, while Kevin Durant earned his 16th selection.
At 37 years old, Durant is only surpassed on the list by LeBron James (22), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19) and Kobe Bryant (18).
The Clippers, host of the event, were left without representatives, despite having an almost perfect first half of the season, led by Kawhi Leonard (27.7 points per game) and James Harden (25.4).
In the Eastern Conference, the selected reserves were Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks), Jalen Johnson (Hawks), Pascal Siakam (Pacers), Norman Powell (Heat), Scottie Barnes (Raptors) and Jalen Durant (Pistons).
The already announced list of starters for the All-Star Game includes Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers), Jaylen Brown (Celtics) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks).
This year’s All-Star Game will debut a new format in which two teams of U.S. players and a team of international stars will compete in a mini-tournament of 12-minute games.
The distribution of the 24 players between the three teams will be announced on Tuesday (3).
The international team could be made up of Canadians Gilgeous-Alexander and Murray, Slovenian Doncic, Israeli Avdija, Frenchman Wembanyama, Serbian Jokic, Cameroonian Siakam and Greek Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo’s participation, however, is in serious doubt due to a calf injury.
The Greek player’s replacement will be decided by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. If the substitute is American, the international team could be completed with a player of dual nationality, such as Dominican-American Karl-Anthony Towns.
