LeBron James’ 21-year NBA All-Star Game starting streak on Monday came to an end, after the Los Angeles Lakers star was excluded from the 10 starters named for next month’s mid-season showpiece.
The 41-year-old NBA icon, who has been named as an All-Star starter in every season since 2005, was the biggest omission from this year’s event, at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome on Feb. 15.
The 10 starters — five from the Western Conference and five from the Eastern Conference — will be joined by 14 players selected by the All-Star Game coaches.
Photo: Getty Images via AFP
The Western Conference starters include James’ teammate Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City Thunder’s reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Golden State’s Stephen Curry, the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic and the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama complete the West’s starters, chosen by a vote from fans, players and media.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo led the voting for the Eastern Conference starters. Antetokounmpo is joined by the New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, Detroit Pistons ace Cade Cunningham, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey and Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown.
While James is expected to be included in the additional pool of All-Star players, his failure to be named in the starting 10 in his 23rd season signals the end of an era.
James missed the opening 14 games of the season suffering from sciatica. Since his return, he has averaged 22.6 points per game with 5.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists.
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