LeBron James' Legendary NBA All-Star Streak Comes To An End

It’s no secret that LeBron James is on the tail end of his career.

And despite him still racking up career-defining achievements, some of his most iconic streaks are grinding to a halt.

After 21 years in a row of being named an NBA All-Star starter, the votes didn’t swing his way this year. The reserves will be named on Sunday, February 1, which is likely where his name will be listed.

While this is a sign of the NBA being handed over to a new, younger generation, it’s also likely because the league decided to breathe new life into All-Star Weekend, as fans keep calling it a snooze fest, thanks to disengaged players.

This year’s All-Star Weekend gets rid of the East vs. West format in favor of a U.S. vs. World setup. Two U.S. teams and one international team will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games all during Sunday’s festivities.

The Eastern Conference starters are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, and Tyrese Maxey. For the Western Conference, there’s Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama.

Voting responsibility was split between fans (50%), NBA players (25%), and the media (25%).

In the Eastern Conference, the biggest vote-getters were Cade Cunningham, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jaylen Brown, while the West was helmed by Nikola Jokic, Steph Curry, and Shai-Gilgeious Alexander. Trailing in the voting in eighth place is King James, who has averaged 22.6 points this season after missing the first 14 games due to sciatica.

There are 24 total All-Star roster spots, with 16 selected via voting and eight on each of the American teams. The other eight roster spots will be for the international players on their own team. The international team can be composed of American players with ties to other countries who’d rather represent their homeland. If natural selection doesn’t automatically work out number-wise, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will pick additional All-Stars so that each group hits its eight-person mark.

All-Star Weekend begins February 13 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, home of the LA Clippers. 

See the social media reaction to James’ fall to the reserves below.