It appears talks of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James’ demise were greatly exaggerated as it was announced on Sunday night that he has been named an NBA All-Star for the 22nd time, extending his league record.
James has been an All-Star every year after his rookie season, but this was his first time being voted in as a reserve. That’s partly because LeBron’s numbers are slightly lower than usual, but the main reason is that he missed 14 games to begin the season and then took some time to ramp up after not having a training camp.
Nonetheless, James has been playing at an All-Star level for the Lakers for weeks now and was rewarded by being voted in as a reserve by the coaches.
After learning of his selection, LeBron expressed how grateful he is to be a 22-time All-Star:
"Blessed. Honored."@KingJames on being named an All-Star for the 22nd straight season 👑 https://t.co/eyWy8YBhrQ pic.twitter.com/bmZdwc1UWZ
— NBA (@NBA) February 1, 2026
James then further commented on it after Sunday night’s loss to the New York Knicks, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Obviously super humbling. The coaches voted, right? So mad respect to the coaches and them seeing that I’m still playing well at this latter stage of my career. To be able to an All-Star, that means a lot to my family, the people that’s been following my career, my LeBron faithful who have been following my journey. I don’t know, man. It’s always rewarding just from a humble standpoint to be able to be rewarded for what you put your work into. So it’s pretty cool.”
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is set for Sunday, Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, so James will not have to travel very far to play. He will be joined by fellow Lakers star Luka Doncic, who was the leading vote-getter by fans and made it in as a starter.
With the league switching to a three-team USA vs. World format for this year’s game though, James and Doncic will be on separate squads competing against each other, which could make for a fun event.
LeBron James unbothered by All-Star starting streak ending
This marks the first time James has been named an All-Stsr but won’t be in the starting lineup, something he wasn’t concerned about.
“Nah. None at all,” James said a few weeks ago when asked if he had a reaction to not being named a starter.
When further questioned though, LeBron said he would love to be voted in as a reserve, but again, wasn’t concerned if he didn’t.
“I’m always grateful. I’m always grateful, for sure. If I’m there, I’ll be there in attendance. If I’m not, I know I’ll be able to take full advantage of it, I know exactly what I’ll be doing. So I’m good either way.”
James has always taken his role as an ambassador for the NBA seriously and that will be the case once again when he attends this year’s All-Star Game in the Los Angeles area as one of the league’s best for the 22nd time.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
