Even at 40 years old, LeBron James remains one of the best players in the NBA as he’s got the Los Angeles Lakers rolling ahead of the All-Star break.
James was named to his 21st All-Star team as a starter, extending his record for most All-Star game appearances. It’s quite the accomplishment from James who continues to etch his name in history and this upcoming All-Star Game should be fun with the new format.
This year, the All-Star Game will change into a tournament-style contest that will take place over three games. Three teams led by the NBA on TNT crew will be made up of All-Stars while the fourth team will be the winner of the 2025 Castrol Rising Stars Challenge and be led by Candace Parker.
Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal was awarded the first pick of the All-Star Game draft and took James first overall for his roster, via NBA on TNT:
THE #NBAAllStar PICKS ARE IN 🚨
Who's the team to beat this All-Star weekend? 👀 pic.twitter.com/TzmrFxJvxi
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 7, 2025
James spearheads a star-studded team full of veterans, including his old co-star Anthony Davis. O’Neal clearly wanted to reunite the USA Basketball veterans as well as he also took Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, giving fans another chance to watch the three superstars play alongside each other.
Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, James Harden and Jaylen Brown round out Team Shaq, giving James plenty of options to work with during the tournament.
Meanwhile, Charles Barkley might have had the best overall draft as his team features Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, three players who all have a case for MVP this season. However, Barkley somehow also got Victor Wembanyama to round out his team full of size, length and athleticism.
Kenny Smith went more guard-heavy as his team will be led by Anthony Edward and Jalen Brunson. Smith also seemed to enjoy taking swings on first-time All-Star like Jalen Williams and Tyler Herro, two guards who should be plenty motivated to put on a show.
It remains to be seen how the new tournament-style All-Star Game will be received, but regardless it’ll be fun to see James suit up and compete against the best in the league.
LeBron James thankful to be named to 21st All-Star Game
LeBron James was a no-brainer to be selected as a starter for the All-Star Game and he expressed how thankful he was to participate again.
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