For the first time ever, LeBron James sat out an NBA All-Star Game. This past Sunday night, he missed the weekend’s closing matchup due to a lingering discomfort in his left foot and ankle. The Lakers star had been selected a starter for a record 21-straight years, but his mark will remain at 20 played consecutively.
The 40-year-old was also out in the purple and gold’s most recent victory against the Pacers last weekend, due to the same injury. “I was hoping it would feel a lot better this morning, but it was not where I wanted it to be,” the veteran said of his ankle.
The power forward had also skipped out on Saturday’s ceremonial training session and the media availability, which has turned into some sort of tradition for him, having done the same in the past two All-Star Weekends.
Kendrick Perkins calls out LeBron James for showing up late to All-Star Weekend and pulling out of the game at the last minute, which prevented injury replacements like Norman Powell from being added
(🎥 @GetUpESPN )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 17, 2025
The 22-year veteran then added that he expected to return to action on Wednesday for Los Angeles‘ first match after the All-Star break when they play the Hornets. Heading into the clash against Charlotte, his team is No. 5 in the Western Conference with a 32-30, after winning 12 of their last 15.
“With 30 games left and us trying to make a playoff push in the wild, wild West, I felt like it was very important for me to kind of take care of myself and understand what’s coming on [down the stretch],” James expressed on Sunday morning.
Two of those last two contests with the Lakers featured his new teammate and co-star Luka Doncic. LeBron was asked if playing alongside the 25-year-old will change how long he expects to continue playing in the NBA before finally retiring.
“I have not given it that type of thought,” James shared. “Just the excitement of being able to add a caliber player like that, a generational talent like that to our franchise, it’s something that’s given me energy. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do. … I think we could be really good going down the stretch. But we’ll see what happens.”
