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LeBron James’ latest absence with the Los Angeles Lakers ended a 21-year streak that may be unrivaled in NBA history.
James has officially missed 18 games this season, as he will not play Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs. As a result, James will not be able to reach the minimum 65 games needed to be considered for league awards, according to the collective bargaining agreement.
So for the first time since 2004, James won’t be on the All-NBA teams.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James appears during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on February 10, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
What didn’t help James’ case was missing the first 14 games of the 2025-26 season due to sciatica. Since James is 41 years old, there will always be load-handling absences, especially in back-to-back games.
That’s the case in this Tuesday night matchup, as the Lakers are on their second night of a back-to-back after losing to the league-best Oklahoma City Thunder, 119-110, on Monday night in Los Angeles.
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James’ injury designation is currently arthritis in his left foot, and head coach JJ Redick is also dealing with Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart all ruled out, forcing him to get creative with his lineup in this game.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James makes a dunk during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
But in the grand scheme of NBA history, James’ 21-year streak making an All-NBA team is the definition of unprecedented. He is also the all-time leader in All-NBA first-team selections with 13, two ahead of Karl Malone and the late Kobe Bryant.
Bryant was part of the first All-NBA team that James missed during his rookie season in 2003-04. Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Kidd rounded out the rest of that group.
But after his first season in the NBA, where he was named Rookie of the Year after averaging 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 79 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
From there, James made the All-NBA second team the following season and continued to land on one of the three teams until this season.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks on during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: (Kiyoshi Mio/Image Images)
It’s year 23 for James, who is still averaging 21.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game in 35 games for the Lakers, who are 32-20 this season, good for fifth place in the Western Conference.
