LeBron James out Tuesday vs. Spurs, officially ending his unprecedented 21-year All-NBA streak

LeBron James will not play on Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs. That matters if you care about one of the Los Angeles Lakers star’s most remarkable feats.

The Lakers officially ruled James out of Tuesday’s game with the Spurs, the second night of a back-to-back, due to left foot arthritis. Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart were all ruled out too.

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With James now out due to the injury, he will officially hit 18 games missed on the season, making it impossible for him to reach the 65 appearances he needs to be awards eligible due to the current collective bargaining agreement. That means for the first time since 2004, the All-NBA teams will not include James.

James missed the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica, making 65 games a longshot for the 41-year-old. It was pretty much an inevitability with him skipping legs of back-to-backs, and he was open about how difficult it was to play both legs at his age.

The development ends an unprecedented 21-year All-NBA streak for James. To get a sense of how abnormal that is, keep in mind that Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are tied for second all-time in All-NBA selections with 15 each. Not a streak, total.

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James is also the all-time leader in first-team selections with 13, two ahead of Bryant and Karl Malone.

For more perspective on how far James’ streak goes back, here are the All-NBA teams from the 2003-04 season, his first year in the NBA. That was the only time in James’ career he didn’t make an All-NBA team, though he did win Rookie of the Year that year.

Note Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant still being on the same team.

First Team

F – Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves

F – Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

C – Shaquille O’Neal, Los Angeles Lakers

G – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

G – Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets

Second Team

F – Peja Stojaković, Sacramento Kings

F – Jermaine O’Neal, Indiana Pacers

C – Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons

G – Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic

G – Sam Cassell, Minnesota Timberwolves

Third Team

F – Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers

F – Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

C – Yao…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/lebron-james-out-tuesday-vs-spurs-officially-ending-his-unprecedented-21-year-all-nba-streak-211251241.html

Author : Jack Baer

Publish date : 2026-02-10 21:12:00

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