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LeBron James’ recent absence from the Los Angeles Lakers ended a 21-year hitting streak that may not be in NBA history.
James has officially hit 18 missed games this season, as he sits Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs. Because of this, James will not be able to hit the 65-game minimum required to be considered for league awards, according to the collective bargaining agreement.
Therefore, for the first time since 2004, James will not be on the All-NBA teams.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James appears in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Feb. 10, 2025, 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 was always an absence of load management, especially for the running backs.
That is the case in this game on Tuesday night, as the Lakers are on the second night of back-to-back after losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 119-110, on Monday night in Los Angeles.
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The name of James’ current injury is 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 innovate with his plan for this game.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James plays during the second half in Game 4 of the NBA basketball first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
But in the grand scheme of NBA history, James’ 21-year streak of making the All-NBA team means never before. He also became the all-time leader in first-team All-NBA selections with 13 – two ahead of Karl Malone and the late Kobe Bryant.
Bryant was part of James’ first-team All-NBA team during his rookie season in 2003-04. Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Kidd filled out the rest of that group.
But after his first NBA season, where he was named Rookie of the Year after averaging 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.6 steals over 79 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
From there, James made the second team All-NBA the following season and did not stop sitting on one of the three teams until this season.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) watches during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: (Photos by Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn)
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It’s the 23rd year for James, who is averaging 21.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game in 35 contests for the Lakers, who are 32-20 this season, good for fifth in the Western Conference.
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