LeBron James described his All-Star selection as “super humbling” after being called up for the showpiece game for the 22nd consecutive year.
The 41-year-old has been named among the reserves for the match which will take place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on February 15. His inclusion extends his record for most caps overall and most consecutive caps.
“It’s super humiliating,” James said after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the New York Knicks 112-100 last night. “The coaches voted, that’s right, so mad respect for the coaches and for them considering the way I’m still playing at this last stage of my career.
“And to be able to be an All-Star means a lot to my family, the people who have followed my career, my LeBron fans. They’ve followed my journey and it’s always gratifying, from a humble point of view, to be able to be rewarded for what you’ve put your work into.”
All-Star Game not at the top of James’ priority list
James missed the first 14 games of the season because of sciatica and admits the All-Star Game wasn’t one of his priorities.
He added: “I haven’t really thought about it. To be honest, it wasn’t a goal of mine to go into the season and miss the first 14 games and say, ‘OK, I have to be an All-Star.’ I just wanted to get back to playing at a high level that I knew I was capable of, once I kind of knocked off the rust. [from] missing preseason, training camp, my summer workouts – which I’ve never done in my entire career.
James will have a familiar face alongside him after Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets was also named a reserve — his 16th selection — as well as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker.
The All-Star Game will offer a new format in 2026 in which two teams of American players and one team of international players (known as the World Team) will compete in a round-robin tournament consisting of four 12-minute matches. The three teams will each have a minimum of eight players.
