LeBron’s All-Star Era Ends: LeBron James Misses Start in a Historic 21-Year Streak Break
21 January 2026
King LeBron is tipped to land on the reserve roster.
LeBron's All-Star era ends with a starting lineup absence
The NBA season closed one of its longest streaks in history as LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers star, failed to make the starting lineup for the All-Star Game, ending 21 straight years of starting appearances at this showcase. This marks a rare turning point in the spectacle.
The 41-year-old icon, who has started in All-Star games since 2005, will be the marquee omission from the starting lineup for this year's edition, scheduled for February 15 at the Intuit Dome, the Clippers' home arena in Los Angeles.
The league announced on Tuesday the names of ten players who will start the game, five from the West and five from the East, with the full roster filling out by adding 14 more players chosen by the coaches.
Star selections highlight a star-filled Western and Eastern lineup
The Western Conference starting lineup includes LeBron's Lakers teammate, Slovenian Luka Dončić, along with Oklahoma City Thunder's reigning MVP winner, Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, in addition to Stephen Curry of Golden State, Nikola Jokić of Denver, and Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio Spurs, following a vote that involved fans, players, and media.
In the Eastern Conference, Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks led the voting, joined by Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons, Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers, and Jalen Brown of the Boston Celtics.
Although LeBron James is expected to be part of the reserve roster, his omission from the starting five in his twenty-third season marks an extraordinary end to an era in All-Star history.
James had missed the first 14 games of the season with a right-hip nerve injury, then returned to average 22.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game.
In an effort to revive fan interest, the NBA this year kept the traditional two-conference pick, but revamped the All-Star format into a mini-league tournament with three teams: two USA squads and an international-flavored team, four 12-minute games, with at least eight players per team. The league hopes it boosts worldwide audiences.
And here comes a closing wink: And yes, even the basketball gods took a timeout to watch this drama tonight.
Punchline 1: LeBron not starting is basically a season-long cliffhanger—eat your popcorn.
Punchline 2: The real All-Star was the drama that showed up on time, apparently.
