LeBron James Getting 22nd All-Star Nod Over Dillon Brooks & Kawhi Leonard Upsets Fans – “Undeserved”

There were concerns that LeBron James might end his streak of 21 straight All-Star callups after missing games this season.

LeBron James Getting 22nd All-Star Nod Over Dillon Brooks & Kawhi Leonard Upsets Fans – “Undeserved”

Dillon Brooks, LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard (Image via FirstSportz)

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LeBron James has been a regular in the annual NBA All-Star game for twenty-two straight seasons, with his rookie season being the only time he did not grace the stage.

This year, the festivities will be taking place in Los Angeles, which, up until last season, was billed as the reason the 41-year-old might choose the current campaign as his last.

Even though the game is going to be held at the Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, going out in style in front of their home fans was the best way to call it quits.

However, the league’s oldest player has missed 18 games this season, most of which were due to sciatica, and the other due to rest and arthritis. On top of that, there were a few games where LeBron James did not look like himself.

Considering all those factors, analysts and fans had resigned to the fact that maybe the four-time champion might not make it to the All-Star game in Los Angeles even as a reserve.

Then, ESPN’s lead NBA Insider Shams Charania revealed that the King had indeed been named to the Western Conference All-Star team for the 22nd straight time.

Fans lose it as LeBron James gets All-Star nod over others

It is not that LeBron James did not deserve the All-Star call. He has been playing well of late, and has some numbers to support him being there.

However, those numbers, or the overall impact on winning, are nowhere close to what Kawhi Leonard or Dillon Brooks have with their respective franchises.

Fans pointed at the two, as the Clippers’ stellar run has the Klaw’s fingerprints on it, and the Suns are fighting to overtake the Lakers, with The Villain leading the charge. Fans felt this was a disservice to them. Examples of those reactions are below.

LeBron James may have gotten the call due to the fact that he could end his career with his streak intact. Or, it could be that he is still the biggest superstar in Los Angeles.

However, that does not justify how the Clippers’ own Kawhi Leonard does not get a call to play in front of their own fans at their home arena.

LeBron James was not thinking about All-Star streak this season

Well before the All-Star voting commenced, some were not good with the idea that LeBron James should be included in the 2026 All-Star game. Now that it has happened, reporters asked the superstar if he felt he did not stand a chance.

LeBron James vs Kawhi Leonard
LeBron James vs Kawhi Leonard (Image via Espo/X)

I’mma be honest, I really didn’t think about it. It wasn’t a goal of mine to come into this season, miss the first 14 games, and say, ‘Okay, I need to be an All-Star.’… I didn’t think about the All-Star game, to be honest.

LeBron James replied

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar reiterated that his primary goal was to get into playing form, which was tough as he had missed the first training camp of his career.

The Patriarch of the James family wanted to get into his rhythm and help his team win games. He reiterated that trying to extend his streak was not on his mind at any point during the season.

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