On Monday, the starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game from the Western Conference and Eastern Conference were announced, and it wasn’t exactly surprising to see Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakerschosen as one of those 10 starters.
However, there was one player who wasn’t on that list, and it was somewhat of a surprise. For the first time since he made his first All-Star game appearance, LeBron James wasn’t selected to be an All-Star starter.
Perhaps it has a lot to do with the bout of sciatica that forced him to miss the first 14 games of this season and his record streak of 1,297 consecutive games with at least 10 points ending several weeks ago. While he has averaged 25.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists a game since that streak ended, he didn’t get enough votes to be a starter this year.
That means James’ streak of being chosen to be an All-Star starter has ended. Last year was the 21st consecutive year he was named a starter, although he ultimately elected not to play in the actual game.
NBA All-Star LeStreak is over ðŸ˜
(h/t: @WITNESSKJ) pic.twitter.com/LVFktuOQGT
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) January 19, 2026
While it isn’t a certainty, he should still have a very good shot at being named a reserve for the midseason classic, which will be held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. The reserves for the game will be selected by the NBA’s coaches and announced on Feb. 1.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: 2026 NBA All-Star Game will end remarkable streak for LeBron James