LeBron James turned 40 in December, but it appears that this “f*ckery” is far from over.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ star forward extended his streak of consecutive NBA All-Star Game starts to 21, earning a spot as a West frontcourt starter for this year’s midseason spectacle on February 16 in San Francisco.
James has been an NBA All-Star–and a starter at that–since 2005 when he was named to the Eastern Conference’s starting line-up alongside Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, and Grant Hill.

20 years later, James and O’Neal may be reunited on the same team, with the latter set to be one of three general managers in this year’s new format.
The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James was only the fourth highest vote-getter this season though, behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Jayson Tatum.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ Antetokounmpo and the Boston Celtics’ Tatum earned two of the three Eastern Conference frontcourt spots, with the third going to Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks. Meanwhile, the East’s backcourt spots went to Donovan Mitchell of the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and Towns’ New York teammate Jalen Brunson, who leapfrogged LaMelo Ball to take the second slot.
The one-time NBA All-Star Ball topped all East guards in the fan vote, but fell to Brunson in the media and fan vote. Ball’s case was hurt by the Charlotte Hornets’ dismal 11-29 win-loss record, though he still has a chance to make it to this year’s game as a reserve. Meanwhile, Brunson and the Knicks are running third in the East with a 29-16 slate following back-to-back second round appearances in the postseason.
Back in the West, James and Jokic will be joined by another longtime NBA All-Star, Kevin Durant. The Phoenix Suns’ 36-year-old forward earned his 15th NBA All-Star selection, tying him for fourth all-time with fellow Western Conference frontcourt legends Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett.

The race for the West’s last two frontcourt spots, that of James and Durant, was tight, with Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis right behind them. James and Durant were ranked second and third in the fan vote and tied for second in the player vote. However, they were behind Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis in the media vote.
The West’s starting line-up is completed by its two backcourt players, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Stephen Curry. This will be Gilgeous-Alexander’s third NBA All-Star appearance while it is Curry’s 11th.
Gilgeous-Alexander is leading this year’s NBA Most Valuable Player race as he has led his Oklahoma City Thunder to the Western Conference’s best record so far. On the other hand, Curry’s statistics are down this season compared to previous years, but he still remains one of the best guards in the league. He will also be playing host at this year’s NBA All-Star game, which is set to take place at the Golden State Warriors’ home arena, the Chase Center.
