After LeBron James missed the first All-Star Game of his career, his long-time friend and advocate Gilbert Arenas was bound to chime in on the matter. The former Wizard shared his opinion on James’ absence, echoing many of the sentiments espoused by James himself.
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The same injury that forced LeBron to miss the Lakers’ contest against the Pacers earlier this month reared its head again last weekend. The four-time MVP announced his decision to sit out the All-Star Game mere hours before tip-off on Sunday.
“With 30 games left and us trying to make a playoff push in the wild, wild West, I felt like it was very important for me to kind of take care of myself and understand what’s coming on,” James explained about his decision.
Clearly, Gil sympathizes with the 40-year-old’s concerns, as he doesn’t find the All-Star Weekend to be worthy of aggravating further injury. “I don’t really mind [LeBron missing the game] because the guys don’t really wanna play anyway,” Arenas added during his livestream.
“That’s the players, man. We got the rest of the season. Everybody can sit here and say, ‘Man y’all need to go hard,’ but the first person that gets hurt and the rest of y’all season is over with, y’all gonna be mad as s**t.”
Gil speaks on LeBron James not playing in the All-Star Game
“[LeBron] has the reason of the season to worry about…”
🎥: @GilsArenaShow pic.twitter.com/IQBhKhNNn8
— Playback (@WatchPlayback) February 20, 2025
Even without James, Shaquille O’Neal’s Team OGs would come out victorious on Sunday. However, for fans, and some media personalities, the absence of the King reduced the draw of the event.
Chandler Parsons was among the four-time champion’s critics, reprimanding the lateness of his decision. According to Parsons, LeBron didn’t want any player to take his spot in the event so he waited to announce his absence until it was too late for the NBA to find a replacement.
Interestingly, one of James’ close friends, Draymond Green, echoed a complaint that shared a similar sentiment.
The NBA reacts to LeBron James’ first ASG absence
Draymond Green provided color commentary on TNT during All-Star Weekend. Despite his kinship with LeBron, he didn’t agree with the lateness of his decision either.
“I know he’s been dealing with that [injury] so it’s kinda expected… I think Bron could have helped somebody else out and said this earlier,” Green remarked.
Jalen Rose concurred, adding that, especially with the declining viewership of the All-Star event, James should have given another player a shot at participating. “He took a roster spot from somebody,” the former Michigan Wolverine said.
The criticism is certainly understandable as it undercuts the league’s efforts to return All-Star Weekend to its former glory. To add to James’ woes, he suited up for the Lakers tonight after resting on Sunday but his 26-11-7 effort wouldn’t be enough to take down the 14th seeded Charlotte Hornets.
