LeBron James earned his first All-Star appearance only after his rookie season in 2005. He was teamed alongside some of the elites in the Eastern Conference, which included Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Grant Hill, and Shaquille O’Neal. AI was immensely impressed by James’ skills coming into the league as an 18-year-old. Speaking to James ahead of the tournament, Iverson was confident that LeBron would definitely take home the MVP title from this match.
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It’s quite surprising to note how LeBron James never received an All-Star call in his rookie year, despite finishing the season with the Rookie of the Year title. Back then, it was extremely difficult for a Rookie to make it to the All-Star team. Nevertheless, though LeBron initially resented this, he eventually learned to get over it.
Allen Iverson tried trolling LeBron James by calling him a ’16-year-old’ during the 2005 All-Star game
LeBron James was indeed a talented teen when he first appeared as an All-Star for the Eastern Conference in 2005. Allen Iverson very well recognized the potential of the younger players in the team, especially LeBron James. He believed that younger players of James’ caliber should easily get 40 to 42 minutes on the court. While saying this, AI joked about how LeBron James would always be a 16-year-old kid for him. However, he was ready to vouch for Bron to win the MVP trophy. Here is a clip of AI complimenting LeBron, uploaded on YouTube:
“All these first-timers, they gettin’ all the time. So LeBron [James] got to play 40 minutes, 42 minutes. But you might get the trophy, so that’s cool.”
From Iverson’s words, it seemed like he was passing the baton to James to lead the Eastern Conference team. But that’s not what happened. Playing for close to 32 minutes, AI posted a double-double, scoring 15 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, and five steals to grab a 125-115 victory for the East. Subsequently, he also earned the MVP trophy, much contradictory to his claim about LeBron James.
LBJ however wasn’t as far in stats from Iverson. He scored 13 points, eight rebounds, and six assists to help his team win. Seems like AI wasn’t done yet back then and was waiting for James to gradually carry the mantle from him.
James would have played his 20th All-Star game this year had he not been snubbed in 2004
James never missed a single All-Star game since 2005. He is currently a 19-time All-Star, having averaged 22.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in the 19 games that he played. However, had he not been snubbed in 2004, we could have seen LBJ appear for his 20th All-Star game this year.
Going strong at the age of 38, LeBron James shows no sign of giving up. He plans to play at least one season with his son Bronny James in the NBA. With the advent of the upcoming season, James will be marking his 21st season in the NBA. And if he still continues keeping his stellar form, perhaps he might get to play his 20th consecutive All-Star game next year.
