For the first time since 2004, LeBron James will not be a starter in the All-Star Game. It almost feels like the walls are closing in on the four-time NBA champion’s basketball career. The 41-year-old has insisted he is not disappointed and has also asserted that he will be in attendance. However, his peers are unhappy with the snub.
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LeBron’s teammate, Luka Doncic, will be the starting selection for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game, supported by Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, and Stephen Curry. In the East, Giannis Antetokounmpo will be joined by Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham, and Jaylen Brown.
It would be difficult, and frankly, unfair to single out a name in the West that LeBron could replace this season. But that has not stopped Paul Pierce from raging against the omission.
While Pierce’s KG Certified co-host, Kevin Garnett, supported the All-Star starters that were chosen, Pierce argued that LeBron “should have gotten voted in,” adding, “I have never been voted in, I felt like I should have been a starter at some of the, but it’s really about the fans.”
Pierce simply couldn’t justify the idea of LeBron not being enough of a fan favorite to deserve a place on the team. “I am not talking about his play. I am talking about being voted in as a starter,” he said.
“I have been in the league, and I have seen cats being voted in who were hurt half the year. I have seen guys that didn’t play get voted in. You can’t tell me that LeBron isn’t the most polarizing popular player. So I feel like that was some behind-the-scenes s***,” Pierce calmly added.
The Los Angeles Lakers forward has had a shaky campaign this season, and perhaps that had something to do with the snub. He missed the first 14 games due to sciatica and then took time to get back in the groove. However, in the 24 games he played, James has managed to average 22.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.9 assists.
It’s not just LeBron that Pierce is advocating for. The former NBA champion simply cannot fathom that Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was also left out. Upon realizing that fan votes counted for only 50%, while players and media got 25% picking rights each, Pierce expressed his disappointment.
Pierce proclaimed that the media should never have had a say and that the All-Star team should be decided solely by fans and players. He argued that even if fans voted for random players, the event would still bring in more money, since they were watching the players they wanted to see; “That’s what the All-Star game is about anyway,” he added.
Garnett chimed in, stating, “This is about the end product. Who can you put out on the floor that’s going to be stimulating enough to watch?”
Both legends do have a point here. However, LeBron not being on the team or the media getting a vote aren’t really the biggest or even the fifth biggest problem with the All-Star Game. For years, it has been a dull affair, and the game has been subjected to experiments. If this year’s game turns out to be a smack-dab stormy affair, LeBron himself wouldn’t mind not being a part of it.
