The lasting presence of LeBron James as an All-Star starter has made his name synchronous with the event. Yet, the NBA world had previously witnessed an exception as the 39-year-old had once failed to reach the milestone. This sparked the interest of the followers of the league all around as they wondered when James failed to make the All-Star game.
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The instance occurred during the Akron-born’s rookie season in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite averaging 20.4 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, and 5.8 assists per game in 50 matches, James missed out on the achievement. Thus, the 2004 All-Star event took place in Los Angeles without him representing the Eastern Conference.
The situation spurred from the 6ft 9″ star’s listing as a shooting guard as he faced tough competition for that position. Thus, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Michael Redd, the New Orleans Hornets’ Baron Davis, and the Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce edged past him to feature in the reserves squad. Each of them registered a slightly better stat line than a rookie James, justifying their inclusion.
On top of this, the impeccable form of certain franchises dimmed his chances further as an All-Star. The New Jersey Nets’ Jason Kidd thus made it to the All-Star team despite registering a worse individual stat line. In the end, all four of these players’ franchises qualified for the playoffs while the Cavs missed out on a postseason run. This eventually added further volume to the NBA’s selection criteria.
Reflecting on the moment, the small forward later revealed his thoughts to the Inside the NBA crew. “I played well enough to be in the top 12 of the Eastern Conference,” he mentioned on that occasion. The prodigy further added, “I kinda just thought about it and just said, ”I’ma just work hard and hopefully I’ll be there next year”.
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It provided a glimpse into the competitive nature of the league as James failed to make the All-Star team despite averaging 20+ points per game. At the same time, the exclusion provided him with a reality check, fueling his ambition by folds. His words on the matter reflected precisely that as what followed redefined the NBA history forever.
How did LeBron James grow from this early setback?
The 4x champion walked the talk as he became a starting All-Star in his sophomore year. Since then, he has never let the position go while simultaneously creating history. The King has recently become the only ever NBA player with 20 selections in the event, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19).
Most All-Star selections in NBA history:
LEBRON JAMES 20
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 19
Kobe Bryant 18
Tim Duncan 15
Kevin Garnett 15
Shaquille O’Neal 15— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) January 26, 2024
During this period, he has captained the All-Star games a total of six times already. In this event, he has even maintained a 5-1 record while leading his sides during the break. The upcoming game thus would mark his seventh inclusion as the captain in his 21st year in the league.
This time around, there remained certain question marks over the justification of his selection. Averaging lower points per game (24.8) than his career average (27.1) while representing an inconsistent Los Angeles Lakers side undoubtedly raised concerns amongst the NBA community. Yet, the league respected James’ presence through the current selection, admiring his contributions to this day.
