Rookies in the NBA usually get the short end of the stick when it comes to competing with veterans for individual awards. Even greats like LeBron James have missed out on opportunities in their rookie year. LeBron James wasn’t selected for the 2004 All-Star game despite having the silverware for the nomination. LBJ dominated the rookie game that year. But he was nevertheless hurt by the snub.
Advertisement
As someone with 19 all-star appearances in his career, LeBron doesn’t hold any grudges now for the All-Star snub in his rookie year. But he did for a very long time.
The senior players in the NBA at the time didn’t want to play with rookies. This was seen as sort of disrespectful. This unspoken rule led to even players like Luka Doncic missing out on entering the All-Star game in their rookie season.
18 years after getting snubbed, LeBron James was asked about missing out on an all-star spot in his rookie year. Despite the passage of time, it was clear that LBJ still wasn’t happy about the incident.
Speaking to The Athletic in 2021, LeBron said, “Still kinda irks me a little bit, but I got over it.”
James was dejected and rightfully so. But he decided not to pay heed and instead test out the real gravity of his star power. He headlined the rookie game and obliterated the opposition. Before the start of the game, TNT announcer, Dick Stockton had said, “The first time we’ve had such a glittering headliner as a rookie.”
Stockton added, “They didn’t have the rookie game when Michael Jordan came out and a lot of the other greats, but they do now.” The Rookie games have been a staple of the NBA since it started back in 1994. Therefore, Jordan didn’t have the opportunity to participate in it in 1985, even though he had secured an All-Star spot.
Now the game is mostly played between a team of rookies and a team of sophomores. It’s called the Rising Stars Challenge. However, the game was played between two rookie teams when LeBron first entered the league.
Nevertheless, James decided to show up for the Rookie game despite his All-Star snub.
For all that its worth, in his rookie year, LeBron was voted 4th among Eastern Conference guards that year. The archaic voting system and selection based on positions still existed.
Fast forward to today, LeBron now has 4 titles, 4 MVPs, and he is the all-time scoring leader. He wears his crown proudly.
