LeBron James is an All-Star again, extending his record streak of selections.
James was a pick for the 22nd consecutive year, one of 14 players who were announced Sunday as reserves for the Feb. 15 midseason showcase that’ll take place at the Los Angeles Clippers’ arena in Inglewood, California.
James is the All-Star record holder in a number of categories. He also has the most All-Star game appearances (20) and the most points (434) in those contests.
鈥淚 didn’t make it my rookie year. Twenty-two straight. Nah, it ain’t bad,鈥� James said in a video posted by the NBA before he and the Los Angeles Lakers took on the New York Knicks on Sunday night, shortly after the word of his selection was revealed. 鈥淏lessed. Honored. Truly.鈥�
The Los Angeles Lakers star was not chosen as a starter this season in the process that includes voting from fans, media and other players. NBA coaches choose the reserves and, if necessary, Commissioner Adam Silver will select any additional players necessary for the All-Star rosters should someone need to be replaced because of injury.
James did not play in last season鈥檚 All-Star event because of injury.
鈥淵ou think about a star player, their prime is their All-NBA, All-Star years,鈥� Lakers coach JJ Redick said. 鈥淎nd you know, he鈥檚 basically had a 20-plus-year prime. It鈥檚 kind of unheard of. It is unheard of, uncharted, whatever you want to call it. I mean, it鈥檚 incredible. It鈥檚 a testament to the work that he puts in.鈥�
The reserves from the Eastern Conference: Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, Detroit’s Jalen Duren, Miami’s Norman Powell and Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson.
鈥淚 believe that he deserves it and I think probably one of the best compliments you can give him is the fact that he starred in all of his roles that he鈥檚 had in his career, and he just continues to get better,鈥� Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Powell. 鈥淗e’s having his best years now after the age of 30.鈥�
And from the Western Conference, along with James: Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, Denver’s Jamal Murray, Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, Houston’s Kevin Durant, Phoenix’s Devin Booker and Portland’s Deni Avdija.
Murray 鈥� finally 鈥� got the nod, after years of All-Star snubs.
鈥淢ultiple 50-point games, multiple 50-point games in the playoffs, let’s see, triple-double in the finals, NBA champion, most wins in the West over the last 10 years, he’s the point guard of that team … in my mind, all those things make sense, except for the one that was missing,鈥� Nuggets coach David Adelman said.
The other first-selections were Duren, Powell, Johnson, Holmgren and Avdija.
鈥淧roud of him. I know he cares about this team,鈥� Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter said of Avdija. 鈥淲hen you see a person like that succeeding, it鈥檚 truly special.鈥�
This season’s All-Star Game has a tournament format 鈥� , with three teams of at least eight players going head to head in 12-minute games. Each team is guaranteed two games in the round-robin event, with the best two meeting again in a championship game.
The NBA said the two U.S. rosters and the World roster would be revealed Tuesday night.
Starters previously announced
The players chosen last month as starters: Milwaukee鈥檚 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston鈥檚 Jaylen Brown, Detroit鈥檚 Cade Cunningham, Philadelphia鈥檚 Tyrese Maxey, New York鈥檚 Jalen Brunson, Golden State鈥檚 Stephen Curry, the Lakers鈥� Luka Doncic, Oklahoma City鈥檚 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver鈥檚 Nikola Jokic and San Antonio鈥檚 Victor Wembanyama.
Antetokounmpo will miss a few weeks with a calf injury, so it would seem unlikely that he plays. Silver would pick a replacement for Antetokounmpo if he pulls out.
Brown, Cunningham, Maxey, Brunson and Curry would be part of the two U.S. teams. Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Wembanyama would play for the World team.
The 鈥渟tarter鈥� designation is a bit of a misnomer, since there will be at least 15 players who start for the three teams. By NBA rule, 10 players are chosen as official starters and the 14 others who were announced Sunday will be listed as reserves.
Coaches
Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff will coach one of the All-Star teams 鈥� he earned that because the Pistons are atop the East 鈥� and San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson will coach another. Johnson earned the nod Sunday night when the Spurs beat Orlando and Oklahoma City topped Denver.
Those results left the Spurs at 33-16 and the Nuggets at 33-17, meaning Johnson got the nod over Adelman as the coach from the West.
Oklahoma City鈥檚 Mark Daigneault coaches the team with the West鈥檚 best record, but he cannot coach the All-Star Game this year because he coached at the event last season. That left Johnson and Adelman vying for the spot and it came down to Sunday before it was decided.
The NBA has not revealed how the coach of the third team will be decided.
Multiple picks
Detroit, New York, the Lakers, Oklahoma City and Denver are the teams with two All-Star selections.
Bickerstaff thought the East-leading Pistons were rightly rewarded.
鈥淎ny time a team is sitting first in a conference anywhere, multiple guys should get the nod,鈥� he said last month. 鈥淏ecause if winning is the ultimate goal … nobody鈥檚 done it at a higher level.鈥�
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AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report.
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