LeBron James' All-Star Starter Streak Comes to an End

Jan 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in action against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game have officially been announced for both the Western and Eastern Conferences. Although all 10 players named as starters weren't entirely surprising, there was one change that hadn't been seen over two decades, as Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James wasn't on the five players for the West.

If James is named an All-Star this season, and he likely will be, he'll have to come off the bench, which obviously isn't something he's used to doing during his entire basketball career.

LeBron Won't be an All-Star Starter

The NBA announced that Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama will be the first five for the West in next month's All-Star game.

Western Conference starters for the NBA All-Star Game: pic.twitter.com/luWhYyWger

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 19, 2026

As a result of James being left off the starting five for the West, his impressive streak of 21 consecutive starts in the NBA All-Star Game comes to an end, making it two remarkable streaks for the 41-year-old that have ended in what could be his final season in the league.

Earlier this season, James' streak of consecutive games scoring 10 points or more came to an end as he finished with eight points in a thriller against the Toronto Raptors, where he passed the ball in the closing seconds, resulting in forward Rui Hachimura hitting a game-winning three-pointer as time expired.

Even though these streaks have come to an end, James is still having a solid season after a slow start to begin the 2025-26 campaign. He missed the first 14 games of the season due to dealing with sciatica.

In 24 games played so far, James is averaging 22.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Luka Receives Most Fan Votes for All-Star Game

Although James will have to come off the bench, the Lakers will have a representative in the starting lineup during the All-Star Game, with Doncic making his fifth start and sixth appearance in the annual event.

Doncic's popularity with the fans is at an all-time high, as he received the most fan votes among all NBA players.

Luka led ALL players in All-Star fan votes ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/Kptu3kmIJv

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 19, 2026

Much like Reaves, who also has a chance to be an All-Star, Doncic has taken his game to another level this season, as he leads the league, averaging 33.3 points per game, which is just below his career high (33.9).

Along with being the league's best scorer at the halfway point, Doncic is also averaging 7.5 rebounds, 8.6 assists (4th in the NBA) and 1.5 steals per game.