Nikola Jokic in Awe of LeBron James’ 22-Year All-Star Streak

LeBron James has now made his 22nd-straight All-Star appearance following his selection for this season's events in Los Angeles, extending his NBA record for All-Star selections within a given career, and makes for a streak that even the great talents of today can't fathom being able to hit themselves.

Nikola Jokic, a three-time league MVP and one of the best basketball players in the world, is among those in awe of James' extended dominance, and especially so as he's now at age 41, and still performing as one of the best players in the world on a nightly basis.

"I mean, just you can see how many players cannot stay healthy and cannot be in the league for such a long time," Jokic said during All-Star media day. "I think being in this league for so long, producing the numbers, he's still one of the best players in the league, even in this stage of his career. He's still making a change on the floor when he gets in and making advantage."

"I think it's impressive to see that someone is doing that for 22 years. We have some players who are, like, 19, 20 and still they're in the league. It's impressive. Definitely we all should admire that, how good."

"I think maybe we don't see that right now, but after when he stops playing, I think we're going to admire it even more."

Nikola Jokic Gives His Flowers to LeBron

Someone like Jokic knows exactly the type of commitment it takes to be playing at such a high level for an extended period of time. Jokic himself is going on what's now his eighth career All-Star appearance, and hasn't shown any signs of slowing down entering his 30s in what could be another MVP campaign this season.

But there's a stark difference between producing at a high level rolling into your 30s, and continuing to produce at a high level at the beginning of your 40s like LeBron's done––something that he's in rare company of being able to accomplish, for even a feat that someone of historic proportions like Jokic likely won't end up hitting throughout his NBA career.

LeBron entered the league at 18 years old, has been an All-Star since he's been 20 years old, and now at age 41, still feels like he’d be a clear shoo-in selection if he's able to remain healthy a bit better than he was at the start of this year.

Feb 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Team LeBron forward LeBron James celebrates after making the game winning shot with Team LeBron Nikola Jokic (15) during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

With that in mind, Jokic, like the many stars around LeBron that have witnessed his consistency on a yearly basis in the league, is bound to appreciate that extended dominance even more than the average eye.

And inevitably, it'll be something that once he winds up calling it a career, will be looked back on as even more impressive than it's shown to be in the moment.

Nikola Jokic Gives His Flowers to LeBron

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