D he king pays homage to the king. “Thank you for showing me that even when hate came your way, you still found love and positivity in it!” On Tuesday morning European time, that was the most recent post that LeBron James, also known simply as “The King”, wrote on Instagram on the occasion of the NBA’s Martin Luther King Memorial Day. For several years now, the NBA has been commemorating the famous civil rights activist and his fight against racism with special shirts and TV spots in league operations. This was also the case in the Los Angeles Lakers’ win against the Toronto Raptors (110:93) on Sunday, in which LeBron James contributed 24 points.
At the end of perhaps the most extraordinary NBA series, he didn’t say a word. For the first time in 21 years, he was not named to the starting lineup for the NBA All-Star Game on Monday. In itself, that shouldn’t be big news. Because at the end of December we celebrated finally the exceptional talentwho holds countless league records, celebrates his 41st birthday. In addition, the event has no serious sporting value. A marketing spectacle in which the very best meet, but the basketball art on offer has remained very modest for years. The superstars’ main focus is on not getting injured for the much more important league games.
In order to bring more intensity and competition into this event, there have been repeated reforms for years. The NBA has announced the tournament on February 15th in Los Angeles under the contemporary title “USA against the World”. There will be two US teams and an international selection, each of which will initially compete against each other.
But the most drastic change is the absence of LeBron James. This year, the Los Angeles Lakers star only received the eighth most votes in voting by fans, journalists and players in the Western Conference.
Against the ravages of time
James received the most votes Teammate Luka DoncicShai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) and Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors.
LeBron James’ performances this season are still more than solid. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists per game. These are proud figures, especially since he had to take a long break at the start of the season due to an injury.
Until recently, some observers found it difficult to imagine that LeBron James’ career could be at an end. Miraculously, he always seemed to escape the gnawing ravages of time and was constantly at his best. Two years ago In January, for example, he looked back on ten games in which he scored 35.1 points per game. He also averages 9.6 rebounds and 7.9 assists.
The negative records that are being recorded this season actually only illustrate his greatness. In December, it actually happened that LeBron James went under 10 points for the first time in forever. He had never left a single-digit number in this area in the 1,297 previous encounters.
Before this season, “The King” said of his possible departure: “I’m definitely in the home stretch.” In the next sentence he created some space for himself again. He won’t play for another ten years, but he is still ready to attack at the highest level.
LeBron James could still play in the All-Star Game in February if he is named a reserve by the coaches. It is advisable not to write off this exceptional player, who holds countless NBA records, too early.