LeBron James missed his first All-Star Game in 20 years!

LeBron James did not participate in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in his career due to persistent discomfort in his left foot and ankle. At 40 years old, he had already missed the Los Angeles Lakers' victory over the Indiana Pacers the previous weekend due to the same injury.

"I was hoping that it would feel a lot better this morning, but it wasn't where I wanted it to be," James said about his ankle.

The 22-season veteran skipped the ceremonial practice and media availability on Saturday, following the same routine he has kept for the past two All-Star Weekends. The NBA granted him this break after two decades of service in the league.

James expressed his hope to be available on Wednesday for the Lakers' first game after the All-Star break against the Charlotte Hornets. This game was rescheduled after the original matchup on January 9 was postponed due to wildfires in Los Angeles. While the rest of the league will resume action on Thursday, the Lakers (32-20) enter the restart as the fifth-best team in the Western Conference after winning 12 of their last 15 games.

"With 30 games left to play and trying to secure our position in the intense Western battle, I felt it was important to take care of myself and understand what lies ahead in the final stretch of the season," James stated.

James, who was selected as an All-Star starter for the 21st consecutive time, announced his decision not to play just two hours before the game, preventing a replacement from being named. Despite his absence, his team, Team Shaq's OGs, secured the victory over Team Chuck.

This season, LeBron averages 24.3 points with a 51.6% field goal percentage (39.5% from three-point range), along with 9.0 assists and 7.7 rebounds in 48 out of 52 games played by the Lakers.

Recently, he has shared the court with his new teammate Luka Doncic in two games. When asked if playing with the Slovenian had affected his retirement plans, James responded that he had not considered it that way.

"Just the fact of adding a player of that caliber, a generational talent, to our franchise, has energized me. I am excited to see what we can do. I believe we can be very good down the stretch, but we'll see what happens," James concluded.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, LeBron James se perdió su primer All-Star Game ¡tras 20 años!