LeBron JamesThe Los Angeles Lakers’ latest absence ends a 21-year streak that may be unrivaled in NBA history.

James has officially missed 18 games this season, and he sat out Tuesday’s game san antonio spurs. As a result, James will not reach the 65-game minimum required to qualify for the league award under the collective bargaining agreement.

Therefore, for the first time since 2004, James was not selected to the All-NBA team.

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James appears during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on February 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (AP Photo/Mark J. Trier, File)

What doesn’t help James’ situation is that he missed the first 14 games of the 2025-26 season with sciatica. Given that James is 41 years old, load management is always going to be absent, especially in back-to-back games.

That was the case Tuesday night, as the Lakers entered the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the league’s best team Oklahoma City Thunder119-110, Monday night in Los Angeles.

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James’ current injury is arthritis in his left foot, and head coach Redick is also dealing with Luka Doncic, Austin Reeves and Marcus Smart all being ruled out, forcing him to make creative changes to the lineup for this game.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dunks during the second half of Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark J. Trier)

But in the grand scheme of NBA history, James being selected to the All-NBA Team for 21 consecutive years is unprecedented. He also ranks first in history with 13 All-NBA First Team selections, two ahead of Karl Malone and the late Kobe Bryant.

Bryant was a member of the All-NBA first team that James missed during his rookie season in 2003-04. Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Kidd make up the rest of the group.

But after his first NBA season, he averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 79 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers and was named Rookie of the Year.

From there, James was named to the NBA Second Team the next season and didn’t stop making one of the three teams until this season.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) watches the second half of an Oklahoma City Thunder game at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory credit: (Mio Kiyoshi/Imagn Images)

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James is 23 years old this year. He still averaged 21.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 35 games. The Lakers achieved a record of 32 wins and 20 losses this season, ranking fifth in the Western Conference.

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