LeBron James becomes an NBA All-Star again, extending his streak

LeBron James is an All-Star again, extending his streak of selections.

James was selected for the 22nd straight year, one of 14 players announced Sunday as reserves for the Feb. 15 midseason showcase that will take place at the Los Angeles Clippers arena in Inglewood, California.

James is an All-Star record holder in a number of categories. He also has the most All-Star game appearances (20) and most points (434) in those contests.

The Los Angeles Lakers star was not selected as a starter this season in a process that included voting from fans, media and other players. NBA coaches select reserve players and, if necessary, Commissioner Adam Silver will select necessary additional players to the All-Star roster if anyone needs to be replaced due to injury.

James did not play in the All-Star event last season due to injury.

Reserves from the Eastern Conference: Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, Detroit’s Jalen Duren, Miami’s Norman Powell and Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson.

“I believe he deserves it and I think probably one of the best compliments you can give him is the fact that he’s starred in every role he’s had in his career, and he just keeps getting better,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Powell. “He is having his best years now that he is 30.”

And from the Western Conference, along with James: Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, Denver’s Jamal Murray, Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, Houston’s Kevin Durant, Phoenix’s Devin Booker and Portland’s Deni Avdija.

Murray – finally – got the nod, after years of All-Star snub.

“A couple of 50-point games, a couple of 50-point games in the playoffs, let’s see, triple-double in the finals, NBA champion, most wins in the West over the last 10 years, he’s the point guard on that team… in my mind, all those things make sense, except one thing is missing,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said.

The other first selections were Duren, Powell, Johnson, Holmgren and Avdija.

“Proud of him. I know he cares about this team,” Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter said of Avdija. “When you see someone like that succeed, it’s really special.”

This season’s All-Star Game has a tournament format — USA vs. World, with three teams of at least eight players facing each other in 12-minute matches. Each team is guaranteed two games in the round-robin event, with the two best teams meeting again in the championship game.

The start is announced in advance

The players selected last month as starters: Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee, Jaylen Brown of Boston, Cade Cunningham of Detroit, Tyrese Maxey of Philadelphia, Jalen Brunson of New York, Stephen Curry of Golden State, Luka Doncic of the Lakers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City, Nikola Jokic of Denver and Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio.

Antetokounmpo will miss several weeks with a calf injury, so it’s unlikely he’ll be able to play. Silver would choose Antetokounmpo’s replacement if he steps down.

Brown, Cunningham, Maxey, Brunson and Curry will be part of the two US teams. Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Wembanyama will play for the World team.

The term “starter” is a bit of a misnomer, because there will be at least 15 players starting for the three teams. Under NBA rules, 10 players were selected as official starters and 14 others will be listed as reserves.

Coach

Detroit’s JB Bickerstaff will coach one of the All-Star teams. Either Adelman or San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson will coach the other – which will be determined based on the results of Sunday’s games – and the NBA has not revealed how the third team’s coach will be determined.

Bickerstaff got his nod as the Pistons lead the Eastern Conference. Johnson or Adelman would have the best record in the Western Conference among eligible coaches; Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault coaches the team with the West’s best record, but he can’t coach this year’s All-Star Game because he coached in the event last season.

Lots of choices

Detroit, New York, the Lakers, Oklahoma City and Denver are the teams with two All-Star selections.

Bickerstaff thinks the East-leading Pistons are being given the credit they deserve.

“Any time a team comes in first in a conference anywhere, a lot of people have to get approval,” he said last month. “Because if winning is the ultimate goal… no one can achieve it at a higher level.”