LeBron James will not start in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, ending his remarkable 21-year streak as a starter since 2005.​

The announcement came Monday, Jan. 19, when the NBA revealed the starting lineups for the 2026 All-Star Game scheduled for February 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. James finished ninth in the voting results for the Western Conference, failing to crack the top five spots needed to earn a starting position.​

The 41-year-old Lakers star missed the beginning of the 2025-26 season with sciatica, sitting out the first 14 games. He has only played 24 of the Lakers' 41 games this season. The injury and limited playing time significantly impacted his All-Star voting performance, according to People.​

Since returning from injury, James has averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game. His shooting percentage stands at 50.9 percent from the field. While these numbers show improvement from his slow start, they fall short of the production that earned him All-Star starter status in previous years.​

The Western Conference starting lineup includes Lakers teammate Luka Dončić, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, and San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama. Dončić led the Western Conference fan voting.​

All-Star starters are selected through a voting process that weighs fan votes at 50 percent, with NBA players and a media panel each contributing 25 percent. James ranked eighth in both the player and fan votes and ninth among media voters, ESPN reported.​

Despite missing the starting lineup, James still has a chance to participate in the All-Star Game as a reserve. NBA head coaches will select the seven reserve players from each conference, with the announcement scheduled for February 1.​

James last missed an All-Star appearance in 2004, his rookie season. He was selected as a starter in 2025 but did not play due to foot and ankle discomfort, breaking his streak of 20 consecutive All-Star Game appearances.​

The 2026 All-Star Game will feature a new format with three teams competing in a round-robin tournament, composed of two United States teams and one international team, as per Basketball News.

Originally published on Enstarz