LeBron James is an All-Star again, extending his record streak of selections.
James was a pick for the 22nd consecutive year, one of 14 players who were announced Sunday as reserves for the Feb. 15 midseason showcase that'll take place at the Los Angeles Clippers' arena in Inglewood, California.
James is the All-Star record holder in a number of categories. He also has the most All-Star game appearances (20) and the most points (434) in those contests.
“I didn't make it my rookie year. Twenty-two straight. Nah, it ain't bad,” James said in a video posted by the NBA before he and the Los Angeles Lakers took on the New York Knicks on Sunday night, shortly after the word of his selection was revealed. “Blessed. Honored. Truly.”
The Los Angeles Lakers star was not chosen as a starter this season in the process that includes voting from fans, media and other players. NBA coaches choose the reserves and, if necessary, Commissioner Adam Silver will select any additional players necessary for the All-Star rosters should someone need to be replaced because of injury.
James did not play in last season’s All-Star event because of injury.
“You think about a star player, their prime is their All-NBA, All-Star years,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And you know, he’s basically had a 20-plus-year prime. It’s kind of unheard of. It is unheard of, uncharted, whatever you want to call it. I mean, it’s incredible. It’s a testament to the work that he puts in.”
The 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 that he deserves it and I think probably one of the best compliments you can give him is the fact that he starred in all of his roles that he’s had in his career, and he just continues to get better,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Powell. “He's having his best years now after the age of 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 snubs.
“Multiple 50-point games, multiple 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 of that team ... in my mind, all those things make sense, except for the one that was 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 a person like that succeeding, it’s truly special.”
This season's All-Star Game has a tournament format — U.S. vs. The World, with three teams of at least eight players going head to head in 12-minute games. Each team is guaranteed two games in the round-robin event, with the best two meeting again in a championship game.
The NBA said the two U.S. rosters and the World roster would be revealed Tuesday night.
Starters previously announced
The players chosen last month as starters: Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston’s Jaylen Brown, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, the Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama.
Antetokounmpo will miss a few weeks with a calf injury, so it would seem unlikely that he plays. Silver would pick a replacement for Antetokounmpo if he pulls out.
Brown, Cunningham, Maxey, Brunson and Curry would be part of the two U.S. teams. Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Wembanyama would play for the World team.
The “starter” designation is a bit of a misnomer, since there will be at least 15 players who start for the three teams. By NBA rule, 10 players are chosen as official starters and the 14 others who were announced Sunday will be listed as reserves.
Coaches
Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff will coach one of the All-Star teams. Either Adelman or San Antonio's Mitch Johnson will coach another — that will be decided by results of games on Sunday — and the NBA has not revealed how the coach of the third team will be decided.
Bickerstaff earned his nod because the Pistons lead the Eastern Conference. Johnson or Adelman will go by having 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 cannot coach the All-Star Game this year because he coached at the event last season.
Multiple picks
Detroit, New York, the Lakers, Oklahoma City and Denver are the teams with two All-Star selections.
Bickerstaff thought the East-leading Pistons were rightly rewarded.
“Any time a team is sitting first in a conference anywhere, multiple guys should get the nod,” he said last month. “Because if winning is the ultimate goal ... nobody’s done it at a higher level.”
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AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report.
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