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NBA

LeBron James ruled out, his 21-year All-NBA streak ends

LeBron James missed his 18th game of the season against the Spurs on Tuesday night. This absence ends his record streak of 21 consecutive All-NBA team selections, a first since 2004.
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LeBron James ruled out, his 21-year All-NBA streak ends

Feb 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks on during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Photo Credit : © Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

An era, quietly, ends for LeBron James. The Los Angeles Sparks star will sit out Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs with arthritis in his left foot, his 18th missed game of the season—and one that brings an end to one of the most remarkable durability streaks the NBA has seen.

The 65-game rule fatal to the King

With this absence, LeBron James can no longer reach the 65-game minimum required for end-of-season honors, including All-NBA consideration. His run of 21 consecutive All-NBA selections comes to an abrupt stop—marking the first time since the 2004–05 season that the league’s All-NBA teams will be released without James’ name on the list.

To put the run in context, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan sit tied for second all-time with 15 All-NBA selections apiece—six fewer than LeBron James. James also owns the record for First Team nods with 13, two more than Bryant and Karl Malone.

The last time James missed an All-NBA team was his rookie season in 2003–04, back when Shaquille O’Neal and Bryant were still sharing the floor in Los Angeles. From his second season on, starting in 2004–05, James sustained that level for more than two decades—a streak that now, finally, comes to a close.

LIRE AUSSI

A season marked by injuries

At 41, LeBron James had already fallen behind the pace early, missing the season’s first 14 games with sciatica and putting the 65-game threshold in jeopardy from the outset. Since returning on November 18 against the Utah Jazz, he played both ends of a back-to-back just once, with the Los Angeles Lakers carefully managing his workload.

Even so, the production never dipped. James is averaging 21.8 points, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds across 34 games—numbers that, in most seasons, would put him squarely in the All-NBA conversation. This year, the 65-game rule, introduced in 2023–24, makes those lines irrelevant.

 

LIRE AUSSI

The end of this streak joins others that have fallen this season for LeBron James, most notably his run of 1,297 consecutive games with at least 10 points, which snapped in December against the Toronto Raptors. Another page turns for one of the game’s all-time greats—whose longevity still defies age, even as league rules finally catch up.

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Nicolas Flamecourt
With a background in sports management, Nicolas Flamecourt covers NBA news with a particular passion for the North American league, which he has been following for several years. He also covers the NCAA, including news and scouting of future prospects, and regularly conducts interviews with French players as well as players competing in Europe.
LeBron James ruled out, his 21-year All-NBA streak ends