LeBron James participated in the 20th All-Star Game of his career, but unfortunately LeBron James only played for a short time. The 39-year-old LeBron James also took a good rest through the All-Star Game to prepare for the next regular season game.
LeBron James will reportedly miss the upcoming Los Angeles Lakers game against the Golden State Warriors due to an ankle injury. The Los Angeles Lakers have won more and lost less against the Golden State Warriors in recent seasons, and the matchup between LeBron James and Stephen Curry is also a point of great concern to the outside world.
Even though LeBron James joined the Western Conference and didn't play Stephen Curry in the Finals, they did meet in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. Although Stephen Curry and LeBron James are both old, they are still among the best players in the league.
The last time they met, they both played well. At that time, LeBron James had 36 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists, and Stephen Curry also scored 46 points. In the double-overtime game, Stephen Curry hit a shoot-out, but LeBron James relied on the breakaway to cause a foul and finally made a free throw to kill the Warriors. The Lakers eventually won 145-144 in double overtime, narrowly beating the Golden State Warriors by one point.
This time, LeBron James' next absence from the game against the Golden State Warriors also caused a lot of controversy. Although before the All-Star Game, LeBron James had missed the game against the Jazz. However, LeBron James chose to participate in this year's All-Star Game, but could not participate in the next game against the Golden State Warriors, which must have attracted criticism from many fans.
The LeBron James' Lakers, currently ranked 9th in the West, need to win more games if they want to get a solid playoff ticket. Next up for them is the Golden State Warriors, who currently sit in 10th place in the West, just around two wins behind them.
LeBron James is expected to miss more games due to injury after the All-Star break, after he told reporters about the situation, and he mentioned that he will accept the injury of his ankle. However, his behavior of preferring to play the All-Star Game with an injury rather than a Warrior with an injury will definitely be criticized by the outside world.
Many people think that LeBron James cares more about honor than the team's wins and losses. However, for the 39-year-old veteran, the 2023-24 season so far, he has only missed 8 games, which is already very good. Moreover, the league also stipulates that veterans like LeBron James, who meet the age and number of appearances, can take the initiative to apply for rotational rest.
The Lakers currently sit ninth in the West with a 30-26 record, and the rest of their schedule will not be easy to secure a playoff spot. While there are weak teams such as the San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards, there are also top teams in the league like the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves.
LeBron James' 2024 All-Star Game was one of the worst performances of his career, playing just 14 minutes, shooting 4-of-10 from the field, finishing with eight points, four rebounds and three assists. For LeBron James, he just doesn't want to miss the All-Star Game, and the league and fans want him to play too, and if he doesn't play with an injury, there could be more criticism.