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02/01 22:00 CST LeBron James wasn't thinking about his All-Star streak after
being injured to start the season
LeBron James wasn't thinking about his All-Star streak after being injured to
start the season
By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- For two decades, LeBron James being an All-Star was almost a
certainty.
This season, it was no sure thing. And for James, who just wanted to get
healthy enough to play in real games, it wasn't a priority.
"I really didn't think about it, to be honest," James said Sunday after he was
chosen as a reserve by Western Conference coaches for his NBA-record 22nd
consecutive All-Star selection.
That's because James, 41, didn't even play until the Lakers' 15th game after
being sidelined by sciatica. Not only had he missed nearly a month of the
regular season, but also the offseason work he put in to become the NBA's
career scoring leader and the first player in history to play 23 seasons.
"It wasn't a goal of mine to come into the season, miss the first 14 games and
say, ?OK, I can be an All-Star," James said after scoring 22 points in the
Lakers' 112-110 loss to the Knicks in his 32nd career game at Madison Square
Garden.
"I just wanted to get back to playing the game at a high level I knew I was
capable of once I kind of worked the rust off of missing preseason, training
camp, my summer workouts, which I've never done in my whole career. So I didn't
think about the All-Star Game, to be honest."
James has come on strong since his birthday on Dec. 30 and joined Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar, the Hall of Famer he surpassed to become the career scoring
leader, as the only players with multiple All-Star selections after age 40.
James' selection sparked some debate --- which rarely happened for most of his
streak that began in 2005 --- after players such as the Clippers' Kawhi Leonard
and James Harden, and Houston's Alperen Sengun were not selected.
"Of course he deserves it," said teammate Luka Doncic, who was voted in as a
starter. "He's playing at a top level still at that age. It's incredible to
share the floor with him."
James, who missed last year's game because of injury, is also the career leader
in points and minutes in the All-Star Game. He can now add to those totals in
the Feb. 15 game at the home of the Los Angeles Clippers.
"The coaches voted, right, so mad respect to the coaches and them seeing the
way I'm still playing at this latter stage of my career," James said. "And to
be able to be an All-Star means a lot to my family, people that have been
following my career, my LeBron faithful. They've been following my journey and
it's always rewarding just from a humbling standpoint to be able to be rewarded
for what you put your work into."
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