LeBron James was disappointed to see his 20-year run of All-Star appearances end on Sunday but acknowledged he must prioritise the Los Angeles Lakers' playoff push. (More Sports News)
💮James sat out Sunday's mini-tournament – which took the form of a four-team bracket featuring first-to-40 games – after appearing as an All-Star in 20 straight years.
ಌThe NBA's all-time leading points scorer was due to feature for Shaq's OGs, selected by Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.
✃He sat out the event after suffering a recurrence of the ankle issue that has bothered him throughout the season, but Shaq's OGs still emerged victorious against Chuck's Global Stars, selected by Charles Barkley, in the title game.
🤪James is hoping to return to regular-season action with the Lakers on Wednesday, when they face the Charlotte Hornets in a game that was postponed last month due to the Los Angeles wildfires.
🐽With the Lakers fifth in the Western Conference with a 32-20 record and buoyed by the mid-season addition of Luka Doncic, James could not afford to jeopardise their hopes.
🅠"I was hoping it would feel a lot better this morning, but it was not where I wanted it to be," James said of his ankle.
ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ"With 30 games left and us trying to make a playoff push in the wild, wild west, I felt like it was very important for me to take care of myself and understand what's coming."
ꦺJames, who first appeared in the NBA All-Star Game back in 2005, was also asked by reporters if the Lakers' blockbuster trade for Doncic might help prolong his career by spreading the load on offense.
♍He said: "I have not given it that type of thought.
ཧ"It's just about the excitement of being able to add a calibre player like that, a generational talent like that to our franchise... that's something that has given me energy.
✅"I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do. I think we could be really good going down the stretch. But we'll see what happens."
