The NBA officially released the first batch of All-Star voting returns yesterday for the game that will take place in February at the Intuit Dome, the home of the Los Angeles Clippers. Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are leading their respective conferences, while the rest of the list is also very intriguing.
After dominating this list for years without any issues, LeBron James currently sits just ninth in the Western Conference and 15th overall in total votes with 536,555 overall. Some might say that it is deserved, since for the first time in his 23rd season, he missed the season opener and has already been absent for a total of 16 games.
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Since returning, it has become clear that the 41-year-old is slightly on a downward trajectory, which is only logic al, and his numbers are no longer at the level of recent seasons. Still, we are talking about a player who remains productive on a team competing near the top of the Western Conference, but Tim Bontemps believes that may still not be enough.
"The big takeaway from these initial All-Star voting returns? It seems unlikely, barring a big sea change in voting, that LeBron will be a starter for the first time since 2005 — and that makes it uncertain he's going to be one at all this year," the ESPN analyst wrote on his "X" account.
New format could bring back competitivenessKing James has appeared in a record 21 All-Star Games and is the event's all-time leading scorer. He missed out only in his rookie season, although it could be argued that he was deserving to be there then based on his regular-season stats.
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The new All-Star format will also feature two Team USA rosters, comprising a total of 16 players, and one Team World roster, comprising eight players. If there are not enough selected international players, Adam Silver will select additional All-Stars to join either group to reach the minimum, and vice versa.
Based on yesterday's voting returns, there are currently 10 international players in the top 24 in total votes, meaning Silver would need to remove two of them, with the added note that Karl-Anthony Towns could play for Team USA due to his dual citizenship.
That would mean LeBron is essentially a lock for the All-Star Game, but based on the voting, he could come off the bench for the second time in his career, something we doubt doesn' t matter much to him at this stage. Either way, this All-Star Game continues to show serious potential to be the best one in several years, and Brian Windhorst believes the NBA is secretly hoping for a Team World win.
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"I hope that's true, but I'm skeptical it will happen. It would be great for the All-Star Game if Team World wins. But I've checked out of the All-Star Game. I didn't even watch last year. I couldn't tell you one thing that happened in last year's game," Windhorst said in an interview with "Mozzart Sport".
"If the Americans play at full strength, and the World, basically Europeans and Canadians, play at full strength, and the World wins, that would be amazing. I think the NBA, secretly, would love for the World to win, just to put a little shame on the Americans. But my problem is, I know there really wouldn't be any shame. When it comes to an exhibition game, Americans are just there to have fun," he added.
LBJ will probably attend the All-Star GameSome may argue that the Los Angeles Lakers forward no longer deserves to be there solely based on past accomplishments, but he would be neither the first nor the last superstar selected to play in the event while neari ng the end of his career.
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Three-time All-Star Game MVP is currently averaging 20.5 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 50.7 percent from the field, and with Austin Reaves expected to be out for at least the next month, those numbers could very well increase if he stays healthy.
Because of that, it is doubtful that LBJ will miss out on the All-Star Game for just the second time in his career.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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