LeBron James has once again earned a place among the NBA’s elite as he has been named a reserve for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, marking his 22nd consecutive appearance in the event. This announcement was made public on Sunday as the league unveiled the roster of reserve players selected for the midseason showcase scheduled for February 15 at the Los Angeles Clippers’ arena located in Inglewood, California.
James holds several significant records related to the All-Star Game, including the most appearances (20) and the highest total points scored (434) in these contests. Reflecting on reaching this milestone, James commented in a video posted by the NBA shortly before the Los Angeles Lakers faced the New York Knicks on the same day that his selection was confirmed, stating, “I didn’t make it my rookie year. Twenty-two straight. Nah, it ain’t bad. Blessed. Honored. Truly.”
Though James was not voted a starter this year — a process influenced by fans, media, and other NBA players — his selection as a reserve came through the NBA coaches’ voting process. As customary, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will appoint any additional players required to replace those unable to participate due to injuries.
It is worth noting that James did not participate in last season’s All-Star Game due to injury, making this year's consecutive selection particularly significant as it reaffirms his sustained elite performance.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised James’ extraordinary career longevity, emphasizing, “You think about a star player, their prime is their All-NBA, All-Star years. And you know, he’s basically had a 20-plus-year prime. It’s kind of unheard of. It is unheard of, uncharted, whatever you want to call it. I mean, it’s incredible. It’s a testament to the work that he puts in.”
This year’s Eastern Conference reserves include Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland), Karl-Anthony Towns (New York), Pascal Siakam (Indiana), Scottie Barnes (Toronto), Jalen Duren (Detroit), Norman Powell (Miami), and Jalen Johnson (Atlanta). Miami Heat’s coach Erik Spoelstra highlighted Powell’s continued development, stating, “I believe that he deserves it and I think probably one of the best compliments you can give him is the fact that he starred in all of his roles that he’s had in his career, and he just continues to get better. He’s having his best years now after the age of 30.”
From the Western Conference, besides James, the reserves named are Anthony Edwards (Minnesota), Jamal Murray (Denver), Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City), Kevin Durant (Houston), Devin Booker (Phoenix), and Deni Avdija (Portland). Nuggets coach David Adelman spoke in support of Murray’s long-overdue inclusion after years of being overlooked, citing his multiple 50-point games, triple-double in the finals, NBA championship experience, and leadership leading to the most wins in the West over the past decade.
Several players—Duren, Powell, Johnson, Holmgren, and Avdija—are first-time All-Star selections. Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter expressed pride in Avdija’s achievement, recognizing his dedication and success as remarkable.
The 2024 All-Star Game will adopt a novel tournament format featuring three teams — two representing the U.S. and one representing the rest of the world. Each team will consist of at least eight players and face off in 12-minute games within a round-robin setup. The top two teams from this stage will then compete in a championship match. The NBA plans to reveal the composition of the two U.S. rosters and the World team on Tuesday evening.
The earlier released starters include Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee), Jaylen Brown (Boston), Cade Cunningham (Detroit), Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia), Jalen Brunson (New York), Stephen Curry (Golden State), Luka Doncic (Lakers), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City), Nikola Jokic (Denver), and Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio). Due to a calf injury, Antetokounmpo is expected to miss several weeks, and NBA Commissioner Silver will appoint a replacement if he withdraws from the game.
The designation of starters is partly nominal given the format; while ten players were chosen outright as starters, fourteen players named as reserves will also start the games based on the new structure involving three teams.
Regarding coaching assignments, Detroit Pistons’ J.B. Bickerstaff earned a coaching position due to the Pistons leading the Eastern Conference. San Antonio Spurs’ Mitch Johnson secured another coaching role after recent victories elevated the Spurs to 33-16, narrowly edging out the Denver Nuggets' David Adelman (33-17) for the spot representing the West. Johnson’s selection was finalized following late season games on Sunday. Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault, who coaches the Western Conference’s best-record team, is ineligible this year as he coached the previous season's All-Star Game.
The NBA has yet to announce the criteria or selection for the third All-Star team coach.
Teams with multiple All-Star selections for this season include Detroit, New York, the Lakers, Oklahoma City, and Denver. Bickerstaff underscored the merit of such multiple selections, stating, “Any time a team is sitting first in a conference anywhere, multiple guys should get the nod. Because if winning is the ultimate goal ... nobody’s done it at a higher level.”
Contributors to the report include Anne M. Peterson from Portland, Oregon.