LeBron James will not play tonight against the San Antonio Spurs, making the Lakers star ineligible for postseason awards and ending his remarkable streak of making the All-NBA team for 21 consecutive seasons.
Under current NBA rules, players must appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for such awards. With tonight’s decision, James can now play in a maximum of 64 games this season if he does not sit out any further contests.
Prior to James’ unprecedented run, the record for most All-NBA team selections was 15, held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, and Tim Duncan.
In addition to James, the Lakers will also be without NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic, who is sidelined with a left hamstring strain for the third straight game. Austin Reaves (left calf injury management) and Marcus Smart (right ankle) are also out tonight.
James is currently playing in his unprecedented 23rd NBA season. He missed the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica after opting out of training camp. Since recovering, he has played in back-to-back games at times, but the Lakers have been carefully monitoring his health in hopes of keeping him fresh for the crucial stretch run.
So far this season, James is averaging 21.7 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds over 34 games. Despite missing significant time and having only 10 games with James, Doncic, and Reaves all healthy together, the Lakers hold a solid 32-20 record and remain deeply involved in the competitive Western Conference playoff race.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2026-02-10/los-angeles-lakers-san-antonio-spurs-nba-game-recap