LeBron James is closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA profession scoring file. And now, he has caught Abdul-Jabbar on one other web page of the All-Star file e book.
James was introduced Thursday as an NBA All-Star for the nineteenth time, the Los Angeles Lakers’ star tying Abdul-Jabbar for essentially the most picks in league historical past. James — the main general vote-getter — would be the captain of one of many groups for the Feb. 19 All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, whereas Eastern Conference voting chief Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks will captain the opposite aspect.
This is the sixth 12 months the NBA has used the captain format for the All-Star Game; James has been a captain each time and has by no means misplaced, taking a 5-0 file into this 12 months. Antetokounmpo is a captain for the third time, after additionally incomes that proper in 2019 and 2020.
James and Antetokounmpo will choose their groups shortly earlier than the sport in Salt Lake City, a newly introduced twist and a departure from previous years by which the captains picked every week or two upfront of All-Star weekend.
The different eight starters they’ll be selecting from, barring any modifications due to damage beforehand, are: Denver’s two-time reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, NBA scoring chief Luka Doncic of Dallas, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Brooklyn teammates Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and New Orleans’ Zion Williamson.
“I’m definitely blessed and humbled to be a part of this,” Mitchell stated throughout the televised starters’ announcement on TNT. “To be a part of my fourth All-Star and now to be a starter, I couldn’t be happier.”
The huge intrigue was the third East frontcourt spot, the place Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid — No. 2 within the NBA’s scoring race getting into Thursday at 33.4 factors per recreation — was the odd man out after Antetokounmpo, Durant and Tatum had been the highest three within the balloting.
Starters — three frontcourt gamers and two guards from every convention — had been chosen by a mix of three completely different votes: fan balloting counted for 50%, media balloting was value 25% and voting by the NBA’s gamers made up the ultimate 25%.
The reserves, that are chosen by votes from the league’s coaches, will probably be introduced Feb. 2. Among the gamers sure to benefit robust consideration: Portland’s Damian Lillard, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Miami’s Bam Adebayo.
James is 157 factors away from Abdul-Jabbar’s profession scoring whole of 38,387 factors. At his present common of 29.9 factors per recreation, James will want simply over 5 video games to interrupt the file – and, if he doesn’t miss any video games within the interim, could be on tempo to move Abdul-Jabbar in a Feb. 7 house recreation towards Oklahoma City.
And which means the All-Star weekend, if James passes the file beforehand, might be a celebration of his breaking a file that Abdul-Jabbar has held for practically 40 years.
“Calculating out when it might happen, it seems at this point it’s likely to happen before our All-Star break,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated final week in Paris. “If it were to happen before our All-Star break, it seems like the All-Star Game this year, which is in Salt Lake City, may be the perfect opportunity to honor him.”
James is now tied with Abdul-Jabbar for many All-Star picks, and if James performs in Salt Lake City he’ll grow to be the primary participant in NBA historical past to really seem in 19 All-Star video games. Abdul-Jabbar was chosen to the 1973 recreation however didn’t play.
That’ll be simply one other entry on an extended record of All-Star data for James. He’s the primary participant to be chosen to 19 consecutive All-Star video games — till Thursday, he shared that file with 18-time-selection Kobe Bryant, the Lakers legend who died Jan. 26, 2020, precisely three years to the date from Thursday.
If he truly begins, it’ll be James’ nineteenth time doing so, 4 extra anybody else in league historical past; Bryant made 15 begins. The 19 begins in a row extends one other All-Star file; Bob Cousy has the second-longest such streak, having began 13 straight.
James is also the profession All-Star chief in minutes, factors, area targets made and area targets tried.
