LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James will sit out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night due to left foot arthritis, a decision that will prevent him from qualifying for consideration for his 22nd straight appearance on an All-NBA team.
James has been on one of the three All-NBA postseason teams in each of his last 21 seasons, but this game will be the 18th he has missed this season. Players must play in at least 65 games to be considered for end-of-season awards under the NBA’s current rules.
The Lakers announced the decision about five hours before they hosted the Spurs in the second night of a brutal back-to-back set against the Western Conference’s top two teams. Los Angeles lost to Oklahoma City on Monday.
Los Angeles is also holding out NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) for the third straight game, along with Austin Reaves (left calf injury management) and Marcus Smart (right ankle).
James is playing in his unprecedented 23rd NBA season, but he missed training camp and the Lakers’ first 14 games due to sciatica. He has played in back-to-back games at times since getting healthy, but the Lakers have also monitored his health closely in hopes of keeping him relatively fresh for the stretch run.
James is playing well when healthy this season, averaging 21.7 points, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds over 34 games. The Lakers (32-20) are in the thick of the West playoff race despite having James, Doncic and Reaves all in the same lineup for just 10 games so far this season.
James was selected for the All-Star Game this weekend in Inglewood, California. So was Doncic, who was the leading vote-getter.
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