LeBron James: First player in NBA history named to All-Star Game 20X

LeBron James once again etched his name in NBA history by becoming the first player to be selected to the All-Star Game 20 times.
The unveiling of this season’s starter balloting on Thursday night confirmed James as an All-Star starter for the 20th time, a feat that surpasses the previous record held by the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The All-Star Game, scheduled for February 18 in Indianapolis, will see James leading the Western Conference starting lineup alongside some of the brightest stars in the league.
Joining him are Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Dallas’ Luka Doncic, and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Durant, a 14-time All-Star and one of only 11 players in NBA history to achieve this distinction, adds his firepower to the formidable Western Conference roster.
In the Eastern Conference, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo headlines the starting lineup, flanked by Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid. The Eastern Conference guards will be represented by Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard.
Tatum, who set an All-Star Game record with 55 points last season, expressed his gratitude for the fans’ consistent support.
He said it was an honor that fans consistently voted for him out of 450 players in the league and that it’s something he does not take for granted.
Notable omissions from the starting lineup include perennial All-Star starter Stephen Curry of Golden State, Boston’s Jaylen Brown, and Atlanta’s Trae Young. However, Curry is likely to be selected as an All-Star reserve, adding another layer of excitement to the event.
The All-Star starters are determined through a combination of fan voting (50%), player voting (25%), and votes from a panel of writers and broadcasters (25%). Antetokounmpo led the overall voting, garnering approximately 5.4 million votes from fans.
The announcement sets the stage for the much-anticipated All-Star Game, which returns to the traditional East-vs.-West format after a brief departure. The format where leading vote-getters served as captains and drafted their teams has been discontinued. Additionally, the “target score” format, featuring an untimed fourth quarter, has been replaced to enhance the quality of the game.
As the league gears up for the All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, basketball enthusiasts worldwide eagerly await the unveiling of the reserves on February 1, with the prospect of additional excitement and star power being added to the rosters.