Ahead of his historic 21st All-Star game, LeBron James is pushing the limit on how late he has to show up for the annual event. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, LeBron isn’t set to arrive in San Francisco until “late” on Saturday night to maximize the rest period for his body.
“LeBron James, I’m told is not going to be arriving in San Francisco until late on Saturday night ahead of the game on Sunday,” reported ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “And that’s been his custom the last few years, to try to maximize the break as much as he can. He is in year 22, 40 years old, and he’s been through 21 of these All-Star games already.”
LeBron James, 40, has been grinding all season to keep the Lakers within the top six in the West. After the Anthony Davis trade, James had to work overtime to keep the team afloat and now he’s leading the efforts to make a smooth transition for Luka Doncic.
This All-Star break is really the best chance LeBron has to get an extended rest before the action resumes again on Wednesday, against the Hornets for the first night of a back-to-back.
Meanwhile, in San Francisco, the NBA All-Star festivities have already begun. Besides the opening routine (which included the NBA’s annual tech summit), the Rising Stars game debuted with a brand new format that received positive reviews from the fans.
On Saturday, the NBA will feature its regular slate of events, starting with the Skills Challenge and ending with the Dunk contest. LeBron will arrive sometime either during or after the events, in preparation for the main show on Sunday. For the first time, the NBA has turned the All-Star game into a tournament and the All-Star pool has been split between four teams.
As the third-leading vote-getter, LeBron easily made the cut but he didn’t get picked like the infamous team captain format. LeBron will instead join Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant on Team Shaq, who will battle Team Kenny, Team Chuck, and a Rising Stars team for the big victory.
Normally, it’s customary for All-Stars to stay for most or the entire weekend in the host city but there have been some cases where players didn’t show up until the last minute. In LeBron’s case, it’s been a trend for him dating back years now and it’s all for the sake of preserving his body.
The All-Star break is a crucial opportunity for players to physically recover from the regular season grind and as a 40-year-old looking to extend his career, it’s more important than ever for LeBron to take the time he needs to rest and heal his body ahead of the final stretch of the regular season.
It’s hard to say what we can expect on the floor tomorrow, but LeBron has always given it his all in the All-Star game, and being one of the last to show up shouldn’t affect his effort on the floor. After doing this 21 times, LeBron already knows what to expect and he won’t risk overextending himself with a potential championship run on the line.
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