LeBron James left many disappointed when he announced on Sunday that he was pulling out of the All-Star Game due to discomfort in his left foot and ankle. While it’s understandable that James didn’t want to take a risk, Draymond Green, Vince Carter, and Jalen Rose were critical of him on the TNT broadcast for not announcing it earlier, as someone could have then taken his spot.
Draymond Green: “I think Bron could have helped somebody else out and said-“
Vince Carter: “Said it earlier so they can find someone else. So, you can go in there and play.”
Green: “I ain’t… Somebody out there. D-Book (Devin Booker)?”
Adam Lefkoe: “We have a jersey for you… (Domantas) Sabonis?”
Vince Carter: “There’s a lot of guys who are worthy of that…”
Jalen Rose: “He took a roster spot from somebody.”
These three were far from the only ones to think along these lines. Kendrick Perkins took to X to state that his former teammate should have said it earlier so that someone like Norman Powell would have gotten a chance.
“Could have said this earlier. Norman Powell could have made his first All-Star appearance. SMH”
The likes of Powell, Devin Booker, and Domantas Sabonis certainly would have loved it if James had announced his decision earlier. While they and many others would have been surprised by him pulling out, Draymond was not. He stated he knew the 21-time All-Star was dealing with these issues recently, so he expected him to withdraw.
If there was indeed a good chance James was not going to be able to play, he probably should have communicated that earlier. So why didn’t he? Well, James revealed in his press conference that he was hoping he’d feel better on the day of the game.
“I was hoping that it would feel a lot better this morning,” James said. “But it’s not where I want it to be. And with 30 games left and with us trying to make a playoff push in the wild, wild, West, I feel like it’s very important for me to kind of take care of myself and understand what’s coming on.
“So, I won’t say it’s maintenance, but it is maintenance,” James added. “But at the same time, I have to look out for myself when it comes to this injury I’ve been dealing with for years.”
You can’t be too critical of James if we go by his words. He delayed the decision as long as he could in the hope that he’d feel better but he didn’t. It would have made little sense for him to play in what is, at the end of the day, an exhibition game and potentially miss some time in the business end of the NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers.
This was also the first time that James pulled out of the All-Star Game after playing in it for 20 consecutive seasons. The 40-year-old can be forgiven for withdrawing late this one time.
James pulling out meant Shaq’s OG’s were one man short for the mini-tournament, but it didn’t matter. They went on to win it all, beating the Global Stars 41-25 in the final.
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