Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been a staple in the annual NBA All-Star Game for decades now and was elected to play in his 21st iteration of the event this season.

LeBron James, Lakers

Feb 16, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Shaqís OGs forward LeBron James (23) of the Los Angeles Lakers during introductions before the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

James may be the oldest player in the league, but has remained of the best during the 2024-25 season and deserved to start. However, James announced prior to the game that he would be sitting out due to ankle discomfort he’s been dealing with.

It was a last-minute announcement that took out some of the excitement of the game and its new format as James is often the main draw. James was set to team up with fellow star veterans like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant who are also nearing the ends of their Hall of Fame careers.

While James has had his fair share of All-Star Game moments, he’s never participated in the NBA Dunk Contest despite fans begging for him to do it. At this point in his career, James would never participate and emphasized he has no regrets about his decision.

“No, there’s no part of me that has regrets about not doing it,” James said. “Obviously, I had a couple moments where I wanted to do it, and it just never worked out that way going into the following season, either, because of injuries or I just wasn’t up for it.”

While James may have never participated, he did advocate for other stars to perform.

“But I don’t know. If those guys do do it, those are superstars in our league, and obviously we know the athleticism of the guys that you just named. It would be pretty cool. We’ll see.”

Stars like Ja Morant posted on social media that they’re thinking about participating, and he even started recruiting former standouts like Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon to join him. Any of the three would be worthy participants, but there are players all across the league that could win the dunk contest.

In his prime, there’s no doubt that James would have done well in the dunk contest and likely even won the event. Hopefully All-Stars consider participating in future years as it would greatly increase ratings and viewership.

JJ Redicks says All-Star break will be key to get players healthy

LeBron James noted that he was sitting out the All-Star Game to rest and focus on the remainder of the 2024-25 season, following JJ Redick’s belief that the break will be key for the roster to get their bodies right.