LeBron James has been a staple of All-Star Weekend.
The 36-year-old was named to his 17th All-Star team this season. He was the leading vote-getter and captain for a third consecutive time. James has also been named All-Star MVP three different times.
But LeBron still feels the pain of a certain snub from his rookie year.
James was not selected to the All-Star Game during the 2003-04 campaign. It is the only season of his esteemed career he has not been chosen. The Los Angeles Lakers star said that snub still gives him pause every now and then:
“Still kinda irks me a little bit,” LeBron James said of the snub, via Bill Oram of The Athletic. “But I got over it.”
The former Cleveland Cavaliers star very well could have been an All-Star in his age-19 season. James averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game during his rookie season. He was, at the time, just the third rookie in NBA history to average 20-5-5 in his debut.
But James caught the short end of the stick, missing out on the festivities while then New Orleans Hornets forward Jamaal Magloire surprisingly earned a spot.
17 years later, and James might prefer not to be playing this weekend. He previously slammed the league for instituting an All-Star Weekend after previously stating none would be in play this season.
Still, LeBron James is sure to find some enjoyment playing alongside 23 of the best players in the game. It also gives him more reason to show he is still at the top of the NBA, in spite of being the elder statesman.
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