On Sunday evening, the NBA All-Star game took place in the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. Participating in the festivities was Lakers star LeBron James, who has long been known as one of the game's most entertaining players.
While the festivities might be taking place in Southern California, James recently spoke on why he doesn't view it as a celebration of sorts for the Lakers.
“LeBron James said that playing the All-Star Game in LA means nothing to him because ‘it’s not our building. It’s a road game,'” reported Joshua Valdez of Athlon Sports on X, formerly Twitter.
Indeed, the Lakers' home of the Crypto.com Arena is a few miles away in downtown Los Angeles, while the Intuit Dome is south in Inglewood.
This is the second year that the Clippers have played in this arena, having previously shared a home at the Crypto.com Arena, previously known as the Staples Center.
Meanwhile, James was recently made ineligible for an All-NBA nod this year, after having sat out more than the maximum 17 games allowed due to injury. However, he has still clearly been playing at an All-Star level when healthy, guiding the Lakers to a solid record so far, and a potential chance at a top-four seed in the vaunted Western Conference playoff picture.
There has been immense speculation that this could be the final year of James' career, as well as questions about what Los Angeles might choose to do with their star if they flame out in the playoffs once again this year, as they did in 2025 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Some have noted that building around the massive contracts of both James and Luka Doncic has made it difficult for the Lakers to assemble a balanced roster.
In any case, the Lakers will next take the floor, coincidentally against the Clippers, on Friday evening.
