Basketball legend LeBron James pulled out of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, due to discomfort in his left foot and ankle.

This is the first time he has missed the game in his career. He also missed Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Indiana Pacers last weekend due to the same injury.

Speaking of his injury, he said, “I was hoping it would feel a lot better this morning, but it was not where I wanted it to be.”

“With 30 games left and us trying to make a playoff push in the wild, wild West, I felt like it was very important for me to kind of take care of myself and understand what’s coming on [down the stretch],” he added.

The announcement was made only two hours before the game, and there was no replacement for him.

In the ongoing season, the 40-year-old has averaged 24.3 points on 51.6 percent shooting, with 9.0 assists and 7.7 rebound, and has also featured in 47 of his side’s 52 games.

LeBron’s decision wasn’t well-received by ex-NBA player and analyst Kendrick Perkins, who revealed his disappointment.

Taking to X, he reminded LeBron that if he would have informed earlier, then someone like Norman Powell could have played in his first All-Star game.

LeBron is considered by many to be among the greatest-ever basketball players in history, and also often compared to Michael Jordan.

He has clinched four NBA C’Ships from 10 NBA Finals appearances, and made eight consecutive appearances between 2011 and 2018.

He also has three Olympic gold medals, and was the Olympics MVP at Paris 2024.

He is also the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and ranks fourth in all-time NBA career assists and sixth in steals.

He also has won four NBA MVP awards, four NBA Finals MVPs, NBA Rookie of the Year, three NBA All-Star Game MVPs. He has also been named an NBA all-star a record 21 times.