When LeBron James missed out on being an All-Star starter, everyone began to wonder whether his spot at the festivities was in serious jeopardy. That was before taking a step back to remember who James is, and how much respect his legacy holds across the NBA.
As such, when the coaches were ready to make their decision on who would be the reserves for the All-Star Game, the Los Angeles Lakers star got his due. The anticipated demise of James' legendary streak was greatly exaggerated.
LeBron is officially an All-Star for the 22nd time in his long NBA career. The Lakers forward joins Anthony Edwards, Jamal Murray, Chet Holmgren, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Deni Avdija as the Western Conference reserves for 2025-26.
One name is notably missing from those selections. Kawhi Leonard's snubbing has caused a loud uproar among not only Los Angeles Clippers fans, but the NBA community as a whole. Should Leonard have gotten that spot over James? There's an easy case for the answer being yes.
LeBron’s All-Star nod came at the expense of a clearly better Kawhi
Let's be straightforward about this: Leonard is a superior player in 2025-26 than James is.
Kawhi has stayed relatively healthy this season, playing 35 games for the Clippers. In doing so, Leonard has averaged 27.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.0 steals in just 32.9 minutes per game. The shooting splits of 50-39-92 are also incredibly impressive.
How does James stack up? LeBron is averaging 21.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, while shooting 50.5 percent from the field.
From a statistical standpoint, Leonard has clearly been better. Kawhi has even played more games than LeBron, edging out James' 31 appearances for the Lakers.
The best argument in LeBron's defense comes from the team records. However, even when factoring in how much better the Lakers have been on the whole of this season, and ignoring how elite the Clippers have played lately, Kawhi still has the stronger case.
That is until you remember this is James we're talking about. LeBron has a spot at the All-Star Game locked up until he retires.
Leonard could have just as easily made it over Holmgren. That is another situation where the team records likely factored in a fair bit (and more than what was due).
For anyone truly upset Leonard did not make it, the Clippers star will surely be right near the top of the list for injury replacements. If James decides to tap out of the festivities, the snub will essentially be erased.