Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has redefined the standards for longevity and consistency across an NBA career. A record 20-time All-NBA honoree coming off of his 21st All-Star Game appearance, James has been a proverbial metronome from game to game and season to season.
In year 22, however, James appears to have finally taken a step back from the top-10 status that he'd maintained over the past 20 seasons.
Not only has James earned All-NBA honors in 20 consecutive seasons, but he's been named to the First Team 13 times and the Second Team another three. Even when he's received All-NBA Third Team recognition, James has remained a top-10 player in the eyes of the masses.
In the recent release of the NBA 99, however, James was listed as the No. 13 player in the Association. Per Ian Levy of FanSided.com:
"LeBron James has continued to slowly recede into the background of the NBA and the arrival of Luka Dončić may accelerate that process. But how do you ignore a guy who is still averaging better than 20-7-7, and whose merely average free-throw shooting has been the only real barrier between two consecutive 50/40/90 seasons?"
Levy makes valid points about the inevitable impact of a battle with Father Time, but it remains jarring to see James outside of the Top 10 players in the NBA.
LeBron James falls out of the Top 10 in the NBA 99
James, 40, has been otherworldly for a player his age, and of a star caliber regardless of how old he is. He's appeared in 52 of the Lakers' 56 games, posting averages of 24.7 points, 8.7 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.3 three-point field goals made per contest on .520/.396/.768 shooting.
James was thus named to the 2025 All-Star Game, thus adding yet another accolade to his unrivaled résumé at an age that most players typically have already retired by.
The players ahead of James, however, are admittedly difficult to dispute. That includes Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Jayson Tatum, who rounded out the top five, and Victor Wembanyama at No. 6.
Some of the players who were listed ahead of James will likely be debated, but the bottom line is that there were a slew of stars to consider.
Former Lakers franchise player Anthony Davis checked in at No. 9—four spots ahead of James. It's worth noting, of course, that Los Angeles was playing through Davis rather than James before they traded him for one of the few players they could justify prioritizing in Doncic.
Doncic, of course, was the fourth-ranked player in the NBA 99, which is an honor supported by his five All-NBA First Team nods since 2020.
The silver lining with James is that his omission from the Top 10 may be the best thing that could've happened to Los Angeles at this stage of the season. The Lakers have the best record in the NBA since Jan. 15 and now the four-time MVP has bulletin board material just ahead of the playoffs.
Perhaps this was the last-minute motivation James needed to remind the NBA of what he can still do in his 22nd season.