What happened to LeBron James? Los Angeles Lakers legend’s historic 21-year record streak ends

LeBron James’ historic 21-year record streak finally comes to an end. On Feb 10, 2026, the athlete became ineligible for All-NBA recognition and any other end-of-the-season awards. This is because of his latest absence from the game against the San Antonio Spurs. It will be the 18th missed game of the season for the athlete. LeBron won’t be able to meet the minimum number of games an athlete needs to play to qualify for these recognitions. They need to play at least 65 games.

The Los Angeles Lakers listed LeBron as “out” ahead of the game against the San Antonio Spurs. It was because of arthritis in his left foot. LeBron has been dealing with several lower-body injuries during the 2025-2026 season. He missed the first few games of the season due to right sciatica, and now the issue of arthritis has popped up.

LeBron James fails to qualify for All-NBA recognition and postseason honors

For the last 21 seasons, LeBron James has been eligible for the All-NBA recognitions and the postseason awards. However, missing the game against the San Antonio Spurs has made the athlete ineligible for these recognitions. He failed to meet the 65-game rule. At the age of 41 years, LeBron has showcased some great on-court athleticism during the 2025-2026 season. However, one cannot expect their health to cooperate all the time at this age amid all the physical strains. And this is exactly what happened to LeBron James. The arthritis in his left foot has stopped the athlete from taking a 21-year-streak record to a 22-year-streak record.

LeBron started his All-NBA recognition journey in 2004. Throughout this journey, the athlete secured records that even surpassed the legends Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone. LeBron had the most first-team selections with 13. This was 2 more than both Kobe and Karl. LeBron still has one record intact. The athlete was selected for his 22nd All-Star Game. Even though he was not listed as a starter, LeBron was named as a starter.

The season saw multiple LeBron James streaks come to an end. During the initial games, LeBron’s streak of consecutive games with 10-plus points ended at 1,297. This was when he scored only 8 points against the Toronto Raptors. Now, during the game against the Spurs, the athlete saw another record coming to an end. It seems like a glorious career arc is finally coming to an end. While rumors of LeBron’s retirement are floating around, fans are witnessing moments that indicate the same.


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