For the first time in 22 years, LeBron James might not be a starter in the All-Star Game. In the newly proposed format, the Los Angeles Lakers star fell out of the top five voting. Even at age 41, James is a superstar in the league, with many fans and even players wanting to see him in action in the most prestigious event of the All-Star Weekend. Now, with James’ former teammate publicly voicing his frustration and giving the committee an ultimatum.

After DeMarcus Cousins virally questioned the validity of the All-Star Weekend without the Lakers star, another player has protested James’ absence. It is none other than LeBron’s former championship teammate, Markeiff Morris, who went off on people who wondered if King James shouldn’t start in the All-Star game. He also warned to boycott the game if James does not start the game.

“Shut it down, man. If King don’t make it, we not streaming no more,” Morris, who won the 2020 NBA championship with James, said. “I’m done with this basketball sh*t. It didn’t matter how old Jordan was. It didn’t matter how old Kobe was. He always was an All-Star. Just based [on] you being the best player ever, you’re gonna be an All-Star. I don’t give a f**k how much you average. LeBron f**king James is going to be an All-Star starter.”

Morris didn’t demand a place for James in the starting lineup for the stats this season. He wanted it because the Laker star was the only star who has an experience of 23 years and is still one of the top athletes in the league.

While for now, he is officially out of the starting lineup, he could still end up playing as a starter. He could replace an injured player, perhaps Nikola Jokic. Maybe just like former NBA great Vince Carter offered his starter position to Michael Jordan, someone might end up giving up his spot to James.

This season, in the 24 games he has played, James is averaging 22.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He is 34th in the league with a Field Goal percentage of 50.9%.

Why is LeBron James not starting in this year’s All-Star Game?

His 1,297-game streak of games with at least 10 points came to an end last month. He is also averaging the fewest points of his career in his 23rd season. However, perhaps the biggest reason behind his exit from the All-Star starter was the games he missed at the start of this season.

For the first time in his 23 years in the NBA, James missed the start of the season. He missed the first 14 games for the Lakers with sciatica, which greatly impacted his chance to make the selection. In total, he has missed 17 games already, which means he is just one game shy of not being considered for the NBA honors. He has been part of All-NBA teams in 21 of the 22 years in the NBA.

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On top of that, this season, his role on his team has already been demoted to being the third option, unlike last season. He is playing alongside a superstar player of his caliber, which might not dilute his stardom, but takes away a lot of fans’ votes.

Moreover, there is another possible reason that might have left fans disappointed. Last season, he received votes to be among the starters for the All-Star Game. However, he decided to sit out at the last minute due to foot discomfort, attracting outrage for not giving up his spot to another player.

While LeBron James might not be an All-Star starter, he is still putting up unprecedented numbers. Do you think King James should start this year’s All-Star Game?