For the first time in two decades, LeBron James’ All-Star streak is in jeopardy, and he seems unfazed. Others, however, are not—they either want him in the All-Star lineup or blame him for the event’s declining appeal. James’ longtime friend, teammate, and defender Carmelo Anthony stands as a notable exception.

The legacy of King James has once again become a focal point for criticism surrounding All-Star Weekend’s apparent decline. While James has been a consistent presence at the ASG, his absence from certain events has seemingly diminished the weekend’s star power.

Kevin Garnett recently offered a pointed take on the matter. Given the tense history between Melo and KG, agreement between them is rare. However, Anthony had his own compelling reasons to disagree with Garnett’s assessment.

“KG said something. I seen him say like, ‘Bron f—ed the All-Star Game up… he’s only saying that because at that moment, of what we know and how we looked at the All-Star Game, it was like the stars rise to the occasion,” Melo said on 7PM in Brooklyn.

KG had 15 All-Star appearances. Melo had 10. He admitted that there was a level of stardom that comes with the festivities. “Now you have the ‘Star of the Stars’ that’s rising to the occasion, that we just know this is what everybody wants. We have to give this to them, right?”

Melo felt that the intense scrutiny on James had created a culture of blame that ignores the changes in the game’s culture. “So when he didn’t do that, people started looking at it like, ‘Oh s— All right, bet.’ We’re going to do it our way at this point. ‘Oh, Bron f—ed the All-Star Game up. Oh, Bron f—ed the Dunk Contest up because Bron ain’t never been in a Dunk Contest. Bron f—ed the Three-Point Contest up.’ He’s going to get blamed for every single thing.”

The Knicks legend reframed the situation from a different perspective as a burden Bron carries. “Especially when it’s challenged like that. It’s a fun challenge, though, because we all know that he wants this moment. And we all know that we want you to have this moment with him. This is why I say that we’re all rising to the occasion, but now this is what we all want to see here, like, go ahead.”

Many would agree with Melo. But Kevin Garnett still has the popular take.

Kevin Garnett Claims All-Star decline began with LeBron’s 14YO move

When stars like Anthony Edwards, Zion Williamson, and Ja Morant skip the Dunk Contest, the blame automatically was directed at LeBron James. He’s never participated in one, and more star players apparently followed his example.

Yet even though no one says, “I didn’t because LeBron didn’t,” Kevin Garnett blamed him for ruining the entire All-Star Weekend.

He believes the decline began with a specific incident during the 2012 All-Star Game. Bron declined Kobe Bryant’s one-on-one challenge, and apparently, it spawned a culture in which an All-Star can refuse to be involved in midseason honors.

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“He f—ed the whole tradition up,” Garnett so explicitly said. “When Kobe slapped the floor and told that n—- ‘Brother, let’s go one-on-one’ and he passed it, he f—d up the whole tradition.”

During the 2012 ASG in Orlando, Kobe Bryant dared then-Miami Heat star LeBron James to do something dramatic with roughly 16 seconds left in the game. The West up 151-149, and he challenged Bron to play 1vs1 with him and win the game for the East. KG was not in the ASG that season, but Melo was on the East team with Bron.

James had the chance to make the game-winning three or tie the game with a two-pointer. He instead made a pass to Deron Williams, who air-balled the potential game-winner. He had one more chance with five seconds left. But James couldn’t move past Bryant’s defense, the East couldn’t get the shot off, and the West won.

The All-Star format has gone through several changes. It’s no longer East vs West; the Elam ending was added and removed, they’re trying round-robin tournaments, and this year it’s going to be a USA vs. the World format.

In the NBA itself, Michael Jordan offers a contrasting parallel. Jordan was widely praised for taking the All-Star Game seriously—he played with high intensity, competed hard (e.g., earning All-Star MVP honors multiple times), and participated in the Dunk Contest three times (winning in 1987 and 1988 with iconic free-throw-line dunks).

Kobe Bryant followed a similar path, aggressively competing in All-Star games (e.g., his 1998 matchup with Jordan) and earning praise for elevating the event’s competitiveness

James has been around for all the All-Star changes in the last two decades. As Melo said, he’s stuck with what he’s comfortable with and doesn’t aggravate injuries.

Yet there are those who agree with The Big Ticket that James’ lack of participation is a disservice to the fans. Meanwhile, James’ old friends like Carmelo Anthony (and occasionally Dwyane Wade) maintain that everything LeBron James does will be treated as a failure to elevate the league.