Why did LeBron James not play in the second half of the 2023 All-Star game?
The 2023 NBA All-Star game was played at the Vivint Arena in Utah on Sunday night, as the best players in the league went up against each other to compete in the annually celebrated occasion. It served as a fitting conclusion to a very entertaining All-Star weekend that featured the NBA Skills Challenge, the NBA 3 Point Contest as well as the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
The All-Star game is one of the occasions most looked forward to on the basketball calendar, as it features the best players in the NBA teaming up or going up against each other for the world to see. This year’s All-Star game was different however, as it featured the two captains choosing their teams in the NBA All-Star draft that was conducted only moments before the game started.
In the draft, West captain LeBron James swooped up Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, Paul George, Jaren Jackson Jr and De’Aaron Fox. From the East, Giannis Antetokounmpo chose Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, Lauri Markkanen, Shay Gilgeous-Alexander, DeMar DeRozan, Pascal Siakam, Domantas Sabonis, Bam Adebayo and Jrue Holiday to join his team.
The game was a thrilling encounter that was won 184-175 by Team Giannis. While Jayson Tatum was named the All-Star MVP for racking up 55 points, his Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 35 points. While Team Giannis proved to be too strong for Team James, it could be attributed to the fact that the latter missed their captain for an entire half.
Why did LeBron James miss the second half?
It turns out that LeBron James missed the second half because of a hand injury as Team Giannis beat Team LeBron 184-175.
“Coach [Michael] Malone is a defense-minded coach. I had him in my early days in Cleveland. I told him I would get one stop tonight for him,” James said after the game. “I tried to get one little chase-down block, and got my finger caught in the rim. But I’ll be fine. I don’t think it’s too much to worry about. For precautionary reasons, I just had to take the rest of the night off.”
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