Under the NBA’s new tournament-like format for the All-Star Game, LeBron James was the first overall pick selected by Shaquille O’Neal a couple weeks ago. But on Sunday, Shaq’s squad took quite the hit with last-minute injury news.

Just before LeBron was set to appear in his record 21st All-Star Game, the Lakers star told reporters that he would not be in uniform due to ankle and foot discomfort. LeBron — who turned 40 in December — has been dealing with ankle and foot pain for much of the season. So, it sounded like he would take it easy as a precautionary measure.

He did add that he was looking forward to seeing the new format in action. He just won’t be part of it as a player.

LeBron says that he will NOT be playing in the All-Star game tonight due to ankle and foot discomfort pic.twitter.com/wKzF8B7i72

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 16, 2025