NBA world reacts to horrible LeBron James news

Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward Lebron James has dominated the league for over two decades now, in a career of prolonged longevity, maybe only rivaled by what legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady accomplished over his playing career.

Still, as we all know, Father Time is undefeated, even if James has fought him off for longer than just about anyone else in NBA history. James no longer puts up his gaudy numbers every single outing, and his status for back-to-backs seems to be in question for the rest of his career, however long that ends up being.

Unfortunately for James, all of the games missed are almost certainly going to impact his legacy now, thanks to the league’s much-maligned collective bargaining agreement.

“ESPN just announced that LeBron James is out tonight at the Spurs. If James misses another game this season, he’s no longer eligible for postseason awards. That would end his historic All-NBA run at 21 consecutive seasons,” repoorted Keith Smith before the Lakers Wednesday night loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

ESPN just announced that LeBron James is out tonight at the Spurs.

If James misses another game this season, he's no longer eligible for postseason awards. That would end his historic All-NBA run at 21 consecutive seasons.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) January 8, 2026

Fans reacted to the news on social media.

“He shouldn’t have made it for years now and been coasting off his name, now they just finally have the excuse to take him off,” one fan wrote on Twitter.

“If you’re gonna use age or the number of games played as an excuse, it might be time to retire,” someone else added.

“Last year was a complete gift. I am a Laker fan. He hurt our team terribly all year long. Only first or second NBA team player with a negative plus minus ratio in the entire league,” another fan added.