The 2026 NBA All-Star game is roughly six weeks away and for the first time in over two decades LeBron James could miss it. 

The NBA is trying out a radically different format for the All-Star game this season.

Instead of a simple East vs. West single game of the best players in the NBA as decided by a mixture of fan, player, media and coach votes, this year the NBA has devised an entirely new "USA vs. The World" format that features three teams, two Americans teams and one international, playing in a round-robin tournament over three days.

James Falling Behind in Voting

There will still be 24 total All-Stars selected for the midseason event, but based on the way that fan voting is trending, James is likely to miss out on his usual spot as an All-Star starter.

Per current results, James is ninth in All-Star voting among Western Conference players placing him well out of contention for one of the five starter positions. He's over 200,000 votes behind the fifth-leading vote getter, Victor Wembanyama. 

Without being voted in as a starter, James' only other chance at making it as an All-Star would be to be selected as one of seven Western Conference reserve players by NBA coaches, a situation that Draymond Green believes must happen.

Green Believes James Deserves All-Star Selection

Green addressed the possibility of James missing the All-Star game for the first time since James' rookie season on a recent episode of his podcast The Draymond Green Show.

"The question is, could he be voted in by the coaches as a reserve?" Green said (via NBA Central). "I don't know. He's only played 14 games. I don't know how they're looking at this or what they'll do but what I know is they better make sure he is. I mean, he's LeBron James. He's who he is to this league. Started the year off, great, but, I don't know the right answer other than, 'figure it out."

Green went on to mention a particular All-Star game that Dirk Nowitzki and Dwayne Wade were added as All-Stars by the NBA commissioner despite not being conventionally selected in honor of their legacies as players late in their careers, and Green proposed that as a potential path for James as well considering his iconic status as a NBA legend. 

A Legacy Selection?

The idea of selecting James as a legacy All-Star is even more alluring when one considers the possibility that James' career is nearing an end. James has never said anything definitive about when he'll retire, but considering he's playing in his league-record 23rd season and his contract with the Lakers expires at the end of the season, the end could be near.

Making sure that James makes the All-Star team is especially compelling the tournament will be played in Los Angeles at Intuit Dome. It may be the home of the Clippers, not the Lakers, but Los Angeles is still the city James plays in and brought his most recent NBA Championship to.

“I know a lot of people are like ‘oh man he shouldn’t be an All Star’. Shut up. Yes he should. He’s been the face of the NBA for 20 years. Figure it out. There's no world where LeBron James isn't an All-Star this year," Green said.