LeBron James will sit for Lakers vs Spurs, taking him out of consideration for 22nd All-NBA honors

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James will sit out of the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night due to left foot arthritis, a decision that will prevent him from qualifying for consideration for his 22nd straight appearance on an All-NBA team.

Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart are also sitting out.

James has been on one of the three All-NBA postseason teams in each of his last 21 seasons, but this game will be the 18th he has missed this season. Players must play in at least 65 games to be considered for end-of-season awards under the NBA's current rules.

James is playing in his unprecedented 23rd season, but he missed training camp and the Lakers’ first 14 games due to sciatica. He has played in back-to-back games at times since getting healthy, but the Lakers have also monitored his health closely in hopes of keeping him relatively fresh for the stretch run.

The Lakers announced their decision to rest five regular starters about five hours before they hosted the Spurs in the second night of a brutal back-to-back set against the Western Conference's top two teams. Los Angeles lost to Oklahoma City on Monday, while the Spurs haven't played since Saturday.

“LeBron, obviously dealing with the history of injuries he’s had, and to start the year, it just depends on how he wakes up the next day and as he goes through his treatment in the morning,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game. “But we ruled him out.”

Los Angeles is also holding out NBA scoring leader Doncic (left hamstring strain) for the third straight game, along with Reaves (left calf injury management), Ayton (right knee soreness) and Smart (right ankle). Doncic is missing his 10th game this season, and Redick called him “day to day” without elaborating.

“Austin is coming back from a tissue injury and was only going to play in one of these (back-to-back) games,” Redick said. “Luka continues to progress. Smart tweaked his ankle in that fourth quarter (Monday) and played through it. Woke up today and had a pretty high level of soreness.”

James is playing well when healthy this season, averaging 21.7 points, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds over 34 games. The Lakers (32-20) are in the thick of the West playoff race despite having James, Doncic and Reaves all in the same lineup for just 10 games so far this season.

James was selected for the All-Star Game this weekend in Inglewood, California. So was Doncic, who was the leading vote-getter.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James warms up before the team's NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) pauses after tossing power before an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James drives to the basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after making a dunk during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A grand jury in Washington refused Tuesday to indict Democratic lawmakers in connection with a video in which they urged U.S. military members to resist “illegal orders,” according to a person familiar with the matter.

The Justice Department opened an investigation into the video featuring Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and four other Democratic lawmakers urging U.S. service members to follow established military protocols and reject orders they believe to be unlawful. All the lawmakers previously served in the military or at intelligence agencies.

Grand jurors in Washington declined to sign off on charges in the latest of a series of rebukes of prosecutors by citizens in the nation’s capital, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter. It wasn’t immediately clear whether prosecutors had sought indictments against all six lawmakers or what charge or charges prosecutors attempted to bring.

The FBI in November began contacting the lawmakers to schedule interviews, outreach that came against the backdrop of broader Justice Department efforts to punish political opponents of the president.

Besides Slotkin and Kelly, the other Democrats who appeared in the video include Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania.

Slotkin has characterized the the Justice Department probe as an effort to intimidate her, and Kelly has described a separate Pentagon probe into his actions as part of an effort to silence dissent within the military.

Spokespeople for the U.S. attorney’s office and the Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

FILE - Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., rehearses the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of congress March 4, 2025, in Wyandotte, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, Pool, File)

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.,speaks to reporters outside of federal court in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)