LeBron James is taking part in his 21st consecutive All-Star weekend.
The Los Angeles Lakers icon is ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabaar (19) and Kobe Bryant (18) for all-time appearances.
This year will see a new format unveiled as four teams compete in a mini-tournament on Sunday.
It replaces the East vs West clashes, which produced an epic showdown between Kobe and LeBron in 2012.
James scored 36 points in a typically stellar performance but couldn’t come up clutch when presented with two chances to win that game.
Trailing 151-149 with the clock running down late in the fourth, the then-Cleveland Cavaliers star was being guarded by Bryant and opted to throw to Deron Williams, who missed a 3-pointer.
The ball found its way back to Williams and he quickly tossed it to LeBron, who was 6-of-8 on 3-point attempts with 3.8 seconds remaining.
Once again seeing the Black Mamba in front of him, King James tried to fling a risky pass to Dwayne Wade and Blake Griffin intercepted to seal victory for the West — led by Kevin Durant’s 36 points.
“I can’t turn the ball over like that,” James said. “I let my team down. but overall it was a great weekend.”
Kobe was doing his best to get in his fellow great’s head, daring him to take the shot.
“Yeah, he was telling me to shoot it,” James said. “I [saw] my teammate open for a split second, I told him I [saw] him open for the first time and I didn’t release the ball.
“When I [try] to throw it late, that’s usually what happens and it results in a turnover.
GettyKobe liked to do a full-court press on LeBron[/caption]
GettyIn 2012, King James’ crown slipped in the final seconds[/caption]
“Definitely, wish I could have had that one back.”
Bryant surpassed Michael Jordan as the all-time leading All-Star scorer thanks to his 27 points but did not speak to reporters, citing a headache.
Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, who took charge of the East lineup, defended James.
“He made big shots and made great reads,” the coach said. “We had a scramble situation in the open floor.
“We had a very dynamic scorer and a guy with great vision and good decision making. You can call a time out and let the defense get set or you can try to make a play. Throughout his career he’s shown he’s capable of making big plays.”
LeBron is now way out in front for All-Star points on 434 — the late Bryant had 290.
Black Mamba is tied with legendary Milwaukee Hawks center Bob Pettit on four MVP nods, with LeBron one shy of equalling their record.
The basketball GOAT debate is often a discussion between MJ and Lebron — but NBA icon Charles Barkley sees things differently.
“I’ve never seen a better basketball player than Michael Jordan,” Sir Charles told NFL legend Jason Kelce on his new ‘They Call It Late Night’ show.
“I don’t even put LeBron above Kobe,” Barkley added. “The difference is LeBron is a nice guy.
“Nobody ever said that about Michael and Kobe. Michael and Kobe are mean guys, they’re going kick your a** and tell you about it the whole time. LeBron ain’t like that”.
Whether it was the NBA Finals or an exhibition game, Kobe liked to talk. In 2012, he had the last laugh.