Ranking LeBron James’ 5 best performances in NBA All-Star games

The NBA All-Star Game is held in February every year, featuring the best 24 players in the league. LeBron James has been a familiar face to the event. In his previous 18 seasons, he only missed the ASG shortlist in his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar has been an All-Star for the most times in NBA history (19 times), with Kobe Bryant (18) second and LBJ (17) third. Going by the vote so far this season, James will most likely make an 18th appearance, leaving him a game away from matching Jabbar's record.

This brings us to a retrospective look into LeBron James' five best All-Star Game performances as he prepares to lead the Western Conference All-Star team in a few weeks.

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No. 5: 2011

LeBron James (6) of the Miami Heat and the Eastern Conference stands with Kobe Bryant (24) of the LA Lakers and the Western Conference in the 2011 All-Star Game at Staples Center on Feb. 20, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

LeBron James joined the Miami Heat from the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2010-11 season. He had a good run in his first season with the Heat, becoming eventual Eastern Conference champions but lost in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks.

Led by Dwight Howard, the Eastern Conference All-Star team lost by six points to the Kobe Bryant-led Western Conference. But LBJ put up a stellar performance and recorded a triple-double: 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

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No. 4: 2012

LeBron James of the Miami Heat and the Eastern Conference looks on during the 2012 All-Star Game at the Amway Center on Feb. 26, 2012 in Orlando, Florida.

In the 2012 All-Star Game, James posted 36 points, his best total in an All-Star game. Paired with Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony and fellow teammate Dwyane Wade and captained by Dwight Howard, the Eastern team narrowly lost to Kobe Bryant's team. The Western team included Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum and Kevin Durant, who later won the MVP award.

"The King" shot 65.2% (15 for 23). His shooting accuracy from beyond the arc was near-perfect as he sank 6 of 8 attempts (75.0%). He also had six rebounds and seven assists in 32 minutes.

No. 3: 2008

Tim Duncan (21) of the Western Conference looks to pass around Dwyane Wade and LeBron James (23) of the Eastern Conference during the 57th All-Star Game, part of 2008 All-Star Weekend at the New Orleans Arena on Feb. 17, 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The East won 134-128.

The 2007-08 NBA season was LeBron James' fifth with the Cleveland Cavaliers and his fourth All-Star Game appearance. In the regular season, he led the league in scoring average, registering an average of 30 points per game in 75 games played.

James represented the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game under the captaincy of Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett. "The Akron Hammer" registered 27 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.

By the end of the third quarter, East led by 13 points, but lost the lead in the fourth quarter. The game was salvaged by the doggedness of Ray Allen and James. Due to his amazing performance, LBJ was awarded his first All-Star MVP title.

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No. 2: 2018

LeBron James Jr., LeBron James (23), Zhuri James and Bryce Maximus James pose with the All-Star Game MVP trophy on Feb. 18, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

For the 2018 All-Star Game, the traditional conference-based format was terminated, with the captains choosing the rosters. Team LeBron and Team Stephen competed in the 67th All-Star game.

After a thrilling All-Star Game, James was selected for the Most Valuable Player award (his third) for his outstanding play to secure the win after being 11 points behind with six minutes left. He recorded a double-double, posting 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

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No. 1: 2006

Kobe Bryant of the West Team goes up for a dunk as Dwyane Wade of the East Team looks on at the 2006 All-Star Game on Feb. 19, 2006 in Houston, Texas. The East defeated the West 122-120 as LeBron James of the East Team won MVP.

His third regular season in the league still holds the record for his career-highest points per game in a single season. He posted 31.4 points per game at the age of 21, having played 79 games for the Cavs. It remains an amazing feat for a youngster and remains unmatched.

Paired with Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal, Vince Carter and the Detroit Four – Ben and Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton – LeBron James won his first All-Star MVP award. He became the youngest player in NBA history to win the award. They won the game by a slim margin, made possible by Wade's late game-winning layup.