Is LeBron Eligible for All-NBA? How Many Games Lakers Star Has Missed with Injury

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will miss his 16th game of the season on Friday at the Boston Celtics with right sciatica and left foot joint arthritis.

NBA players must participate in at least 65 of the regular season's 82 games in order to be eligible for end-of-season awards and honors. With James' absence, he can only miss up to one more game to stay qualified, per ESPN's Bobby Marks.

James missed the Lakers' first 14 games this season due to sciatica on his right side. He then missed his team's 133-121 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 30 due to left foot injury management.

The 40-year-old, who is in his 23rd NBA campaign, is averaging 14.0 points on 41.3 percent shooting, 7.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds this year.

James is a 21-time All-Star, a 21-time All-NBA team member (13 First Teams), a four-time NBA champion and four-time NBA MVP. Whenever his career is over, he will go down as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) NBA player of all time.

Last year, James was good enough to make the All-NBA Second Team after averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game.

This year has represented a significant dip from his usual production, whether it be because of the ailments, his age, his remarkable mileage (1,860 games including playoffs) or all of the above.

Given his start, it's hard to envision James earning any end-of-season awards. At this juncture, it doesn't appear he would hit the 65-game number anyway, but the most important thing right now is seeing his team win.

On Thursday, James saw his streak of scoring 10 or more points in 1,297 straight regular-season matchups end in a 123-120 road win over the Toronto Raptors. James finished with eight points and had the game-winning assist to Rui Hachimura for a buzzer-beating three.

When asked about the streak ending, James didn't seem to care, noting that victory was most important.

The Lakers are winning plenty these days, going 16-5, good enough for second in the Western Conference. James unfortunately hasn't been around for most of it, playing just six games this year, but him being healthy would obviously go a long way toward this being a special season in L.A.

Hopefully James is back soon. His next chance to play will be Sunday at the Philadelphia 76ers.