Inventory: 20 All-Star combinations led by LeBron James in his career

LeBron James has had several All-Star teammates, helping him win four NBA championships. However, some All-Star combinations ended up failing to work.

LeBron James has had many high-profile teammates throughout his career, many of which helped him win the championship, including Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. This time, the Lakers exchanged Davis for Luca Doncic, and James had another superstar teammate.

While their partner combination remains to be seen, there are positive signs that they may win the championship again. However, not all All-Stars can work with James. Here are 20 unsuccessful All-Star combinations led by LeBron James.

LeBron James and Russell Westbrook

As the Lakers failed to defend their title in 2020-21, they are looking for a third star to complement James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers ended up getting Russell Westbrook. However, the former NBA MVP's cooperation with James did not go well, and he had a negative impact on the team's offensive space due to his limitations on the offensive end. As a result, Westbrook and James did not even play in the playoffs together.

LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal are chasing their championship ring, and the "big guy" played with James in the 2009-10 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, O'Neal had already passed his peak at that time. Although he remains a reliable starting center, his dominance is not enough to be James' second choice in the championship battle.

LeBron James and Ben Wallace

Despite their short stature, Ben Wallace has achieved a career that is sufficiently inducted into the Hall of Fame with his outstanding defensive and rebounding skills. In order to win another championship ring, the four-time NBA best defensive player teamed up with the Kings in the 2008-09 season. However, Wallace has long been different from the past. At this stage of his career, he has been fighting against various injuries.

LeBron James and Derek Ross are awarded the youngest MVP in NBA history, and he seems to be about to dominate the NBA. However, a serious knee injury in the 2011 NBA playoffs brought his career to a sudden end. To revive his career, Ross signed with the Cavaliers to join forces with James. Unfortunately, Ross failed to stay healthy because he was one of the players Cleveland traded on the 2018 trade deadline.

LeBron James and Brandon Ingram, who were finally selected as All-Star, are still exploring their own development path in their second season in the NBA. However, he was not mature enough to win the championship with James. So the Lakers used him as a trading chip in the 2019 offseason and got Anthony Davis (AD). Despite this, Ingram eventually grew into an All-Star player with the New Orleans Pelicans.

LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony

In order to compete for the championship ring, Carmelo Anthony played for the Lakers with James in the 2021-22 season, his last chance. This is Anthony's farewell match before retirement. Although this friendship and competition brought a lot of nostalgia to this partner, Anthony's peak was long gone. In addition, due to his defensive disadvantage, he was not the player that the Lakers needed to win the championship at that time.

LeBron James and Isaiah Thomas

Unlike other All-Star players on the list, Isaiah Thomas actually played twice with James. The first time was to join the Cavaliers as a trade with Kyrie Irving. Although Thomas is the replacement for Irving's dissatisfaction, injuries limit his performance. Therefore, the Cavaliers traded him before the 2018 trade deadline as part of the lineup adjustment. Later, Thomas briefly returned to the Purple and Gold Legion with James in the 2020-21 season. Since Thomas hardly brought victory to the team, the cooperation was pretty dull.

LeBron James and Tyson Chandler

Tyson Chandler was once a familiar "torture" to James. He played for the Dallas Mavericks and defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. Nearly a decade later, the two teamed up in Los Angeles. However, James suffered a serious injury for the first time in his career, while Chandler has begun to fight against time. After LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell

After LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell

, after Russell Westbrook left, D'Angelo Russell took over the Lakers' point guard task. Although he is more suitable for the Lakers than Westbrook, Russell's unstable performance in the playoffs has become a thorn in the eyes of James and the Lakers. Although his form is hot and exciting, Russell's performance around the King is not reliable enough.

LeBron James and Zadrunus Ilgoskas

The name Zadrunus Ilgoskas is undoubtedly familiar to everyone. The two-time NBA All-Star player was a trusted center around James for most of his first season with the Cavaliers. Unfortunately, even if he fought side by side with James, "Big Z" never tasted the taste of a championship. The two even went to the South Coast in the 2010-11 season, but eventually returned in vain..

LeBron James and Antoine Jamison

Antoine Jamison are famous second-tier stars successfully signed by the Cavaliers. Although everyone was excited about his joining, Jamison's final performance in the Cavaliers uniform was disappointing. The two-time NBA All-Star player has been underperforming in open shooting. In addition, there are problems with his defense. Another old teammate of LeBron James and Wally Szebiak is Wally Szebiak. Although Szebiak was an excellent player at his peak, he was already late in his career when he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers. In fact, the former NBA All-Star player was already at the trough of his career at the time. It is undoubtedly a terrible mistake for the management to issue him with a high contract.

LeBron James and Carlos Boozer

Before selecting James, the Cavaliers selected Carlos Boozer with the 35th pick in the second round in the 2002 NBA Draft. However, Boozer was still young at the time and was still looking for his position in the NBA. Unfortunately, their collaboration with James didn't last long, and the Utah Jazz poached Boozer as a restricted free agent. The Cleveland management did not match the offer in the end, which made fans wonder what would have happened if the two could be together longer.

LeBron James and Mark Gasol

To make up for the absence of Dwight Howard and Javier McGee, the Lakers signed Mark Gasol to fill the center position. Although his organizational ability and size brought some potential, Gasol was already old at that time. As a result, the former NBA defensive player of the year has been unable to keep up with the faster player. In fact, the Lakers decided to simply put the big man on the bench. After the injury of LeBron James and Andre Drummond, Davis, the Lakers urgently needed a center, especially if Gasol failed to meet expectations. So they signed Andre Drummond from the buyout market. This four-time rebounding champion has attracted a lot of attention. However, his playing style negatively impacted the team's space and hindered James from effectively breaking through the inside.

LeBron James and DeAndrew Jordan

Speaking of Lakers centers who are not working well with James, we have to mention former NBA All-Star DeAndrew Jordan. Like Drummond, Jordan lacks efficiency anywhere inside and outside the line. As a result, the opposing team seized the opportunity and let the big man, who was 7-foot-0, firmly control the inside.

LeBron James and Kyle Korver

Korver Korver were former rivals of James and played for the surprising Atlanta Hawks in the 2015-16 season. The former All-Star player signed for the Cavaliers after being sent home by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. People were expecting this top shooter to enhance the team's shooting ability. Although he did, it turns out that the Golden State Warriors are too strong for him.

LeBron James and Deron Williams

Deron Williams, although he was a top point guard at his peak, joined James and the Cavaliers a little late. By the time he joined the Cavaliers in 2017, Williams had accumulated a rich history of injury. The three-time NBA All-Star has been serving as a substitute and spends most of his time playing in garbage time.

LeBron James and Sean Marion

Another All-Star roster to join James in Cleveland is Sean Marion. Marion is an elite player with excellent offense and defense, causing a lot of trouble for James in the 2011 NBA Finals. Although Marion has had some great performances in Cleveland, he is too old to play a key role in the 2015 championship roster against the emerging Warriors.

LeBron James and Jerry Starkhouse

James joined forces with several well-known veterans during his time at the Miami Heat. Due to the lack of depth in the Miami Big Three, the team chose Jerry Starkhouse, 36. The two-time NBA All-Star has limited playing time and has played little role in the 2010-11 season.