Ron Harper – SLAM https://www.slamonline.com Respect the Game. Thu, 30 Apr 2020 22:16:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.slamonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cropped-android-icon-192x192-32x32.png Ron Harper – SLAM https://www.slamonline.com 32 32 Craig Ehlo: ‘I Never Said I Was a Jordan Stopper’ https://www.slamonline.com/news/nba/craig-ehlo-i-never-said-i-was-a-jordan-stopper/ https://www.slamonline.com/news/nba/craig-ehlo-i-never-said-i-was-a-jordan-stopper/#respond Thu, 30 Apr 2020 22:15:58 +0000 https://www.slamonline.com/?p=567315 Craig Ehlo never claimed to be a Jordan “stopper,” so it came as a total shock to him when former Cavs teammate Ron Harper lamented that he didn’t get the defensive assignment on Michael prior to “The Shot.” MJ, of course, hung in the air over a helpless Ehlo and knocked in an iconic buzzer-beater […]

The post Craig Ehlo: ‘I Never Said I Was a Jordan Stopper’ appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
Craig Ehlo never claimed to be a Jordan “stopper,” so it came as a total shock to him when former Cavs teammate Ron Harper lamented that he didn’t get the defensive assignment on Michael prior to “The Shot.”

MJ, of course, hung in the air over a helpless Ehlo and knocked in an iconic buzzer-beater to eliminate Cleveland from the 1989 NBA playoffs.

Harper, who eventually won championships alongside Jordan in Chicago, “had never really talked about defense or guarding people,” says Ehlo.

Per Cleveland.com:

One thing Ehlo doesn’t remember: Ron Harper’s version, which he relayed in Episode 3 of “The Last Dance” — a hit ESPN documentary that chronicles the Chicago Bulls’ quest for a sixth NBA championship in 1998.

“I never said I was a Jordan stopper like Gerald Wilkins or anything,” Ehlo said during an extensive call with cleveland.com this week. “But back then Harp and me were on the court at the same time and he was our big offensive threat. So, when I came in it was a no-brainer that I would guard Jordan so Harp could rest on defense and play on offense.

“Harp had never really talked about defense or guarding people. He wasn’t a bad defender, I will give him that much, but I think those years with the Bulls where he got those championships, he was definitely third or fourth fiddle, so all of a sudden he becomes this lockdown defender, apparently. I don’t really remember him during our time wanting to play defense that much. He kind of shocked me with those comments, saying he wanted to guard Michael.”

On Sunday night, Harper openly questioned coach Lenny Wilkens’ polarizing decision to use Ehlo as the primary defender on the final play — a clip that has since gone viral.

“We’re up by one and I said, ‘Coach I got MJ,’” Harper explained. “Coach tells me, ‘I’m going to put Ehlo on MJ.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, OK, whatever. F**k this bullshit.’”

Related Agent: Michael Jordan Would Average ‘Between 50 and 60’ Today

The post Craig Ehlo: ‘I Never Said I Was a Jordan Stopper’ appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
https://www.slamonline.com/news/nba/craig-ehlo-i-never-said-i-was-a-jordan-stopper/feed/ 0
Former Cav Ron Harper Blames ‘Youth, Ignorance’ for Kyrie Irving’s Trade Request https://www.slamonline.com/archives/former-cavalier-ron-harper-yout-ignorance-kyrie-irving-trade/ https://www.slamonline.com/archives/former-cavalier-ron-harper-yout-ignorance-kyrie-irving-trade/#respond Tue, 08 Aug 2017 18:13:22 +0000 http://www.slamonline.com/?p=453512 "It’s never your team. You play for the front of your jersey."

The post Former Cav Ron Harper Blames ‘Youth, Ignorance’ for Kyrie Irving’s Trade Request appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
Add former Cavalier Ron Harper to the growing list of players who don’t agree with Kyrie Irving‘s request for a trade.

Echoing Chauncey Billups’ statements from last month, Harper doesn’t understand why Kyrie would pass on the chance to be in the Finals, adding that “youth” and “ignorance” must be at play.

More from the Akron Beacon Journal:

“It’s always going to be a two- or three-star team,” Harper said of Irving and the Cavs. “You’re never going to be a guy who carries your team. You see when LeBron doesn’t play, you don’t carry the team.

 

“It’s never your team. You play for the front of your jersey, your name is on the back of it,” he said. “When you get a chance to win and a chance to be on a good basketball team, you have to take that opportunity. That opportunity doesn’t come around all the time.

 

“You’re on a team that’s been to the NBA Finals the last three seasons. How many guys get there? How many guys would kill to be him? If you go talk to most superstars that quote ‘had their own team’ that don’t get to the playoffs, ask them how they feel.”

RELATED:
Ex-Cavs GM: Kyrie Irving Trade Request Courageous

The post Former Cav Ron Harper Blames ‘Youth, Ignorance’ for Kyrie Irving’s Trade Request appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
https://www.slamonline.com/archives/former-cavalier-ron-harper-yout-ignorance-kyrie-irving-trade/feed/ 0
Steve Kerr Says Warriors ‘Not Really Pushing’ for 73 Wins https://www.slamonline.com/archives/steve-kerr-says-warriors-not-really-pushing-for-73-wins/ https://www.slamonline.com/archives/steve-kerr-says-warriors-not-really-pushing-for-73-wins/#respond Tue, 05 Apr 2016 16:35:22 +0000 http://www.slamonline.com/?p=393563 The Golden State Warriors (69-8) need to win four of their remaining five games in order to surpass the legendary 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ 72 regular season wins, but according to head coach Steve Kerr, his guys aren’t sweating the record. Kerr, who played in all 100 games for that title-winning Bulls squad, claims that the […]

The post Steve Kerr Says Warriors ‘Not Really Pushing’ for 73 Wins appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
The Golden State Warriors (69-8) need to win four of their remaining five games in order to surpass the legendary 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ 72 regular season wins, but according to head coach Steve Kerr, his guys aren’t sweating the record.

Kerr, who played in all 100 games for that title-winning Bulls squad, claims that the Dubs aren’t going out of their way to make history.

Kerr also takes a philosophical approach to trash talk from the likes of Scottie Pippen and Ron Harper regarding who would win a hypothetical Playoff series between these two teams:

“We’re not really pushing for this,” Kerr, whose Warriors (69-8) must win four of their final five games to best the 72-10 mark set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls squad on which he played a pivotal part, told USA TODAY Sports after practice Monday. “All we’ve said is, ‘Yeah, it’d be nice to get. We’d like to get it.’

 

“But if I were pushing for it, I probably wouldn’t be resting (backup point guard) Shaun Livingston and (center Andrew) Bogut, and I’d be playing our starters more. We’re just playing it out. I don’t understand if people are going to say that we’re pushing for this. I don’t think that’s the right word to use. We’d like to get it, but we’re still resting people and trying to get us set up for the playoffs.”

 

“(What Pippen said) doesn’t bother me,” said Kerr, who had three titles with the Bulls and two with the San Antonio Spurs. “Every player out there who is connected to that team is going to be asked that question, and my response is always the same. The rules are so different, and the game is so different. We take 30 threes a game, or more, but the defensive rules are totally different in terms of illegal defense. […] With the old illegal defense rules, we would’ve had a hard time guarding the post. But now we can flood the strong side in a pseudo-zone. Back then you could hand-check, now you can’t hand-check. It’s hard to make a comparison if you’re really looking at it objectively, so I don’t even bother.”

The post Steve Kerr Says Warriors ‘Not Really Pushing’ for 73 Wins appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
https://www.slamonline.com/archives/steve-kerr-says-warriors-not-really-pushing-for-73-wins/feed/ 0
Ron Harper: 1997 Bulls Would Sweep the Warriors https://www.slamonline.com/archives/ron-harper-1997-bulls-would-sweep-the-warriors/ https://www.slamonline.com/archives/ron-harper-1997-bulls-would-sweep-the-warriors/#respond Fri, 13 Nov 2015 21:00:15 +0000 http://www.slamonline.com/?p=377678 The 10-0 Golden State Warriors are bearing down on the historic 12-0 mark set by the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls, and the defending champs may even have designs on challenging the 72-win mark set by the even more legendary 1995-96 team. Ron Harper, a member of three title teams in the Windy City, thinks the ’97 […]

The post Ron Harper: 1997 Bulls Would Sweep the Warriors appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
The 10-0 Golden State Warriors are bearing down on the historic 12-0 mark set by the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls, and the defending champs may even have designs on challenging the 72-win mark set by the even more legendary 1995-96 team.

Ron Harper, a member of three title teams in the Windy City, thinks the ’97 Bulls would destroy the Dubs if both teams hopped into a time machine and faced off.

Harp says an NBA Finals series between the two championship squads would end after four very quick games.

(H/T: BullsOnParade)

The post Ron Harper: 1997 Bulls Would Sweep the Warriors appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
https://www.slamonline.com/archives/ron-harper-1997-bulls-would-sweep-the-warriors/feed/ 0
Q+A: Ron Harper https://www.slamonline.com/news/nba/qa-ron-harper/ https://www.slamonline.com/news/nba/qa-ron-harper/#respond Thu, 15 Oct 2015 20:25:22 +0000 http://www.slamonline.com/?p=374187 The five-time NBA champion talks charity involvement and hoops.

The post Q+A: Ron Harper appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
The New York Yankees hosted close to 80 kids and adults with hearing impairment at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx (NY) a couple of weeks ago, including more than 15 Holocaust survivors from the NYC area, as part of the Starkey Hearing Foundation NY mission. The Minnesota-based organization provided free, customized digital hearing aids for the attendees. Among the celebrity guests in attendance to help assist with the fitting of each device was five-time NBA champion Ron Harper. The former Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers swingman has been involved with the foundation for a few years, traveling with them to numerous missions throughout the world.

The foundation has pledged to give out one million hearing aid devices worldwide to those in need this decade, currently providing over 175,000 devices annually. For the NY mission, joining Harper in assisting with hearing aid fittings was New York Yankees Joe Girardi, former Bronx Bomber first baseman Tino Martinez, Netflix’s Orange in the New Black actress Dascha Polanco, and ABC’s Shark Tank Daymond John, among other celebrities.

While some of the celebrities alternated their time with the attendees throughout the day, Harper, enthusiastically and fully engaged, opted to spend the entire 5-plus hour event with the New York natives, some of whom were actually hearing for the very first time.

The Dayton (OH) native grew up battling a communication impairment of his own, dealing with stuttering since a young age. We caught up with the former NBA standout the day of the mission for a little while and talked about his involvement with the foundation, post-retirement life and the state of the NBA today. Check it out below.

SLAM: What drew you to the foundation?

Ron Harper: Some friends of mine from Iowa have been doing this for 20 years and they asked me if I could tag along one time. They had me come to a couple of the events they were doing like eight years ago. And now I’ve been doing it ever since. Last year we went to India for three weeks. We did a lot of great work. Just a lot of transforming kids with hearing impairments and seeing how much it changes someone’s life. A great gift to give a kid, or just anybody, is the gift of hearing.

SLAM: Anything particular about that first mission that sold you on joining the efforts?

RH: Not really. You just do it. You don’t even think about it. You sit back and just enjoy the work that you do. It’s really not work. It’s just giving back and for a great cause.

SLAM: What is some of the advice you give to the kids at these events?

RH: The greatest advice I can give to the kids is, ‘This will change what you thought of yourself. You can hear now.’ Hearing is about processing what’s going on. You can get a chance to change a kid’s life and give a kid the chance to hear what you can hear. Just think about all of us who take that for granted. The fact that we can hear, we can see and we can speak. Like, when I was growing up I had a speech impairment. Everybody used to make fun about that and make jokes. But it never discouraged me because I knew the kind of guy I was going to become. I wasn’t going to let it get in the way of who I was going to become and do what I was going to do. So it all turned out great.

Harper-2

SLAM: Some of these kids might be getting taunted in school, just like you mentioned you did. What do you tell kids in that regard, being that you can relate?

RH: When I was in the seventh or eighth grade, playing on the basketball team, kids were talking about, ‘Oh, you can’t speak right.’ I was like, Well, then step on the basketball court. I’ll let my game speak for myself. But, you know, kids don’t really understand what they’re doing to a young kid. They think is nice, cute and funny but I always tell kids, Everyone is not the same in this world. Don’t think you’re any different from anyone else in the world just because you’re not the same size, not the same color or from the same neighborhood. Just keep being you and know that someday everything will work out great.

SLAM: Did such taunts later come from players in the NBA as well?

RH: Oh, yeah! A couple of guys tried to trash talk to me but it didn’t go too well for them that night. People don’t understand that when we get to that level where we’re playing at, if you think you can joke about something from a guy’s life, that will just give him more motivation and more fire. Every time I saw that guy, I had to put it on him.

SLAM: What’s Ron up to nowadays?

RH: Ron has a five-year old, a nine-year old and a 15-year old. He’s just being a dad. Stay at home but I chase the sun a lot. My son is about to be a sophomore in high school at Don Bosco in New Jersey. So he’s going to be playing on the varsity team this year. I’ll be around to watch him play. I try spending as much time doing as much quality work as I can do. Just trying to help the kids and change the kids lives. I think I did enough of what I had to do playing the game, so now I’m just trying to give back. And I think this is the right start.

SLAM: Are you keeping up with the League closely these days?

RH: I follow the Cavs, the Bulls, the Lakers and the Clippers.

SLAM: Do you see the culture of the League being different now from when you were playing with MJ and young Kobe?

RH: People are now making a big deal about the three-point shooting in the NBA but the rules have changed our game. They‘ve made it more for the three-point shot. You know, there really isn’t that much size anymore. There’s no more low-post game. All is mid-range or long-range game. There’s no more Shaq. Tim Duncan is getting older. You have guys like LeBron and Kevin Durant—people that can expand the floor and attack the rim at the same time. So that’s what the game has come to. It’s not a team-friendly game. The San Antonio Spurs still believe in teamwork and they’re all on the same page. I love the way they play. Coach Popovich has done a great job there. They’re always going to be one of the best teams around because they believe in what they do. There isn’t any more players that believe in shooting over 50 percent from the floor. They shoot 40 or 35 percent and think that’s awesome. It’s just not the same to what we were used to. I’m not bashing the game, I just think that’s where the game has gone to. But it’s still an exciting game and it still has some great young players. And we still have some older guys hanging in there.

SLAM: Any particular guys that remind you of yourself back in the day?

RH: There are a few great role players that play the game right. Like I tell guys, It’s easy to score 20 to 25 points on a bad team because they’re going to give you the ball. But I want to see how many guys can transform their games when they’re with a good team. Can you accept the role that you’re going to have? Later in my career, I could’ve still scored. It’s just that I didn’t have to. When I came to the Bulls, I had Scottie Pippen… I had Toni Kukoc. But when I had to score, they knew I could score. It really isn’t about scoring. We all get paid, but I got five championship rings.

(Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Starkey Hearing Foundation)

The post Q+A: Ron Harper appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
https://www.slamonline.com/news/nba/qa-ron-harper/feed/ 0
Ron Harper Expects to Interview for the Knicks Coaching Job https://www.slamonline.com/archives/ron-harper-expects-interview-knicks-coaching-job/ https://www.slamonline.com/archives/ron-harper-expects-interview-knicks-coaching-job/#comments Wed, 23 Apr 2014 14:50:21 +0000 http://www.slamonline.com/online/?p=320242 Steve Kerr may be the leading candidate to coach the New York Knicks next season, but Kerr’s former teammate Ron Harper says he also expects a shot at landing the gig. Per the NY Post: Harper won NBA five titles under (Phil) Jackson as a combo guard, playing five seasons in Chicago for the new […]

The post Ron Harper Expects to Interview for the Knicks Coaching Job appeared first on SLAM.

]]>

Steve Kerr may be the leading candidate to coach the New York Knicks next season, but Kerr’s former teammate Ron Harper says he also expects a shot at landing the gig. Per the NY Post:

Harper won NBA five titles under (Phil) Jackson as a combo guard, playing five seasons in Chicago for the new Knicks team president and two seasons with the Lakers. He was also a teammate of Kerr’s in Chicago and Cleveland.

Harper said he has texted with Jackson a few times since he got the Knicks job.

“I would expect so,” Harper said of interviewing for a coaching job. “A few guys are expecting to hear from him. We’re in a wait-and-see mode. Whatever he needs me to do, I will do. He knows that.”

Harper, who lives in Wayne, N.J., works part-time for the NBA doing overseas camps and also helps run a basketball program called Overtime Sports in New Jersey. He was a Pistons assistant coach under Flip Saunders for two seasons in the mid-2000s after playing 15 seasons in the NBA. But he hasn’t been an NBA coach since 2007.

“One thing Phil wants to do is teach what he knows and teach the triangle,” Harper said. “I know it like the back of my hand, inside out, and he knows I love the game.”

“Phil’s a smart guy,” Harper said. “When you’re president, you try to bring in guys who are close to you. Phil’s got a game plan and only he knows it. We’ll wait and see.”

The triangle is considered too complicated for many coaches to install, but Harper disagrees.

“It’s not hard, it’s just getting five guys on the same page,” Harper said. “You just got to have guys who understand what their roles are, are very good passers, very smart and are interchangeable.”

Will Carmelo Anthony fit in well to the new geometry?

“I definitely think he’s very smart, with a high basketball IQ,” Harper said. “I think it’s been tough for him seeing him get it so far away from the hoop and having to go through two, three, four guys. This way he can be more one-on-one.”

The post Ron Harper Expects to Interview for the Knicks Coaching Job appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
https://www.slamonline.com/archives/ron-harper-expects-interview-knicks-coaching-job/feed/ 13
No Regrets https://www.slamonline.com/news/nba/no-regrets-ron-harper/ https://www.slamonline.com/news/nba/no-regrets-ron-harper/#comments Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:14:22 +0000 http://www.slamonline.com/online/?p=216232 His path to superstardom derailed by injury, Ron Harper reinvented his game and won five rings. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

The post No Regrets appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
[sg-gallery]

Originally published in SLAM 159

by Russ Bengtson | @russbengtson

In 1985, before Ron Harper’s senior season at Miami University of Ohio, the Dayton native wrote DEFENSE on one shoe and DUNK on the other because, as he explained to Sports Illustrated, “those are the things I do best.” Apparently so, as he did them both well enough—he averaged 24.4 points, 11.7 boards and over 2 blocks and 3 steals a game that season—to play himself into the ’86 Draft Lottery, where he went eighth overall to his hometown Cavaliers.

At the time, Harper was a 6-6 high-flyer who could create his own breaks by playing the passing lanes. Nike noticed, signing him up straight out of college and making him one of the faces of their new Flight campaign. That first season, he finished runner-up to Chuck Person for Rookie of the Year, and joined teammates Brad Daugherty and John “Hot Rod” Williams on the All-Rookie First-Team.

It didn’t last. Traded to the Clippers in ’89, Harper promptly blew out his knee and wouldn’t be the same player again. But while the DUNK part faded, DEFENSE came to the fore. When his deal with the Clips ran out, Harp signed with the then-Michael-Jordan-less Chicago Bulls, and through will and work, transformed himself into an indispensable player for Phil Jackson. (Phil loved big guards? No, he loved Ron Harper.)

After Chicago, Harp followed Jackson to Los Angeles, where he just kept winning titles. And along the way he influenced a young guard by the name of Kobe to start diversifying his game while he still had it all. “Oh, absolutely,” Bryant responds when asked whether Harper was a role model. “He made the most of what he had.”

SLAM: Growing up in Ohio, your high school numbers were crazy, but you didn’t really get recruited.

Ron Harper: See, the problem was I really didn’t play until my last two years of high school. I was kind of sheltered. But that’s OK, because it turned out good. One day I came home and told my mom, Mom, I really want to go to Arizona State. My momma said, “No. Miami of Ohio’s about 45 miles from the house.” And I said, Fine.

SLAM: And then the Cavs drafted you. Was that a dream come true?

RH: Well, sure. I can recall my third year of college, I call home, I tell my mom, I think I may go hardship. My mom says, “Hardship? Hardship, hell! You’re goin’ to school.” I said, But mom, we’re poor! She said, “No, we’re not. I work extremely hard. You’re not goin’ pro, you’re goin’ back to school.” So I stayed at school, and every team said, “If you come to New York [for the Draft], we’re going to take you.” I said, I’m gonna stay home, be around my mom. So I stayed home with her, and we get picked to the Cleveland Cavaliers around 4 in the afternoon—and I had a summer league game at 7 p.m. We played in front of a full house. They was like, “Man, you got picked in the NBA today!” I was like, Man, I don’t care. I’m gonna play.

SLAM: And when you joined the Cavs, you were joining guys who had the same background as you. You had so many rookies on that team—between you and Brad Daugherty and Mark Price, who you got in a Draft-day trade. Could you tell right away that he could do something?

RH: When I got Mark Price my first year, we had a guy named John Bagley, and John could damn hoop. But Mark was in that gym every day. When he got his chance, he just took over. I can recall a game, we played Detroit up in the Palace, he ate Isiah [Thomas’] ass up. Isiah was maaaaad! He almost tried to fight him. I told him, don’t get mad ’cause he’s lightin’ your ass up—Mark can play.

SLAM: The All-Rookie First-Team that year included you, Brad and Hot Rod Williams—plus Mark was coming on. Were you surprised that team didn’t stick together longer?

RH: Yes, that’s for sure. I always tell folks, we got beat by MJ on one bad shot, and next year they traded me.

SLAM: What do you think happened?

RH: Wayne [Embry, Cleveland’s then-GM] had his ideals, and I had mine. I was a young kid who came to play every night. You could see all my stats—I was in the top five in scoring, I was in the top-five rebounding guards, I was top-three in steals, I played more minutes than any first-year guy. Wayne said, “You need to go home and go to bed more.” I said, Well, if my stats show my being the same basketball player, what’s wrong?

SLAM: I think something people might not remember from those days is that you were in that Jordan mold.

RH: When I played against MJ, he always gave me my respect and I always gave him his. But he had the ultimate green light. I always had guys on my teams who were great, too. I had a Brad Daugherty, a Mark Price. I played with Hot Rod. So it’s not like I could shoot as much as him. I’m not saying if I did shoot as much as him what would have happened. I always told my teammates, MJ gonna score 32-35, and I’ll be within 10 points. So I need one of you guys to outscore his teammates.

SLAM: Things had changed a whole lot by the time you signed with the Bulls in ’94. You weren’t really the same player at all.

RH: The thing was, I was still able to be a smart guy who knew how to be a part of a team. My first year in Chicago, I had a hard time there. After my first year, me and Phil sat down, and he said, “How can you be a part of this basketball team?” I said, Well, I’ve got MJ here, I’ve got Scottie here, I’ve got Kukoc here. I’m not gonna get but five shots. If you trust me, I can play point guard. I can play defense. I can get us in all our plays. And you know what Phil said to me? He said, “If you had come in here and said to me you needed 10-12 shots and you needed to do all of this, I would have traded you.” I said, Naaaaah, I’m not goin’ nowhere. Shit, this team’s gonna be good!

SLAM: But you didn’t know that when you signed there, right? Mike was off playing baseball…

RH: I did know MJ was gonna return—MJ, he was there more than me! MJ, he came in about four days [a week] to hoop. I said, Man, you have to be comin’ back. “Nah, nah, Ron.” I said, Man, stop lyin’, man. And then he said he’s comin’ back. Then I was gettin’ no more time. And then in the Playoffs, we played  Orlando, and we had BJ Armstrong and we had Steve Kerr. And Orlando had Penny Hardaway. Phil said to me, “You got  Hardaway.” I was like, You can’t just go from not playing to guarding Penny. He’s like, “You got Hardaway, that’s all you need to know.” I said, All right, cool. So that’s how all that formed, me, MJ and Scottie.

The post No Regrets appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
https://www.slamonline.com/news/nba/no-regrets-ron-harper/feed/ 41
The Best to Never Be an All-Star https://www.slamonline.com/news/nba/the-best-to-never-be-an-all-star/ https://www.slamonline.com/news/nba/the-best-to-never-be-an-all-star/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:39:20 +0000 http://www.slamonline.com/online/?p=61965 Plus: Every NBA All-Star Ever!

The post The Best to Never Be an All-Star appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
by Tomislav Pakrac

For certain active players yet to play in an All-Star Game, there is always a chance they’ll be selected in upcoming seasons (players like David Lee, Josh Smith, Chris Kaman, Andre Iguodala, Monta Ellis, Al Jefferson…). This is a story, however, about players who were unjustly left out for the duration of their career, and will never have the opportunity to play because they have long since retired.

We cannot rewrite history, but we can retroactively honor those players who deserved to be part of the spectacle that is the All-Star Game. Here’s my all-time list of the best retired plaDrazen Petrovicyers who never made an All-Star game appearance: Drazen Petrovic, Eddie Johnson (not to be confused with a player of the same name who was a two time All-Star for the Atlanta Hawks in the beginning of ’80s), Derek Harper, Byron Scott, Rod Strickland, Ron Harper, Cedric Maxwell, Purvis Short, Phil Ford, Orlando Woolridge, Sam Perkins, Toni Kukoc. Regarding active players most egregiously snubbed by All-Star selection throughout their professional careers, four names stand out to me: Marcus Camby, Andre Miller, Mike Bibby and Lamar Odom.

In considering all the aforementioned players, I have to mention first my countryman, the late Drazen Petrovic, who left us too soon at the age of 28. Drazen was particularly deserving of playing in the 1993 All-Star game, hosted in Salt Lake City. He was at the peak of his powers that season, averaging 23.4 ppg while also shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 49.6 percent from the three-point line (best in the League) at the time the All-Star reserves were announced. Petrovic was the only player not to be selected to the All-Star game amongst the NBA’s top 15 scorers in 1993. Why? Some strange circumstances conspired together. Firstly, though there are usually at least five guards on each team, in 1993, besides the two guards elected by the fans — Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas – the NBA coaches picked only two backups, namely Detroit’s Joe Dumars and Cleveland’s Mark Price. If the normal five guards had been picked, Petrovic likely would have made the team.

“I really thought I deserved to be on, the same way Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson had a good shot. I think a team like Cleveland, they have three guys on the team and New Jersey doesn’t have any, that is not correct,” said Petrovic to the New York Times. Later in the interview, when asked if New Jersey’s history of futility worked against the team’s candidates for the All-Star game, Petrovic said, “I think so. We’ve been losing for six years and people say, ‘Aww, who is that? The New Jersey Nets?’ Politics was a big key because Cleveland, we beat them twice this year. But that’s life.”

I continue to be perplexed that Cleveland — a team they had twice beaten at that point — ended up with three players on the All-Star team that year. At the moment when All-Star reserves were announced, Cleveland had 25 wins and 18 losses while the Nets’ record stood at 25 wins and 19 losses. Almost identical records, yet the Cavs had three players in the All-Star Game (Mark Price, Brad Daugherty and Larry Nance) and the Nets zero. That makes absolutely no sense. Sadly, 1993 would be Drazen’s last year in the NBA, just as he was maturing into a dynamic scorer. Indeed, at season’s end, Petrovic was recognized with 3rd Team All-NBA honors. Sadly, however, on June 7 1993 he was tragically killed in a car accident. He had just completed his fourth season in the NBA.

“I never in my life saw anyone who wanted to succeed in the NBA more than Drazen,” said current Celtics GM Danny Ainge, who was a teammate of Petrovic’s with the Portland Trail Blazers. That’s why Drazen’s omission from the 1993 All-Star was truly so difficult to take, because of all the hard work he had put in.

Beyond Nowitzki’s consistent position amongst the Western Conference’s All-Stars, it has remained difficult for Europeans striving for All-Star recognition. Vlade Divac played only one All-Star Game, fortunately chosen as a late sub by commissioner David Stern when Shaquille O’Neal backed out due to injury in 2001. Other European greats weren’t so lucky, particularly Arvydas Sabonis and Toni Kukoc, two of the best players in European basketball history. Unfortunately, age and injuries limited Lithuanian basketball icon Arvydas Sabonis once he joined the Portland Trail Blazers in ’95-96. If the NBA had been privileged enough to see the real Sabonis before the injuries, he would have made several All-Star appearances. Even with the knee injuries that sapped Sabonis of his bounce and mobility, he still had a solid NBA career. We can only imagine how his career would have diverged had Soviet authorities allowed him to play in the NBA before 1989 (and had he not opted to play in Spain for six seasons prior to joining the Blazers). Nevertheless, his legacy is on strong footing at home, where any Lithuanian basketball fan will say Sabonis is the best in their nation’s history despite Zydrunas Ilgauskas having two All-Star game appearances.

Toni Kukoc is another European very deserving of making at least one All-Star Game. Despite the Bulls incredible success in 1996, only Jordan and Pippen represented the team in the All-Star game. In comparison, the 2010 Celtics will have three players in Dallas this week, including Kevin Garnett, whose play this season clearly does not merit his place on the team. In fact, there have even been times when certain teams even had four All-Stars in the same year, including ’52-53 Boston Celtics (Don Barksdale, Ed Macauley, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman), ’61-62 L.A. Lakers (Elgin Baylor, Frank Selvy, Jerry West, Rudy LaRusso), ’61-62 Boston Celtics (Tom Heinsohn, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones), ’74-75 Boston Celtics (John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Jo Jo White, Paul Silas), ’82-83 Philadelphia 76ers (Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney), ’97-98 L.A. Lakers (Kobe Bryant, Eddie Jones, Shaquille O’Neal, Nick Van Exel), and ’05-06 Detroit Pistons (Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace).

Hell, even the Bulls had three All-Stars in 1994, while Jordan was off chasing fly balls (Pippen, Horace Grant, BJ Armstrong). BKC Jonesut when 1996 came around, despite the Bulls becoming the only team in NBA history to win over 70 games (72-10), only Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen played in the All-Star Game. Where’s Dennis Rodman and possibly Toni Kukoc? Though perhaps Kukoc was not quite up to All-Star standards in ’96, he definitely was during Pippen’s injury plagued ’98 season.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have to say Boston Celtics point guard KC Jones, who never made the All-Star team, certainly didn’t deserve his Hall of Fame selection. Jones won eight championships with the Celtics and he was a fantastic defender and leader. That said, if he never made an All-Star team, he didn’t deserve to be elected in the Hall of Fame. Furthermore, why should he be an All-Star if his career average is meager 7.4 points per game and 4.3 assists? His best season was ’65-66 when he averaged 8.6 points and 6.3 assists, and that was while playing in an era when the Celtics were averaging over 110 points a game, often even 120 points. Sorry, KC: no All-Star Game, no Hall of Fame.

Every year it seems the same old story repeats itself. There is always a worthy player who deserves to play but is not voted in by the fans or selected by the coaches. This year that is the case with Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks, David Lee of the New York Knicks and Chris Kaman of the Los Angeles Clippers. In today’s NBA, with 30 teams playing, there is simply more players deserving of an All-Star selection then there are places on the team. There will always be players with All-Star stats who don’t make the cut. Unfortunately, that’s become the norm in the NBA and no one pays attention to it.

COMPLETE ALL-STAR PLAYERS’ LIST BY TEAMS

Annotation: All-Star appearances from 1951 until 2010.
Bold: Still playing for team
CAPITALIZED: Active player

1. BOSTON CELTICS 131 (125)
24 All-Stars in 64 years of the club’s existence
13 Bob Cousy (1951-1963)
John Havlicek (1966-1978)
12 Bill Russell (1958-1969)
(10) Larry Bird (1980-1988, 1990, 1991, 1992; DNP 1991, 1992)
9 Robert Parish (1981-1987, 1990, 1991)
8 Bill Sharman (1953-1960)
PAUL PIERCE (2002-2006, 2008, 2009, 2010)
7 Jo Jo White (1971-1977)
(6) Dave Cowens (1972-1978; DNP 1977)
Kevin McHale (1984, 1986-1991)
6 Ed Macauley (1951-1956)
(5) Tom Heinsohn (1957, 1961-1965; DNP 1965)
5 Sam Jones (1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968)
3 Nate Archibald (1980, 1981, 1982)
Antoine Walker (1998, 2002, 2003)
(2) KEVIN GARNETT (2008, 2009, 2010; DNP 2008)
RAY ALLEN (2008, 2009)
1 Don Barksdale (1953)
Bailey Howell (1967)
Paul Silas (1975)
Dennis Johnson (1985)
Danny Ainge (1988)
Reggie Lewis (1992)
RAJON RONDO (2010)

2. LOS ANGELES LAKERS 127 (119)
28 All-Stars in 62 years of the club’s existence
14 (12) Jerry West (1961-1974; DNP 1969, 1974)
13 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1976, 1977, 1979-1989)
12 (11) Magic Johnson (1980, 1982-1992; DNP 1989)
KOBE BRYANT (1998, 2000-2010)
11 Elgin Baylor (1959-1965, 1967-1970)
7 James Worthy (1986-1992)
(4) SHAQUILLE O’NEAL (1997, 1998, 2000-2004; DNP 1997, 2001, 2002)
6 Vern Mikkelsen (1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957)
4 George Mikan (1951-1954)
Jim Pollard (1951, 1952, 1954, 1955)
Slater Martin (1953-1956)
Dick Garmaker (1957-1960)
Wilt Chamberlain (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973)
Gail Goodrich (1972-1975)
3 (2) Rudy LaRusso (1962, 1963, 1966; DNP 1962)
2 Larry Foust (1958, 1959)
Rod Hundley (1960, 1961)
Jamaal Wilkes (1981, 1983)
Eddie Jones (1997, 1998)
PAU GASOL (2009, 2010)
1 Clyde Lovellette (1956)
Frank Selvy (1962)
Darrall Imhoff (1967)
Archie Clark (1968)
Norm Nixon (1982)
A.C. Green (1990)
(0) Cedric Ceballos (1995 – DNP)
Nick Van Exel (1998)

3. DETROIT PISTONS 101 (99)
31 All-Stars in 62 years of the club’s existence
12 (11) Isiah Thomas (1982-1993; DNP 1991)
7 Bob Lanier (1972-1975, 1977, 1978, 1979)
6 (5) Larry Foust (1951-1956; DNP 1952)
Dave Bing (1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975)
Joe Dumars (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997)
5 George Yardley (1955.-1959.)
Gene Shue (1958.-1962.)
GRANT HILL (1995.-1998., 2000.)
4 Bailey Howell (1961.-1964.)
Bill Laimbeer (1983., 1984., 1985., 1987.)
BEN WALLACE (2003.-2006.)
3 Andy Phillip (1953., 1954., 1955.)
Dave DeBusschere (1966., 1967., 1968.)
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (2006., 2007., 2008.)
RICHARD HAMILTON (2006., 2007., 2008.)
2 Mel Hutchins (1956., 1957.)
Dick McGuire (1958., 1959.)
Walter Dukes (1960., 1961.)
Don Ohl (1963., 1964.)
Jimmy Walker (1970., 1972.)
Kelly Tripucka (1982., 1984.)
Dennis Rodman (1990., 1992.)
JERRY STACKHOUSE (2000., 2001.)
RASHEED WALLACE (2006., 2008.)
1 Fred Schaus (1951.)
Frank Brian (1952.)
Chuck Noble (1960.)
Terry Dischinger (1965.)
Eddie Miles (1966.)
Curtis Rowe (1976.)
ALLEN IVERSON (2009.)

4. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 98 (93)
28 All-Stars in 61 years of the club’s existence
12 (11) Dolph Schayes (1951.-1962.; DNP 1952.)
11 Julius Erving (1977.-1987.)
10 Hal Greer (1961.-1970.)
8 ALLEN IVERSON (2000.-2006., 2010.)
6 (5) Larry Costello (1958.-1962., 1965.; DNP 1962.)
Charles Barkley (1987.-1992.)
4 Billy Cunningham (1969., 1970., 1971., 1972.)
(3) Doug Collins (1976., 1977., 1978., 1979.; DNP 1979.)
Maurice Cheeks (1983., 1986., 1987., 1988.)
(3) Moses Malone (1983., 1984., 1985., 1986.; DNP 1984.)
3 Paul Seymour (1953., 1954., 1955.)
Red Kerr (1956., 1959., 1963.)
Chet Walker (1964., 1966., 1967.)
Wilt Chamberlain (1966., 1967., 1968.)
2 George McGinnis (1976., 1977.)
Bobby Jones (1981., 1982.)
Andrew Toney (1983., 1984.)
1 Red Rocha (1952.)
Billy Gabor (1953.)
George Yardley (1960.)
Lee Shaffer (1963.)
Luke Jackson (1965.)
John Block (1973.)
Steve Mix (1975.)
Hersey Hawkins (1991.)
Dana Barros (1995.)
(0) THEO RATLIFF (2001. – DNP)
Dikembe Mutombo (2002.)

5. NEW YORK KNICKS 86 (83)
28 All-Stars in 64 years of the club’s existence
11 (9) Patrick Ewing (1986., 1988.-1997.; DNP 1986., 1997.)
7 Harry Gallatin (1951.-1957.)
Willis Reed (1965.-1971.)
Walt Frazier (1970.-1976.)
6 Richie Guerin (1958.-1963.)
5 Dick McGuire (1951., 1952., 1954., 1955., 1956.)
(4) Carl Braun (1953.-1957.; DNP 1956.)
Dave DeBusschere (1970.-1974.)
4 Willie Naulls (1958., 1960., 1961., 1962.)
3 Johnny Green (1962., 1963., 1965.)
Michael Ray Richardson (1980., 1981., 1982.)
2 Ken Sears (1958., 1959.)
Tom Gola (1963., 1964.)
Earl Monroe (1975., 1977.)
Bob McAdoo (1977., 1978.)
Bernard King (1984., 1985.)
Allan Houston (2000., 2001.)
1 Vince Boryla (1951.)
Max Zaslofsky (1952.)
Nat Clifton (1957.)
Len Chappell (1964.)
Dick Barnett (1968.)
Bill Bradley (1973.)
Bill Cartwright (1980.)
Mark Jackson (1989.)
Charles Oakley (1994.)
John Starks (1994.)
Latrell Sprewell (2001.)

6. ATLANTA HAWKS 82 (78)
31 All-Stars in 61 years of the club’s existence
11 Bob Pettit (1955.-1965.)
9 (8) Dominique Wilkins (1986.-1994.; DNP 1992.)
6 Lou Hudson (1969.-1974.)
5 (4) Cliff Hagan (1958.-1962.; DNP 1958.)
Lenny Wilkens (1963., 1964., 1965., 1967., 1968.)
4 Dikembe Mutombo (1997., 1998., 2000., 2001.)
JOE JOHNSON (2007., 2008., 2009., 2010.)
3 Slater Martin (1957., 1958., 1959.)
Bill Bridges (1967., 1968., 1970.)
(1) Dan Roundfield (1980., 1981., 1982.; DNP 1981., 1982.)
2 Dike Eddleman (1951., 1952.)
Mel Hutchins (1953., 1954.)
Clyde Lovellette (1960., 1961.)
Zelmo Beaty (1966., 1968.)
Joe Caldwell (1969., 1970.)
John Drew (1976., 1980.)
Pete Maravich (1973., 1974.)
Eddie Johnson (1980., 1981.)
1 Frank Brian (1951.)
Don Sunderlage (1954.)
Frank Selvy (1955.)
Bob Harrison (1956.)
Ed Macauley (1957.)
Doc Rivers (1988.)
Moses Malone (1989.)
Kevin Willis (1992.)
Mookie Blaylock (1994.)
Christian Laettner (1997.)
Steve Smith (1998.)
Shareef Abdur-Rahim (2002.)
AL HORFORD (2010.)

7. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 77 (71)
26 All-Stars in 64 years of the club’s existence
10 (9) Paul Arizin (1951., 1952., 1955.-1962.; DNP 1960.)
8 (7) Rick Barry (1966., 1967., 1973.-1978.; DNP 1973.)
7 (5) Nate Thurmond (1965.-1968., 1970., 1973., 1974.; DNP 1968., 1970.)
6 Neil Johnston (1953.-1958.)
Wilt Chamberlain (1960.-1965.)
5 (4) Chris Mullin (1989.-1993.; DNP 1993.)
3 Guy Rodgers (1963., 1964., 1966.)
(2) Tom Gola (1960., 1961., 1962.; DNP 1962.)
Jeff Mullins (1969., 1970., 1971.)
Tim Hardaway (1991., 1992., 1993.)
Latrell Sprewell (1994., 1995., 1997.)
2 Joe Fulks (1951., 1952.)
Andy Phillip (1951., 1952.)
Jack George (1956., 1957.)
Rudy LaRusso (1968., 1969.)
Phil Smith (1976., 1977.)
1 Woody Sauldsberry (1959.)
Tom Meschery (1963.)
Jim King (1968.)
Clyde Lee (1968.)
Jerry Lucas (1971.)
Cazzie Russell (1972.)
Jamaal Wilkes (1976.)
Bernard King (1982.)
Joe Barry Carroll (1987.)
Sleepy Floyd (1987.)

8. SACRAMENTO KINGS 73 (69)
22 All-Stars in 62 years of the club’s existence
10 Oscar Robertson (1961.-1970.)
6 Jack Twyman (1957.-1960., 1962., 1963.)
Jerry Lucas (1964.-1969.)
(5) Mitch Richmond (1993.-1998.; DNP 1993.)
5 Bobby Wanzer (1952.-1956.)
(4) Wayne Embry (1961.-1965.; DNP 1963.)
4 Bob Davies (1951.-1954.)
(3) Arnie Risen (1952.-1955.; DNP 1955.)
(3) Chris Webber (2000.-2003.; DNP 2003.)
3 Maurice Stokes (1956., 1957., 1958.)
Tom Van Arsdale (1970., 1971., 1972.)
Nate Archibald (1973., 1975., 1976.)
Otis Birdsong (1979., 1980., 1981.)
PEJA STOJAKOVIC (2002., 2003., 2004.)
1 Jack Coleman (1955.)
Richie Regan (1957.)
Adrian Smith (1966.)
Johnny Green (1971.)
Sam Lacey (1975.)
Scott Wedman (1976.)
Vlade Divac (2001.)
BRAD MILLER (2004.)

9. PHOENIX SUNS 61 (59)
23 All-Stars in 42 years of the club’s existence
6 Walter Davis (1978., 1979., 1980., 1981., 1984., 1987.)
5 (4) STEVE NASH (2005.-2008., 2010.; DNP 2007.)
AMAR’E STOUDEMIRE (2005., 2007., 2008., 2009., 2010.)
4 Connie Hawkins (1970.-1973.)
Paul Westphal (1977.-1980.)
(3) Charles Barkley (1993., 1994., 1995., 1996.; DNP 1994.)
SHAWN MARION (2003., 2005., 2006., 2007.)
3 Dick Van Arsdale (1969., 1970., 1971.)
Charlie Scott (1973., 1974., 1975.)
Tom Chambers (1989., 1990., 1991.)
Kevin Johnson (1990., 1991., 1994.)
Dan Majerle (1992., 1993., 1995.)
JASON KIDD (1998., 2000., 2001.)
2 Dennis Johnson (1981., 1982.)
1 Gail Goodrich (1969.)
Paul Silas (1972.)
Alvan Adams (1976.)
Truck Robinson (1981.)
Maurice Lucas (1983.)
Larry Nance (1985.)
Jeff Hornacek (1992.)
Stephon Marbury (2003.)
SHAQUILLE O’NEAL (2009.)

10. WASHINGTON WIZARDS 55 (54)
24 All-Stars in 49 years of the club’s existence
8 Elvin Hayes (1973.-1980.)
5 Gus Johnson (1965., 1968., 1969., 1970., 1971.)
Wes Unseld (1969., 1971., 1972., 1973., 1975.)
4 Walt Bellamy (1962., 1963., 1964., 1965.)
3 Don Ohl (1965., 1966., 1967.)
Phil Chenier (1974., 1975., 1977.)
GILBERT ARENAS (2005., 2006., 2007.)
2 Terry Dischinger (1963., 1964.)
Earl Monroe (1969., 1971.)
Jeff Malone (1986., 1987.)
Moses Malone (1987., 1988.)
Michael Jordan (2002., 2003.)
ANTAWN JAMISON (2005., 2008.)
(1) CARON BUTLER (2007., 2008.; DNP 2008.)
1 Bailey Howell (1966.)
Archie Clark (1972.)
Jack Marin (1972.)
Dave Bing (1976.)
Bob Dandridge (1979.)
Jeff Ruland (1984.)
Bernard King (1991.)
Michael Adams (1992.)
JUWAN HOWARD (1996.)
Chris Webber (1997.)

11. HOUSTON ROCKETS 51 (47)
14 All-Stars in 43 years of the club’s existence
12 Hakeem Olajuwon (1985.-1990., 1992.-1997.)
7 (6) YAO MING (2003.-2009.; DNP 2007.)
5 Rudy Tomjanovich (1974.-1977., 1979.)
Moses Malone (1978.-1982.)
4 Elvin Hayes (1969.-1972.)
(3) Ralph Sampson (1984.-1987.; DNP 1987.)
3 Steve Francis (2002., 2003., 2004.)
TRACY McGRADY (2005., 2006., 2007.)
2 Don Kojis (1968., 1969.)
(1) Clyde Drexler (1996., 1997.; DNP 1997.)
1 Jack Marin (1973.)
Calvin Murphy (1979.)
Otis Thorpe (1992.)
(0) Charles Barkley (1997. – DNP)

12. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 50
21 All-Stars in 43 years of the club’s existence
9 Gary Payton (1994.-1998., 2000.-2003.)
7 Jack Sikma (1979.-1985.)
5 Shawn Kemp (1993.-1997.)
4 Spencer Haywood (1972.-1975.)
RAY ALLEN (2004.-2007.)
3 Lenny Wilkens (1969., 1970., 1971.)
2 Dennis Johnson (1979., 1980.)
Gus Williams (1982., 1983.)
Detlef Schrempf (1995., 1997.)
1 Walt Hazzard (1968.)
Bob Rule (1970.)
Fred Brown (1976.)
Paul Westphal (1981.)
Lonnie Shelton (1982.)
David Thompson (1983.)
Tom Chambers (1987.)
Xavier McDaniel (1988.)
Dale Ellis (1989.)
Vin Baker (1998.)
RASHARD LEWIS (2005.)
KEVIN DURANT (2010.)

13. SAN ANTONIO SPURS 44
9 All-Stars in 34 years of the club’s existence
12 TIM DUNCAN (1998., 2000.-2010.)
10 David Robinson (1990.-1996., 1998., 2000., 2001.)
9 George Gervin (1977.-1985.)
3 Alvin Robertson (1986., 1987., 1988.)
TONY PARKER (2006., 2007., 2009.)
2 Larry Kenon (1978., 1979.)
Artis Gilmore (1983., 1986.)
Sean Elliott (1993., 1996.)
1 MANU GINOBILI (2005.)

14. CHICAGO BULLS 42 (41)
13 All-Stars in 44 years of the club’s existence
12 (11) Michael Jordan (1985.-1993., 1996., 1997., 1998.; DNP 1986.)
7 Scottie Pippen (1990., 1992.-1997.)
4 Chet Walker (1970., 1971., 1973., 1974.)
Artis Gilmore (1978., 1979., 1981., 1982.)
3 Bob Love (1971., 1972., 1973.)
Norm Van Lier (1974., 1976., 1977.)
2 Jerry Sloan (1967., 1969.)
Reggie Theus (1981., 1983.)
1 Guy Rodgers (1967.)
Bob Boozer (1968.)
B.J. Armstrong (1994.)
Horace Grant (1994.)
DERRICK ROSE (2010.)

15. UTAH JAZZ 41 (37)
11 All-Stars in 36 years of the club’s existence
14 (12) Karl Malone (1988.-1998., 2000., 2001., 2002.; DNP 1990., 2002.)
10 John Stockton (1989.-1997., 2000.)
6 Adrian Dantley (1980., 1981., 1982., 1984., 1985., 1986.)
3 (2) Pete Maravich (1977., 1978., 1979.; DNP 1978.)
2 (1) CARLOS BOOZER (2007., 2008.; DNP 2007.)
1 Truck Robinson (1978.)
Rickey Green (1984.)
Mark Eaton (1989.)
ANDREI KIRILENKO (2004.)
MEHMET OKUR (2007.)
DERON WILLIAMS (2010.)

16. MILWAUKEE BUCKS 39 (38)
17 All-Stars in 42 years of the club’s existence
6 (5) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970.-1975.; DNP 1973.)
5 Sidney Moncrief (1982.-1986.)
4 Marques Johnson (1979., 1980., 1981., 1983.)
3 Bob Dandridge (1973., 1975., 1976.)
Vin Baker (1995., 1996., 1997.)
RAY ALLEN (2000., 2001., 2002.)
2 Oscar Robertson (1971., 1972.)
Brian Winters (1976., 1978.)
Terry Cummings (1985., 1989.)
Glenn Robinson (2000., 2001.)
1 Jon McGlocklin (1969.)
Flynn Robinson (1970.)
Jim Price (1975.)
Bob Lanier (1982.)
Ricky Pierce (1991.)
Alvin Robertson (1991.)
MICHAEL REDD (2004.)

17.PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS 34 (32)
14 All-Stars in 40 years of the club’s existence
8 Clyde Drexler (1986., 1988.-1994.)
4 Sidney Wicks (1972., 1973., 1974., 1975.)
3 Maurice Lucas (1977., 1978., 1979.)
BRANDON ROY (2008., 2009., DNP 2010.)
2 Geoff Petrie (1971., 1974.)
(1) Bill Walton (1977., 1978.; DNP 1977.)
Jim Paxson (1983., 1984.)
Kevin Duckworth (1989., 1991.)
Terry Porter (1991., 1993.)
RASHEED WALLACE (2000., 2001.)
1 Lionel Hollins (1978.)
Kermit Washington (1980.)
(0) Steve Johnson (1988. – DNP)
Clifford Robinson (1994.)

18. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 31
15 All-Stars in 40 years of the club’s existence
6 LeBRON JAMES (2005.-2010.)
5 Brad Daugherty (1988., 1989., 1991., 1992., 1993.)
4 Mark Price (1989., 1992., 1993., 1994.)
2 John Johnson (1971., 1972.)
Larry Nance (1989., 1993.)
Terrell Brandon (1996., 1997.)
ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS (2003, 2005)
1 Butch Beard (1972)
Lenny Wilkens (1973)
Austin Carr (1974)
Campy Russell (1979)
Mike Mitchell (1981)
Tyrone Hill (1995)
Shawn Kemp (1998)
MO WILLIAMS (2009)

19. DENVER NUGGETS 31 (30)
13 All-Stars in 34 years of the club’s existence
8 Alex English (1982-1989)
3 David Thompson (1977, 1978, 1979)
Dikembe Mutombo (1992, 1995, 1996)
CARMELO ANTHONY (2007, 2008, 2010)
2 Bobby Jones (1977, 1978)
Kiki Vandeweghe (1983, 1984)
Fat Lever (1988, 1990)
(1) ALLEN IVERSON (2007, 2008; DNP 2007)
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (2009, 2010)
1 Dan Issel (1977)
George McGinnis (1979)
Calvin Natt (1985)
ANTONIO McDYESS (2001)

20. DALLAS MAVERICKS 24
9 All-Stars in 30 years of the club’s existence
9 DIRK NOWITZKI (2002-2010)
4 Rolando Blackman (1985, 1986, 1987, 1990)
3 Mark Aguirre (1984, 1987, 1988)
2 MICHAEL FINLEY (2000, 2001)
STEVE NASH (2002, 2003)
1 James Donaldson (1988)
JASON KIDD (1996)
Chris Gatling (1997)
JOSH HOWARD (2007)

21. ORLANDO MAGIC 20 (19)
7 All-Stars in 21 years of the club’s existence
4 SHAQUILLE O’NEAL (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)
Penny Hardaway (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)
TRACY McGRADY (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
DWIGHT HOWARD (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)
2 (1) GRANT HILL (2001, 2005; DNP 2001)
1 RASHARD LEWIS (2009)
(0) JAMEER NELSON (2009 – DNP)

22. NEW JERSEY NETS 19 (18)
11 All-Stars in 34 years of the club’s existence
5 (4) JASON KIDD (2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008; DNP 2007)
3 Buck Williams (1982, 1983, 1986)
VINCE CARTER (2005, 2006, 2007)
1 Otis Birdsong (1984)
Michael Ray Richardson (1985)
Kenny Anderson (1994)
Derrick Coleman (1994)
Jayson Williams (1998)
Stephon Marbury (2001)
KENYON MARTIN (2004)
DEVIN HARRIS (2009)

23. INDIANA PACERS 19 (18)
10 All-Stars in 34 years of the club’s existence
6 (5) JERMAINE O’NEAL (2002-2007; DNP 2006)
5 Reggie Miller (1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000)
1 Billy Knight (1977)
Don Buse (1977)
Detlef Schrempf (1993)
Rik Smits (1998)
Dale Davis (2000)
BRAD MILLER (2003)
RON ARTEST (2004)
DANNY GRANGER (2009)

24. NEW ORLEANS HORNETS 17 (15)
9 All-Stars in 22 years of the club’s existence
3 Glen Rice (1996, 1997, 1998)
(2) CHRIS PAUL (2008, 2009, 2010; DNP 2010)
2 Larry Johnson (1993, 1995)
(1) Alonzo Mourning (1994, 1995; DNP 1994)
BARON DAVIS (2002, 2004)
DAVID WEST (2008, 2009)
1 Eddie Jones (2000)
Jamal Mashburn (2003)
JAMAAL MAGLOIRE (2004)

25. MIAMI HEAT 17 (15)
5 All-Stars in 22 years of the club’s existence
6 DWYANE WADE (2005-2010)
5 (3) Alonzo Mourning (1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002; DNP 1997, 2001)
3 SHAQUILLE O’NEAL (2005, 2006, 2007)
2 Tim Hardaway (1997, 1998)
1 Anthony Mason (2001)

26. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 16
9 All-Stars in 40 years of the club’s existence
3 Bob Kauffman (1971, 1972, 1973)
Bob McAdoo (1974, 1975, 1976)
2 Randy Smith (1976, 1978)
Danny Manning (1993, 1994)
ELTON BRAND (2002, 2006)
1 World B. Free (1980)
Norm Nixon (1985)
Marques Johnson (1986)
CHRIS KAMAN (2010)

27. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES 13
4 All-Stars in 21 years of the club’s existence
10 KEVIN GARNETT (1997, 1998, 2000-2007)
1 Tom Gugliotta (1997)
Wally Szczerbiak (2002)
Sam Cassell (2004)

28. TORONTO RAPTORS 11 (9)
3 All-Stars in 15 years of the club’s existence
5 (4) VINCE CARTER (2000-2004; DNP 2002)
(4) CHRIS BOSH (2006-2010; DNP 2009)
1 Antonio Davis (2001)

29. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 2
2 All-Stars in 15 years of the club’s existence
1 PAU GASOL (2006)
ZACH RANDOLPH (2010)

30. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS 1
1 All-Star in 6 years of the club’s existence
1 GERALD WALLACE (2010)

31. INDIANAPOLIS OLYMPIANS* 5
4 All-Stars in 4 years of the club’s existence
2 Leo Barnhorst (1952, 1953)
1 Ralph Beard (1951)
Alex Groza (1951)
Paul Walther (1952)
* TEAM FOLDED IN 1953 (AFTER FOURTH SEASON)

32. BALTIMORE BULLETS* 4 (3)
3 All-Stars in nearly 8 years of the club’s existence
2 (1) Fred Scolari (1952, 1953; DNP 1953)
1 Red Rocha (1951)
Ray Felix (1954)
* TEAM DISBANDED NOVEMBER 27 1954 (AFTER 14 GAMES IN EIGHTH SEASON)

The post The Best to Never Be an All-Star appeared first on SLAM.

]]>
https://www.slamonline.com/news/nba/the-best-to-never-be-an-all-star/feed/ 42