The Most SCANDALOUS All Star Selections

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When talking about the most absurd NBA All-Star selections, in 2015 Kyle Korver with his 12.1 PPG was voted in by the coaches joining 3 other Hawks players for this game. This came as a shock to everyone in the NBA, especially to guys like Demar Derozan from the Raptors and young Victor Oladipo representing the Orlando Magic who both had way stronger cases to make the team.
A big reason for some wild all star selections was the old rule where voters had to pick players by position, 2 guards, 2 forwards and 1 center. The Eastern Conference especially had a lack of quality centers throughout the 2000’s so players like Indiana’s Dale Davis, Antonio Davis from the Raptors the following year and Jamaal Magloire from the 2004 Hornets are the usual suspects, who would get in despite having mediocre numbers. Just compare the bigs from the East with the ones from the West from those years. You see that on average the difference is about 10 points. It’s not even close.
Roy Hibbert was the last lucky center to benefit from the old way of voting in 2012 when he posted 12.8 PPG / 8.8 RPG and played in his first All-Star game. What’s shocking is that despite not having to choose a classic center from then on, Tyson Chandler somehow got himself a place in the star-studded contest in 2013 while putting up 10.4 PPG and 10.7 RPG for New York. Yes the Knicks were decent that season, but I don’t know if you deserve an all-star spot with that kind of statline.
And as if that one selection in 2012 wasn’t enough, Roy Hibbert became a two time all-star in 2014 when the voters picked his 10.8 PPG & 6.6 RPG over Al Jefferson’s 21.8 PPG & 10.8 RPG, making this one of the biggest snubs in league’s history. Not to mention that players like Josh Smith, Greg Monroe and Thaddeus Young all had better seasons with their respective teams.
Luol Deng, similarly to Hibbert, is a two time All-Star who didn’t quite deserve his All-Star selections. Chicago was a force to be reckoned with in the East at the time, but with numbers of 15.3 PPG in 2012 and 16.5 PPG in 2013 you simply can’t say that Deng should’ve been an All-Star when players like Danny Granger, Antawn Jamison, Demar Derozan, David West and even J.R.Smith were all left behind with better numbers.
Another scandalous big man selection came in 2017 when DeAndre Jordan was voted in the Western frontcourt reserves in front of Karl Anthony Towns. Just look at that disproportion in numbers, ridiculous.
And while we’re on the topic of big men, we gotta mention Paul Milsap who got 4 all star appearances and his teammate from those famous Hawks days - Al Horford, who even has one more than Milsap. I’m not saying that they were not good players, and Atlanta was one of the best Eastern teams for two years under Mike Budenhoulzer, but heck, guys like Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson have 5 stars each as well.
And if we talk about players who have more all-stars than the average NBA fan would’ve expected, wait till you see the next few guys on the list.
Shawn Marion is a Phoenix Suns legend who averaged a double double of 18.4 PPG and 10.0 RPG throughout his 9 seasons with the team. The Matrix alongside Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire were extremely fun to watch during the 2000’s, and he later won the championship with Dallas in 2011, but he never was the main guy on any of these teams. However, he did find his way to 4 all-star trips in the period from 2003 to 2007.
Next, Kemba Walker couldn’t repeat his college story in the NBA, as he wasted his entire prime on a Charlotte Hornets team that never had much success. Still, he managed to get 4 all-star selections during his 12 years in the league.
When you think about Kyle Lowry, you think about longevity and stability at the point guard position. He even has a ring from that one year sensation team, the 2019 Toronto Raptors. But, nothing flashy, or exciting can be connected to his last name right? It’s not like he’s a superstar caliber player. Well, he’s a 6 time NBA All-Star as he made the team with averages of 14.2 PPG & 8.7 APG in 2019, and 16.2 PPG & 6.9 APG in 2018. His teammate Jimmy Buckets is also a 6 time All-Star. And do you know who has one more appearance than Kyle in the All-Star games? Joe Johnson. Iso Joe was a 7 time all star in this league before he called it a career. We're gonna put aside the Hawks years, even though his last two selections for the Eastern Conference All-Stars are quite arguable. But the one that stands out is in 2014 when he was chosen after averaging a sub-standard 15.8 PPG / 3.4 RPG and 2.7 APG for that high profile but in reality underachieving Brooklyn Nets team. Just for comparison, Dame Dolla is a 7 time All-Star too. I’m not saying they are overrated, but there are a couple of guys for whom you can make the case that they are more deserving but have a lot less stars in their resume.