The NBA is an exclusive league, and accordingly, its All-Star Game is an exclusive game.
Per Basketball Reference, 448 players have made the NBA All-Star Game all-time. Additionally, 91 made the ABA All-Star Game in that league's lifetime, with some overlap between the two circuits.
If basketball's club of All-Stars is so small, it follows that some huge names throughout the history of the game have gone their entire careers without making the annual showcase. With that in mind, here's a look (using Statmuse data) at non-NBA All-Stars who accumulated the most in certain key statistics—minutes, points, rebounds, assists and so on—in the regular season and the playoffs.
Which NBA players have played the most regular-season and playoff minutes without making the All-Star Game?
The dubious distinction of playing the most minutes without reaching the NBA All-Star Game belongs to guard Jason Terry, a guard for five teams from 2000 to '18. He is best known for his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks, with whom he finished in the top three of the Sixth Man of the Year voting every season from 2008 to '12. Guard Derek Fisher, a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, holds that distinction in the playoffs.
Other notable names on the lists include seven-time NBA champion forward Robert Horry, 2002 assist champion guard Andre Miller, and forward Sam Perkins—a stalwart for four teams from 1985 to 2001 and the only player on both lists.
Which NBA players have scored the most regular-season and playoff points without making the All-Star Game?
A common theme here is the presence of great sixth men, and there may never have been a better one than guard Jamal Crawford—a three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner with the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers. The playoffs' leading scorer among non-All-Stars is three-time NBA champion guard Byron Scott, best known for his feats with the Lakers.
Other notables on these lists: forward and guard Eddie Johnson, the 1989 Sixth Man of the Year with the Phoenix Suns, forward Rudy Gay, a mainstay of the "Grint-N-Grind" Memphis Grizzlies, and top defensive 1980s-era guard Derek Harper.
Which NBA players have pulled down the most regular-season and playoff rebounds without making the All-Star Game?
Center and forward Marcus Camby is a frequent flyer on lists of best non-All-Stars, and with good reason: his individual accolades include four shot-blocking titles, four All-Defensive appearances, and 2007's Defensive Player of the Year award with the Denver Nuggets. Horry leads this category in postseason play.
Shout-outs are due to center and forward Leroy Ellis (a relatively unsung 1970s-era Laker), center Caldwell Jones (an ABA All-Star in 1975 with the San Diego Conquistadors), and center and forward Michael Cage (1988's rebounding champion with the Clippers).
Which NBA players have given out the most regular-season and playoff assists without making the All-Star Game?
The durable Miller ranks 12th all-time in assists period, though he never quite made enough of an impression to garner All-Star status. Defensive maven and ex-Lakers guard Michael Cooper, whose eight All-Defensive selections actually landed him in the Hall of Fame, paces all non-All-Stars in the playoffs in this category.
A few others worth mentioning: guard Rod Strickland, who oddly made the 1998 All-NBA team with the Washington Bullets without making the All-Star Game, guard Muggsy Bogues, renowned for his success despite his five-foot-three stature, and guard Avery Johnson, a champion in 1999 with the San Antonio Spurs.
Which NBA players have the most blocks, steals, free throws made and three-pointers without making the All-Star Game?
A few new names pop up on this miscellaneous list. Center Tree Rollins was essential to the Hawks' 1980s success, nearly winning Defensive Player of the Year in 1983. Center and forward Serge Ibaka was likewise an anchor for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the early 2010s, for whom he won a pair of shot-blocking titles (he later snagged a championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019).
Forward and guard Corey Maggette was often the best player on some bad Clippers teams, while guard Danny Green captured three NBA titles with three different teams.
The moral of this article: you could make a rock-solid All-Star team, ironically, out of players who never sniffed either conference's All-Star team.
More of the Latest Around the NBA
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Breaking Down the Most Accomplished NBA Players to Never Make an All-Star Game.
