Earning an All-Star nomination in the NBA is an extremely difficult feat, even for some of the league’s most dominant players. While LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant are household names due to their elite skill level and championship pedigree, it’s worth spotlighting a few players who have had successful NBA careers without All-Star accolades.
Marcus Camby debuted in the NBA in 1996 and wound up playing 17 years for six different teams. Alternating between power forward and center, Camby won Defensive Player of the Year a decade later in 2007. Camby’s 9.5 points and 9.8 rebounds average never led to an All-Star nomination. Jamal Crawford’s scoring ability was his best asset, leading to a 14.6 point career average spanning nearly two decades. The shooting guard won the Sixth Man award three times, including twice with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014 and 2016.
Crawford averaged between 17.6 and 18 points for six consecutive seasons while playing for three different teams. He’s undoubtedly among the best NBA players to be snubbed for an All-Star nomination. Dirk Nowitzki led the Dallas Mavericks to their lone NBA Championship title, beating the Miami Heat in 2011. However, Jason Terry played a big role during that run as well, averaging 15.8 points during the 2010-2011 NBA season. Terry was another shooting guard who wound up winning a Sixth Man award with the Mavericks during 2008-2009. He finished his 19-year NBA career as an 84 percent free-throw shooter and averaged 44.4 percent from the field, which demonstrates his accuracy.
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Al Jefferson never won a Sixth Man award, but he did average over 15 points per game as a dominating force inside the paint. Nicknamed “Big Classic,” Jefferson finished with over a 21-point average in three different seasons with Minnesota and Charlotte. Jefferson managed to earn an All-NBA nod in the 2013-14 season. Yet, he never received an official All-Star nomination, despite finishing eighth in MVP voting with the Bobcats that season.
The final player since 2000 who was never gifted an NBA All-Star nomination is one of the league’s most iconic point guards, Mike Bibby. After being named to the 1998-99 All-Rookie team, Bibby finished 16th in MVP voting in 2001-02. During that season, the Kings’ point guard averaged 13.7 points and 5.0 assists per game. After playing 14 years in the league for six different franchises, Bibby logged a 14.7 point average, shooting 43.6 percent from the floor.
All five of these NBA players played well enough to earn other awards and recognition during lengthy careers. Ultimately, an All-Star nomination proved too elusive for Marcus Camby, Jamal Crawford, Jason Terry, Al Jefferson, and Mike Bibby.