The Most Amazing NBA All-Stars Since 2000 | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats & Rumors

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The voting format and framework of the NBA All-Star Game tends to be a popularity contest, but sometimes unexpected players slip into the showcase.

Over the past 20+ years, the competition has included surprising entrants such as Theo Ratliff and Kyle Korver. These unexpected All-Stars either played a supporting role and/or weren’t in large-scale production.

For the record, surprises aren’t the least worthwhile. Some famous stars struggled in the later seasons of their careers, but their popularity led them to participate in the exhibition.

The list dates back to the 2000 NBA All-Star Game.

Jonathan Daniel

Through the first eight seasons of his career, Dale Davis averaged 9.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

individual? yes. All star? No way, right?

In 2000, he found a surprising answer to that question when the Indiana Pacers surged his numbers to 11.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Davis did more in his 1993–94 season, his third in the NBA, but was nowhere near the All-Star radar.

Davis played 14 minutes in the 2000 Showcase, scoring 4 points, 8 boards and 1 assist.

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The first was Theo Ratliff, the standout shot blocker for the Philadelphia 76ers at his peak in the 2000-01 season. He secured an All-Star nomination by scoring 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game.

Ratliff, who averaged 8.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks prior to that campaign, missed the 2001 All-Star Game due to a season-ending wrist injury.

And we are just getting started.

Ratliff’s replacement was Antonio Davis, a 32-year-old longtime reserve who enjoyed a career season with the Toronto Raptors.

Sacramento Kings center Vlade Dibach finally got an All-Star call in his 12th season alongside Miami Heat forward and 1989-90 debutant Anthony Mason.

How many years does it take to be an NBA veteran?

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Sam Kassel, 34, made his All-Star debut, while Jamal Magloire was the sole participant in the exhibition.

With New Orleans Hornets teammate Jamal Mashburn out for the first half of the season, Magloire cut in on the conversation. Center output improved from 10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game to 12.1 and 9.4 respectively. Still, he finished fourth in the polls for his position. However, a vote of the coaches gave him a reserve spot.

Magloire did not waste an opportunity in the limelight.

The East lost 136-132, but Magloire led the team with 19 points and eight rebounds.

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Chris Kaman posted then-high output of 15.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game during the 2007-08 season. However, he, like Davis before 2000, did not reach the top five vote counts.

Why are future expectations a trip to the All-Star Game?

The Los Angeles Clippers center posted 20.0 points per game before the 2009-10 All-Star break (he finished the season with a career-best 18.5), but he still managed to finish in the top five positions. I could not do it. Kaman nevertheless joined the club as a replacement for Brandon Roy.

Kaman scored four points in 11 minutes and was off the All-Star radar for the rest of his career.

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Kyle Korver’s marksmanship was established by 2014-15. Over the decade, he was knocking down his 42.5 percent of 3-pointers while making his 4.4 attempts per game.

But it closed out his reconnaissance report.

Other than a starting role on the Atlanta Hawks’ hot roster that season, nothing has changed for Korver. Korver joined the East’s roster as an injury stand-in for Dwyane Wade, while his teammates Paul Millsap, Al Horford and Jeff Teague were selected as reserves.

At least Korver had seven triples at the 2015 Spectacle, the seventh-most in All-Star Game history.

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On paper, Andrew Wiggins is no surprise. He entered the league as the first overall selection in his 2014 NBA Draft, and the top picks should have an All-Star advantage.

However, his journey was not easy.

Wiggins played a featured role for the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 23.6 points in 2016-17. However, he built a reputation for scoring high volumes of low efficiency. His second contract, his five-year, $146.5 million deal, became the eyesore of all.

When did he become an All-Star? Naturally, when Wiggins turned to a supporting role with the Golden State Warriors.

As the fourth-best player on Golden State’s roster, his shooting percentage skyrocketed, but he managed a relatively modest 17.7 points per game heading into the All-Star Game. Wiggins was named a starter thanks to a boost from K-pop star BamBam.