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NBA: 25 Least-Deserving NBA All-Stars

By Phil Watson

February 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; General view of the opening tipoff as Eastern Conference forward Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls (16) and Western Conference center Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies (33) during the first quarter of the 2015 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden.Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
February 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; General view of the opening tipoff as Eastern Conference forward Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls (16) and Western Conference center Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies (33) during the first quarter of the 2015 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden.Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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DENVER – 1989: Kevin Duckworth #00, Jerome Kersey #25, and Clyde Drexler #22 of the Portland Trail Blazers wait for the inbounds pass against the Denver Nuggets during the 1988-1989 NBA season game at the McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
DENVER – 1989: Kevin Duckworth #00, Jerome Kersey #25, and Clyde Drexler #22 of the Portland Trail Blazers wait for the inbounds pass against the Denver Nuggets during the 1988-1989 NBA season game at the McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

17. Kevin Duckworth, 1991

How chosen: Reserve

We take a third trip to the 1991 All-Star Game in Charlotte for another somewhat questionable All-Star choice by the coaches, this time from the Western Conference.

The Portland Trail Blazers were an NBA-best 39-9 at the break and coming off a trip to the NBA Finals, but Kevin Duckworth was an iffy choice as an All-Star center.

Averaging 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game on .486/.0-for-1/.778 shooting at the break, Duckworth was one of three Blazers picked by the coaches to the squad, along with guards Terry Porter and Clyde Drexler.

The center position in the West was thin after the Texas towers of Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson, but how much did the early 1990s bias against European players work against Los Angeles Lakers big man Vlade Divac?

Divac’s numbers were pedestrian at the break—11.5 points, 8.2 rebounds per game—but he was averaging only 27.1 minutes while shooting .581/.1-for-7/.760 and was playing top-caliber defense, as well. The Lakers, meanwhile, had the second-best record in the Pacific Division … and the NBA … at 35-11.

It was Duckworth’s second selection—he had also been named in 1989—while Divac would have to wait another decade, until 2001, to get his lone All-Star nod.

Duckworth played 19 minutes for the West in the 116-114 loss, finishing with six points, four rebounds and a steal on 2-of-3 shooting.

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