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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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BOSTON – UNDATED: Ralph Sampson #50 of the Houston Rockets dunks against the Boston Celtics at The Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
BOSTON – UNDATED: Ralph Sampson #50 of the Houston Rockets dunks against the Boston Celtics at The Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

7. Ralph Sampson, 1987

How Chosen: Fan voting

Ralph Sampson had been one of the biggest players and names in basketball long before coming to the Houston Rockets as the top pick in the 1983 NBA Draft.

He rode that fame to four straight selections to the All-Star Game, but he was injured and declining badly in 1986-87.

Houston, which had played in the NBA Finals the previous season, was just 24-22 and Sampson had been battling knee problems all season while averaging 16.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and three assists per game on .489/0-for-2/.624 shooting.

Other Western Conference forwards (yes, at 7-foot-4, Sampson played the 4 for the Rockets while Hakeem Olajuwon manned the 5) that could have been considered included Xavier McDaniel of the Seattle SuperSonics or Kiki Vandeweghe of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Or they could have thrown some love to Larry Nance of the Phoenix Suns.

More than a dunker by his sixth NBA season, Nance was averaging 20.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 blocks per game for the Suns, who were 20-28 at the break.

Sampson pulled out of the game because of his balky knee and Tom Chambers of the SuperSonics was chosen to replace him, also getting the start. Chambers went on to earn MVP honors in the West’s 154-149 overtime victory at the Kingdome in Seattle.

Sampson never made another All-Star team and was out of the league by 1992 as his knees disintegrated. Nance, who had been an All-Star for Phoenix in 1985, made two more trips while with the Cleveland Cavaliers later in his 13-year career.

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