NBA: 20 ridiculously obscure NBA All-Star seasons that we totally forgot

5: Anthony Mason (2000-01)

Season Stats: 16.1 points, 9.6 rebounds per game

Oh look, it’s the exact same All-Star game that features a puzzling selection, how convenient.

Anthony Mason had a great career, considering where he was drafted. It was a long and deserving career, that saw him have some strong runs in New York and Charlotte. Hell, he was even a key piece on those New York squads that attempted to overthrow Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets.

But it was in his stint in Miami where he made the call-up to an All-Star game. It’s not that he didn’t deserve it, he was playing great on a team that needed him urgently, but there were more deserving players out there.

One of those deserving players was Elton Brand, who was playing out-of-his-mind basketball, averaging 20.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game heading into the All-Star break. Although the Chicago Bulls were hot garbage, Brand was still deserving of an All-Star nod, regardless of how bad his team was.

We’re not saying records shouldn’t mean a thing, but Mason wasn’t all that deserving of his spot. But let’s give him props, this was the best season he ever had, and he was coming off a ruptured bicep that took away his entire 1998-99 season.

While he was deserving in some senses, this All-Star selection confused us.