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NBA: The 25 best NBA players never to make an All-Star game

By Josh Cornelissen

DENVER - NOVEMBER 9: Marcus Camby #23 of the Denver Nuggets pumps his fist after a big play against the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter on November 9, 2005 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
DENVER - NOVEMBER 9: Marcus Camby #23 of the Denver Nuggets pumps his fist after a big play against the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter on November 9, 2005 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /
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Arvydas Sabonis
Arvydas Sabonis Photo credit should read DAN LEVINE/AFP/Getty Images /

The 25 best NBA players never to make an All-Star game — 15. Arvydas Sabonis

Arvydas Sabonis was drafted initially in the 1985 NBA Draft, and then again in the 1986 draft (he was too young to be legally drafted in ’85), ultimately by the Portland Trail Blazers. If he had come to the NBA that year, he wouldn’t be on this list at all; he would surely have been a multi-time All-Star. Sabonis would not join the Blazers officially until 1995, after a distinguished European career where he won multiple individual awards and national medals.

By the time he made his NBA debut, he was a fully developed fearsome center, with savvy inside scoring moves and a frame that both protected and cleared the rim. Significant lower body injuries delayed both his coming to the NBA and his availability while there, but when he did take the court, he was one of the league’s most impactful players.

Sabonis drove winning like few others, ranking among the league leaders in Box Plus/Minus in all but one (injury-riddled) of his seven campaigns. Portland also qualified for the postseason in all seven seasons, including two trips to the Western Conference Finals. Of all players (minimum 200 games played) to never make an All-Star Game, Sabonis leads them all in Box Plus/Minus and win shares-per 48 minutes.

On a per-minute or per-game impact, Sabonis would rank among the top 5 players on this list. Yet he also played just seven seasons, 470 regular season games in total. Threading the needle between availability and quality, he lands in the middle of our ranking.

Closest Call: Sabonis’ best year was the 1997-98 season, his third in the NBA at the age of 34. No good reason outside of poor name recognition exists for why he didn’t make the team. On a Portland team trying to assemble a conference contender to challenge the rising Lakers, Sabonis was their best player and deserved a spot over players such as Nick Van Exel or Eddie Jones, who rode the coattails of Shaquille O’Neal and their gold uniforms to an All-Star berth.