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

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Ron Harper (Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport) /

The 25 best NBA players never to make an All-Star game — 11. Ron Harper

Miami of Ohio has had two alumni make an NBA All-Star game. One is Wayne Embry, a five-time All-Star in the early 1960s. The other is Wally Szczerbiak, who had a standout season in 2002. Somehow, Ron Harper, the RedHawks’ career leader in points and rebounds and five-time champion, never made it to the All-Star Game.

For the first eight seasons of his career, Harper was a prolific scoring off-guard. He averaged 22.9 points per game as a rookie in 1986-87. Never much of an outside shooter, Harper buttered his bread closer to the basket.

In 1994-95 Harper changed career arcs, becoming a gritty low-usage point guard for a pair of contenders. He won three titles starting alongside Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls, then another two with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. He became the perfect fit for both franchises, someone content in his role and hungry to win.

Closest Call: The 1988-89 Cleveland Cavaliers won 57 games, led in scoring by a young Ron Harper. He was likewise a terror on the defensive end, ranking eighth in the league in steals per game, eighth in defensive rating and sixth in defensive win shares. He finished fourth among Eastern Conference guards in All-Star voting, yet somehow missed the team.