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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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Toni Kukoc
Toni Kukoc, JOHN ZICH/AFP/Getty Images /

The 25 best NBA players never to make an All-Star game — 19. Toni Kukoč

Toni Kukoč has one of the craziest NBA stories you will find, in part because it begins well before he ever makes it to the league. Drafted in 1990 by the Chicago Bulls, three years go by as general manager Jerry Krause talks up this young Croatian wing, leveraging his coming in contract negotiations and alienating current players. This famously led to Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan absolutely destroying Kukoč and Croatia in the 1992 Summer Olympics.

When Kukoč does make it to the NBA and the Bulls, his rookie season comes during Jordan’s first retirement season. He immediately fills a role, averaging 10.9 points per game off the bench and hitting a game-winning shot in the playoffs while Pippen sat on the bench. The next season that increased to 15.7 points per game as he showed his offensive worth.

What kept Kukoč back from truly soaring was that Jordan returned, and he went back to a smaller role for the next three seasons. The league at large recognized his impact – he was awarded the 1995-96 Sixth man of the Year award – but with three other All-Stars on the roster, he wasn’t able to distinguish himself further. When Jordan retired again he stepped up and averaged 18.8 points per game in 1998-99, but injuries and frequent team changes eroded his chances to consistently establish himself.

Kukoč was a great player who could do spectacular things with the ball in his hands, but he was relegated to the fourth-option on some of the most stacked teams in NBA history. He likely would have been a multi-time All-Star in a different setting.

Closest Call: The 1998-99 Chicago Bulls were an encapsulation of this list. Their three leading scorers all show up in this docket (Kukoč, Ron Harper, Brent Barry) in a season where the All-Star game was canceled. Kukoč lead the team with 18.8 points per game, good for seventh in the Eastern Conference. Would his team-leading numbers have risen above the Bulls’ abysmal record to get him in? We will never know.