Hoops Habit
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The 6 greatest NBA players to never make an All-Star Team

By Elaine Blum

May 3, 1994; Portland, OR, USA: FILE PHOTO; Houston Rockets guard Kenny Smith (30) defends a shot by Portland Trail Blazers guard Rod Strickland (1) in the 1993-94 NBA Playoffs at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports
May 3, 1994; Portland, OR, USA: FILE PHOTO; Houston Rockets guard Kenny Smith (30) defends a shot by Portland Trail Blazers guard Rod Strickland (1) in the 1993-94 NBA Playoffs at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports /
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ATLANTA, GA – CIRCA 1984: Cedric Maxwell #31 of the Boston Celtics in action against the Atlanta Hawks during an NBA basketball game circa 1984 at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia. Maxwell played for the Celtics from 1977-85. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – CIRCA 1984: Cedric Maxwell #31 of the Boston Celtics in action against the Atlanta Hawks during an NBA basketball game circa 1984 at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia. Maxwell played for the Celtics from 1977-85. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Non-All-Star #3: Cedric Maxwell

Cedric Maxwell is a two-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, the 1981 Finals MVP, and he had his jersey retired by the Celtics. Over his 11-year career, he averaged 12.5 points while shooting an incredible 54.7 percent on two-pointers, 6.3 rebounds, which is quite the number for a wing, and 2.2 assists.

His best season was arguably in 1978-79 when he averaged 19 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals, but even that was not enough to send him to an All-Star game. Maxwell was clutch in the playoffs, played his role on title teams perfectly, and was almost unguardable in the post but was often forgotten when it came to selecting the best players in the league. That’s the downside of playing with the likes of Larry Bird, Tiny Archibald, and Kevin McHale and being outshined by some of the brightest stars.

Even without an All-Star selection, Maxwell’s career looks rather complete; He got two rings, finished his career with over 10,000 career points, his jersey will forever be in the rafters of TD Garden, and he found a way to stay around basketball by working as a color commentator for the Celtics. There is not much to complain about here, but Maxwell certainly was deserving of an All-Star selection at least once in his career.

Unfortunately, he just never quite made it out of the shadows of more popular teammates and into the spotlight but if there was a team for the best players to never make an All-Star team, he would be on it.