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

Non-All-Star #1: Ron Harper

Ron Harper undoubtedly has an impressive resume. The 1986 lottery pick started his career by finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Chuck Person and then went on to win five NBA championships with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Over his career, which lasted from 1986 to 2001, Harper averaged 13.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.7 steals. It only took him six games to reach the 30-point mark and his rookie season was impressive all over. Putting up 22.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1 block, he started off his career on the right note.

After that, Harper strung together four seasons with an average of 20 or more points and 5 seasons with an average of at least 15 points. Especially his first eight seasons in the league were All-Star worthy. He is only the third player next to Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler, who both got plenty of All-Star nods, to average at least 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals over that time.

Nevertheless, Harper never made an All-Star team in his career. The simplest reason for this omission is that there were simply too many guards. When the competition at your position is headlined by Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas it is not only difficult to be noticed but also fruitless to hope for a sudden change in the hierarchy. At the same time, limited success with the Clippers once the Cavaliers traded him there in 1989 might also have contributed to Harper not making an All-Star team over the best stretch of his career.