32 players you forgot were once NBA All-Stars
By Cal Durrett
![Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/307/01hpdptmezsq45chr49j.jpg)
9) Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Shareef Abdur-Rahim was selected third overall in the famed 1996 NBA Draft, which featured the likes of Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojaković, and Jermaine O'Neal. With 10 future NBA all-stars in one draft, it is easy to overlook Abdur-Rahim, though he had a strong career.
Abdur-Rahim started his career in Vancouver and immediately proved why he was a top-3 pick. He averaged 18.7 points and 6.9 rebounds and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. That strong play would continue over his five years with the Grizzlies, averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while only missing three total games.
In spite of strong numbers, Abdur-Rahim failed to make the all-star team playing in the Western Conference. That quickly changed when he was dealt to the Atlanta Hawks in 2001. There, he put up comparable numbers but managed to make the Eastern Conference's all-star team.
He would string together two more terrific seasons and play an NBA record 85 games in 2003–04 before injuries began to take their toll. He wasn't nearly as productive during his season and a half in Portland and even worse in Sacramento.
After being limited to just six games during the 2007–08 season, he was forced to retire at 31. Had he not played for an expansion team that was perennially last in their division or even in the Western Conference, he would have likely made three or four all-star teams. Instead, he will be remembered as a highly productive player whose career was cut short.