One of the best rewards a player can get for performing well in the NBA is to earn All-Star honors. It is not only a great opportunity to showcase his skills in the annual NBA All-Star game among the best in the league, but also an accolade that cements a player’s stardom. Unfortunately, not all great players get to make it to an All-Star team, especially with the NBA’s growing competition.

Furthermore, with all-star teams only selecting 12 players, barring any injuries, it is inevitable that a handful of great players will not make it to the annual spectacle. For this piece, let’s take a look at five great players today that surprisingly haven’t made an All-Star Team.

Fred VanVleet

Career stats: 11.6 points, 4.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 0.3 blocks

Awards: 1x NBA Champion

Fred VanVleet has been in the league for about five seasons now. Although he only started to bloom in his fourth year in the league, it is a great surprise that VanVleet missed the All-Star showcase this year. In fact, him missing the All-Star selection drew the ire of his coach, Nick Nurse, according to Eric Koreen.

VanVleet does make a strong case to be an All-Star this year. In 32 games, he has averaged 19.8 points, 6.7 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per outing including a franchise record-breaking performance against the Orlando Magic where he finished with 54 points, spiked by 11 shots from beyond the arc. In addition to this, he has also helped the Raptors revert back to a competitive level.

Aside from his spectacular ongoing season, there is no question he deserves to be an All-Star team because of his contributions as well for the franchise during the playoffs. VanVleet was a crucial piece during the Raptors’ championship run in 2019 that even named him as one of the candidates for Finals MVP.

With the 6’1 guard just at age 26, it is highly likely that VanVleet will make it to an All-Star team in the near future, as long as he continues to stay healthy and to produce consistently for the Raptors.

Jamal Murray

Career stats: 16.0 points, 3.8 assists, 3.7 rebound, 0.9 steals, 0.3 blocks

Awards: 1x All-Rookie Second Team

Jamal Murray has proven to everyone that he has been a reliable guard alongside Nikola Jokic. His ability to go on a scoring rampage makes him a dangerous player to defend for opposing teams. In fact, Murray has been a critical piece for the Nuggets’ rise in terms of evolving into a legitimate playoff contender.

During the 2020 Playoffs, the Nuggets guard averaged 26.5 points per game, highlighted by a 50 point explosion in Game 4 of the first round against the Utah Jazz. But more importantly, his great performances have helped propel the Nuggets to make history to become the first team to comeback from a 1-3 series deficit twice during the same postseason.

Unfortunately, Murray has recently been snubbed once again from this year’s All-Star voting, despite the Canadian hot shot averaging 21.0 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game. Although Murray is clearly the second fiddle next to Jokic, this scoring guard certainly deserves to earn All-Star honors for his superstar-like play.

CJ McCollum

Career stats: 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks

Awards: 1x Most Improved Player

CJ McCollum has certainly improved by leaps and bounds after his second year in the league. In fact, ever since his third season, McCollum has averaged at least 20 points per game which should place him in the All-Star consideration. Unfortunately, despite proving to be a lethal scorer next to Damien Lillard, the Blazers guard hasn’t been so lucky when it comes to All-Star selections.

Despite putting up his best numbers of his career so far this season, an all-star distinction remains elusive for McCollum. He is currently averaging 26.7 points and 5.0 assists per outing while shooting a lethal 44% from rainbow country. And more importantly, his presence on the court has contributed to the Blazer’s respectable current position at fifth seed in the tough Western Conference.

Although there are a lot of elite guards in the Western Conference, there is no doubt that McCollum should at least be considered as one of the reserves for the annual showcase. Fortunately, he will still be part of the All-Star festivities this year, as a contestant of the Three Point Shooting Contest.

Serge Ibaka

Career stats: 12.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 2.0 blocks, 0.4 steals

Awards: 1x NBA Champion, 3x All-Defensive First Team, 2x League Leader in Blocks

Serge Ibaka isn’t one of the flashiest big men in the league. However, what makes him so great is his ability to play elite defense in the paint. Although defense is rarely the premium during the All-Star exhibition, there is no doubt Ibaka deserves an All-Star recognition at least once in his career.

His ability to space the floor from beyond the arc and to play premium defense has certainly helped various teams reach new heights. Ibaka was a crucial piece for the Oklahoma City Thunder, as he anchored the defense while Durant, Westbrook, and Harden did some damage on the offensive end. In fact, this unit was able to make its lone NBA Finals run in 2012.

Aside from the Thunder, Ibaka also played an important role in 2019, when the Toronto Raptors captured its first ever NBA championship. The Congolese big man was instrumental as he put up 9.4 points and 6.0 rebounds off the bench.

Sure, defense is not the highlight of the All-Star festivities. However, if guys like Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman can make it to an All-Star team, I’m pretty sure Ibaka deserves a look, given that he is a three time All-Defensive team member and a two time league leader in blocks.

Mike Conley

Career stats: 14.9 points, 5.6 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.2 blocks

Awards: 1x All-Defensive Second Team, 3x NBA Sportsmanship Award, 1x NBA Teammate of the Year

If there is someone who makes the case to be the best player that never made an All-Star team, it would be Mike Conley. At his peak, Conley was one of the best guards during the days. In his 12 season stay with Memphis, he averaged 14.9 points and 5.7 dimes per game. But more importantly, he was also instrumental in helping the franchise make deep playoff runs, that included a Western Conference Ginals appearance in 2013. Unfortunately, none of his years in Memphis saw him get selected in the annual spectacle.

Now with the Jazz, at age 33, Conley has still been playing effectively for his age. He is averaging 16.3 points and 5.7 assists per game. But more importantly, he has helped his team sit at the number one seed in the grueling Western Conference. With his decent production, Conley certainly hoped he would make it to the festivities this time around.

According to Conley, he said “That would mean the world to me, obviously…It would say a lot about me as a person after the year I had last year, to come back and compete at the level I competed at. I do feel like I’ve played well enough to be in that conversation and to quite frankly be one of those reserves…”

But unfortunately, he will miss this year’s event once again. As a result, Conley made headlines once again as arguably the best player to be snubbed from the event throughout his career. At age 33, this year was probably his last chance to get selected for the event. It is no doubt heartbreaking to see a player with a great career possibly not getting a special honor he deserves. Hopefully, Conley can have some compensation for being an All-Star snub once again. With the Jazz sitting at the top spot in the NBA, there will be plenty of motivation for the 6’1 guard to gun for a championship, which is also an elusive accomplishment.