Most unlikely one-time NBA All-Stars

Just a few years ago, a player like Kyle Korver making an All-Star team would have been unthinkable. But with the three-point revolution, the Hawks small forward made a name for himself, shooting nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc. For his efforts, Korver was named an All-Star in 2015.

Although he is now the punchline to many NBA-related jokes, former Lakers center Andrew Bynum did deserve to be an All-Star in 2012. He averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and nearly two blocked shots per game that year. Unfortunately, a trade to Philadelphia, maturity issues and chronic knee ailments would end Bynum’s career prematurely.

Chris Kaman is an All-Star NBA center. Let that sentence sink in for a moment. When you realize Kaman averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds for the Clippers in 2010, an even more shocking revelation comes to mind: Kaman deserved to be an All-Star that season.

Nicknamed “Crash,” former Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace represented the lowly franchise on the Eastern Conference All-Star team in 2010. Wallace averaged 18.2 points and a career-best 10 rebounds per game that season.

The fifth overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft, point guard Devin Harris has had a decent NBA career but has largely been a disappointment given where he was selected. Still, Harris was an All-Star with the Nets in 2009, when he averaged a career-best 21.3 points per game.

Throwing alley-oops to Dwight Howard was apparently enough for former Magic point guard Jameer Nelson to be selected as an All-Star in 2009. To be fair to Nelson, he did average 19.3 points per game as well that year.

Mo Williams has always been a reliable NBA point guard, but an All-Star? Well, he was in 2009 with the Cavs. Williams was selected to represent the East by the coaches behind 17.8 points and 4.1 assists per game.

A key member of the 2006 Dallas Mavericks that went to the NBA Finals, forward Josh Howard is best remembered for calling an unnecessary timeout that cost the Mavs Game 5 of the series. Howard was also an All-Star in 2007, behind his 18.9 points per game scoring average.

Born in Turkey, former Jazz big man Mehmet Okur was that rare center who could shoot the three-ball consistently. Okur never offered much on the defensive side of the floor, but in 2007 he was named a reserve on the Western Conference All-Star team.

Former Hornets center Jamaal Magloire was always a serviceable big man but never one of the 12 best players in his conference. Still, in 2004 Magloire was named an All-Star as he averaged a double-double for the only time in his career.

The No. 1 overall pick of the 2000 NBA Draft, Kenyon Martin largely failed to live up to expectations over the course of his NBA career. Martin did, however, make it onto one All-Star team, with the New Jersey Nets in 2004, as he averaged 16.7 points and 9.5 rebounds a night.

Beyond having one of the hardest last names to spell in NBA history, former Timberwolves forward Wally Szczerbiak was a pretty decent player on the offensive side of the floor. For his efforts he was named an All-Star in 2002, as he averaged 18.7 points per game and shot 45.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Center Theo Ratliff was a fantastic shot-blocker, as he led the NBA in blocked shots three different seasons. Other than that, Ratliff wasn’t particularly skilled anywhere else on the court, but in 2001 he was named an All-Star with the 76ers.

Truth be told, former Lakers, Nuggets and Mavericks guard Nick Van Exel had the talent to be a multiple-time All-Star, but for whatever reasn, “Nick the Quick” could never quite put it all together. Van Exel did make one All-Star team, in 1998 with the Lakers, despite the fact he averaged only 13.8 points per game.

A career journeyman center, Chris Gatling was an All-Star with the Mavs in 1997 when he averaged 19 points per game. Gatling would never come close to matching that scoring output again in his career.

Christian Laettner’s legendary career as a college basketball player never translated to the NBA. However, in 1997 Laettner did just enough playing for the Hawks to be named a reserve on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. It was his first and only selection.

Guard Dana Barros averaged more than 10 points per game just four times over the course of his 14-year NBA career. One of those instances came in 1995 when he averaged 20 a night for the 76ers. Barros was named an All-Star for the first and only time in his career that season.

Largely employed by NBA teams to grab rebounds, former 76ers, Cavaliers, Warriors and Bucks power forward Tyrone Hill somehow made it into the 1995 All-Star game. Hill was having a solid season, averaging 13.8 points and 10.9 rebounds, but playing on a Cavaliers team with limited talent may have skewed his numbers. Still, with Michael Jordan off playing baseball, Hill made his first and only All-Star team.

In just his third year as pro, point guard Kenny Anderson was named an All-Star with the Nets in 1994. Unfortunately for Anderson, he was never able to duplicate the 18.8 points and 9.6 assists per game he averaged that season for the rest of his career.

Along with being the original name for the rock band Pearl Jam, Mookie Blaylock earned himself a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Stars in 1994. Blaylock averaged 13.8 points and 9.7 assists per game that season to earn the honor.

Had he not died tragically at the age of 27, former Celtics forward Reggie Lewis would not be on this list. Averaging 20.8 points per game, he was named an All-Star in 1992 and deservedly so. Similar to how they reacted to the death of Len Bias, Celtics fans were left to wonder “what if” after Lewis died from sudden cardiac arrest during the 1993 offseason.

With career averages of 9.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists, former Jazz guard Rickey Green is hardly the type of player you would expect to be named to an All-Star team. But in 1984, Green was an All-Star in the Western Conference. To be fair, he did lead the NBA that season in steals, averaging 2.7 per game.

Lonnie Shelton was a solid power forward for the Seattle SuperSonics but was never really an All-Star-caliber player. Yet for whatever reason, Shelton was named an All-Star in 1982, averaging just 14.9 points and six rebounds per game — hardly All-Star-worthy numbers.

A great scoring forward, former Cavs and Spurs player Mike Mitchell could always find a way to put the ball in the basket. Unfortunately, beyond his ability to put points up on the board, Mitchell didn’t offer too much else. He made the Eastern Conference All-Star team in 1981, however, as he averaged 22.7 points per game.

Former Rockets guard Calvin Murphy was one hell of a scorer in the NBA. However, putting the ball in the basket was really the only trick he had to offer in the pros. Still, averaging 20-plus points per game was good enough to get Murphy selected to the West All-Star squad in 1979.