As fans of basketball, we all have our own particular favorites when it comes to teams and players. Yet whenever talking about the best of the best, one of the clearest indications of greatness comes with certain important numbers attached. One trio of NBA superstars has amassed so many NBA All-Star Game selection leaders, it will be difficult to match their exceptional feats of excellence and consistency.
17 – LeBron James
2021’s Highest-Paid NBA Players, per @Forbes 📊
1️⃣ LeBron James $111.2M
2️⃣ Steph Curry $92.8M
3️⃣ Kevin Durant $87.9M
4️⃣ G. Antetokounmpo $80M
5️⃣ Russell Westbrook $74M
6️⃣ James Harden $62.3M
7️⃣ Damian Lillard $56M
8️⃣ Klay Thompson $54M
9️⃣ Paul George $47.8M
🔟 Jimmy Butler $47M pic.twitter.com/IpotwZjtGU— Front Office Sports (@FOS) October 22, 2021
Having amassed seventeen consecutive NBA All-Star Game selections, between 2005 and 2021, LeBron James has already achieved a record that will be difficult to equal. Considering his NBA career has thus far spanned eighteen seasons, that feat is made all the more impressive, having only failed to make the NBA All-Star selection during his 2003-2004 rookie season. That being said, he did feature in the 2004 All-Rookie First Team, and claimed the 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
In the opinion of modern-day NBA fans and many journalists, LeBron James is widely considered to be the greatest player of all time, which is often why we see the “GOAT” acronym attached to his name on social media. While he has registered numerous individual regular season and playoffs records, “King” James is not quite there yet, although he could still claim a few more records to cement his legacy in the next few years.
Instrumental when the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship, although they fell short in 2021, bookies already consider the team inspired by LeBron James as one of the 2022 title favorites. For this reason, Asiabet has published an extensive guide to online sports betting, including sections dedicated to basketball and focusing on the NBA. This is a great utility featuring detailed reviews for the most reliable and trusted bookmakers, plus a wealth of useful tips and learning tools.
18 – Kobe Bryant
“Winning Championships is Everything.”
~ Kobe Bryant pic.twitter.com/yOYO55Vr3i— JIM BOONE 🦁 (@CoachJimBoone) October 25, 2021
The late, great, Kobe Bryant is widely regarded to have been one of the greatest basketball players of all time, spending the entirety of his amazing 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. The five-times NBA champion was a true legend of the game, and were it not for the 1998-1999 NBA lockout, he might have added another accolade to his lengthy list of achievements.
After his first NBA All-Star selection in 1998, the NBA lockout of 1998-1999 meant there was no All-Star Game in 1999, while the season itself was also cut short. Bryant went on to consistently feature in all the subsequent the All-Star Game rosters, between 2000 and 2016, clocking up a total of 18 career selections, falling just one All-Star selection short of the elusive all-time record of 19.
Still, it’s fair to say that given what he achieved on the basketball court over the years, beyond the tragic nature of his loss from this world in 2020, the legacy and memory of Kobe Bryant will stand the test of time. Aside from thrilling fans with outstanding performances, this Lakers legend will always have a firm place in the hearts and minds of basketball fans.
19 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Selected to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team… Kareem Abdul-Jabbar! #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/C7U1ctggtI
— NBA (@NBA) October 19, 2021
Given how basketball has evolved and changed over the years, there’s always debate surrounding who is the greatest NBA player of all-time. However, when it comes to the remarkable NBA career of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the numbers clearly speak for themselves. Six-times NBA champion, six-times NBA MVP, eleven-times NBA All-Defensive Team, 38,387 career points, 15,837 field goals made, 57,446 minutes played. These are all-time NBA records that continue to stand the test of time.
Thanks to his 19 All-Star Game selections, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar achieved another monumental milestone, which is made all the more impressive, given his NBA career spanned 20 seasons. Consistently selected from 1970 to 1977, then from 1979 to 1989, the record could have been increased to 20 in total, were it not for an unfortunate incident. In 1978, he missed the first 20 games of the season and also selection for the All-Star Game that year. Anecdotally, this was due to breaking his hand in a fight with Milwaukee Bucks teammate, Kent Benson.
Best of the Best
For now, the NBA All-Star game selection leaders record remains firmly in the hands of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, suggesting that if anyone ever manages to match that record number, they might also be justified in claiming to be the greatest player of all-time. The closest active NBA player is currently LeBron James, and providing the ageing superstar can maintain his form and fitness for another two or three seasons, he could well match or even exceed the NBA All-Star selections record.