As we approach February, the buzz around the NBA‘s All-Star weekend is starting to get louder. The weekend will recognize the best performances of the season through a process of fan, media, and player voting. For any player, being a part of the All-Star team is always considered a privilege and a recognition, even after retirement. In the NBA’s long history, there have been many legends that have been a part of the All-Star team, but only the below have the honor to represent it the maximum amount of times:
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LeBron James:
Entering his 21st season, LeBron James has clearly beaten the concept of ‘Father Time’. At 39, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is showing no signs of slowing down. His performance in the 2023-24 season has earned him his 20th All-Star selection, which is now the highest number of All-Star selections by any player in the history of the NBA. If that wasn’t enough, he is the only player to feature as a starter in all the All-Star games. Out of the 20 appearances, LeBron James has managed to win the All-Star MVP award three times in his career.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the record for the most All-Star selections at 19 for 35 years before LeBron James eclipsed him in 2024. Abdul-Jabbar played in the NBA for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. A hugely popular figure around the league, he was voted into the All-Star teams even during his declining seasons. Despite having 19 All-Star selections, the six-time champion never managed to win an All-Star MVP award. He currently stands second on the list, with no one to challenge the top two for the next couple of years.
Kobe Bryant:
In third place, we have Kobe Bryant with 18 All-Star selections in a twenty-year career span. The Black Mamba was a fan favorite for as long as he played in the league. The fans loved him so much that they once voted him into the 2014 All-Star team despite the player having played only six games before getting injured. This led the NBA to change the voting process by giving fans only a 50% weightage while the other 50% belonged to the media and players.
Kobe Bryant also has the maximum number of All-Star MVP awards at four, tied with Bob Petit. After his tragic death in 2020, the NBA decided to honor him by renaming the award as the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award. The trophy was redesigned to honor Bryant, and details of his illustrious career can be found in the glassware.
Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett tied for fourth
At number four in the list, we have a three-way tie between NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett. The three NBA superstars have 15 All-Star selections to their name and are all in the NBA’s Hall of Fame. The players have played at least 19 seasons in the league. While Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan have multiple championships to their name, Kevin Garnett has just one. As far as the All-Star MVP award goes, Shaq (2000,2004,2009) has three, while Duncan (2000) and Garnett (2003) have one apiece. Duncan and Shaq shared the coveted honor in 2000.
A Five-way tie for the Fifth spot
The fifth spot on the coveted list of All-Star selections is shared by five players who are all NBA legends and were part of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team – Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Jerry West, and Karl Malone. The five players have 14 selections to their name and have given some of the most memorable performances during the All-Star game. As far as the All-Star MVP goes, Michael Jordan (1988,1996,1998) has won the award thrice, while Kevin Durant (2012,2019) and Karl Malone (1989,1993) have won it twice. Jerry West (1972) was named the MVP once, while Nowitzki did not have the honor of winning one.
