NBA All-Star Game 2012: Steve Nash & 5 Guys Playing in Their Last All-Star Game

The 2012 NBA All-Star Game is only two weeks away and, as usual, the All-Star rosters are filled with all kinds of players.

There are players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, who make NBA All-Star games year after year on their names alone.

There are players like Andre Iguodala, Marc Gasol, Roy Hibbert and Luol Deng, who are making the first NBA All-Star appearances of their career.

More importantly, for the sake of this article, there are players like Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce, who will be playing in the final NBA All-Star Games of their careers.

Ahead is a list of players who will be making their final All-Star appearance in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.

Andre Iguodala, SF, Philadelphia 76ers

Andre Iguodala's 2012 All-Star appearance is the first of his solid eight-year NBA career, but unfortunately for him it will also be the only one of his career.

The reason why this year's All-Star appearance will be his last is because the 76ers are becoming a much better team. The 76ers becoming a better team means that players not named Andre Iguodala—like Jrue Holiday, Spencer Hawes and Lou Williams—are finally stepping their game up.

As other players on the 76ers get better, Iguodala's production will decrease, which it has already started to do this year, with Iguodala only averaging 12.9 points per game as compared to his career average of 15.5 PPG.

When it comes to overall success for the 76ers, Iguodala's production doesn't necessarily matter because I'm sure all Iguodala cares about is winning a championship. But when it comes to multiple All-Star appearances for him, other players carrying the weight doesn't help.

Iguodala better soak up the 2012 NBA All-Star experience, because it is undoubtedly going to be the only one of his career. 

Joe Johnson, SG, Atlanta Hawks

Joe Johnson is arguably one of the most overpaid players in the entire NBA, making nearly $19 million per year, which is more than guys like Chris Paul, LeBron James and Dwight Howard make. Even though he might be overpaid, he's at least playing at a relatively high level.

Johnson's 2012 All-Star appearance will be the seventh of his 11-year NBA career, but it will ultimately end up being the last one.

Johnson isn't necessarily the best player on the Atlanta Hawks roster anymore, especially with Josh Smith slowly but surely taking over that honor. Many think that Josh Smith deserved to be on the Eastern Conference All-Star roster more than Joe Johnson, and that's going to be the reality for Johnson in the coming years.

The Eastern Conference is also full of guards, like Brandon Jennings, Danny Granger and Jrue Holiday, who could take the 30-year-old Johnson's spot in upcoming years.   

Steve Nash, PG, Phoenix Suns

2012 might be the year of not only Steve Nash's last All-Star appearance, but also his final year in the NBA. Nash just turned 38 years old on Feb. 7th, which makes him one of the oldest players in the entire league.

It's impressive that Nash is playing at such a high level at his age, but there's no doubt that it will be a struggle for Nash to keep that production up throughout the 2011-12 NBA season and to produce at such a high level in years to come.

While Nash might be able to physically produce at 15.0 points and 10 assists per game, the talent he has around him in Phoenix won't make it easy. There are trade rumors involving Nash being moved out Phoenix, and if that's the case, he could still have another solid year or two left in the tank.

If Nash stays in Phoenix, though, the best days of his career will be behind him after this year, which means that 2012 will be the last year that Nash puts on an NBA All-Star jersey.

Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Dallas Mavericks

Even Dirk Nowitzki doesn't think he deserved to be an All-Star this year, but that didn't keep NBA coaches from selecting him to his 12th straight NBA All-Star appearance.

This season, Nowitzki hasn't necessarily played up to his potential, averaging only 18.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game—not on par with his career averages.

Aside from Nowitzki's decrease in production and his age (33), the main reason why Nowitzki is playing in his final All-Star game is because of the young talent that is emerging at the power forward position in the Western Conference. Guys like LaMarcus Aldridge, David Lee, DeMarcus Cousins and Zach Randolph could easily take Nowitzki's All-Star spot in the next year or two.

Nowitzki needs to soak up his 2012 NBA All-Star appearance because it will most likely be his last. Not because he's not capable of playing at a high level, but because there are players who will be playing at a higher level than him.

Paul Pierce, SF, Boston Celtics

Paul Pierce has been the saving grace of the Boston Celtics so far this season. While Pierce isn't producing at a level consistent with his career averages, his 2012 NBA All-Star appearance is undoubtedly deserved, averaging 18.1 points, 5.7 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. 

Much like Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce's streak of 11 NBA All-Star appearances won't end because he doesn't have the talent to play at a high level. Pierce's streak of All-Star appearances will end because there are too many rising stars in the Eastern Conference that will take his place in the years to come.

Players like the Celtics' own Rajon Rondo, Kyrie Irving, Josh Smith and even guys like Jeremy Lin will move into Pierce's All-Star spot before he knows it. I know those guys aren't all forwards, but with a few rotations on the roster, those guys could take Pierce's spot sooner than later.

At the start of the next season, Pierce will be 35 years old—not a huge concern, but it still won't make producing at an All-Star level easy. Pierce has a long road ahead of him if he doesn't want 2012 to be the year of his last All-Star appearance.