NBA All-Star Game 2012: All-Star Starters and Their Reality TV Star Counterparts

The world of NBA basketball and the world of reality television surprisingly have a lot in common.

They're both full of people that get paid a ridiculous amount of money to do what they do, and they're also full of bold, interesting and sometimes absolutely crazy personalities.

With the 2012 NBA All-Star Game right around the corner, I thought it was a perfect time to bring together the All-Star worlds of the NBA and reality television.

Ahead is a list of every 2012 NBA All-Star starter along with the reality TV star that has the most in common with each of them.  Enjoy. 

LeBron James: Kim Kardashian from 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians'

LeBron James and Kim Kardashian don't necessarily have a lot in common, other than the fact that they both absolutely dominated Kris Humphries this year.  Kim broke Kris' heart and then LeBron broke his will on the court when the Heat hooked up with the Nets on Jan. 7th.

Aside from the Kris Humphries connection, LeBron and Kim also have something else in common: They both think pretty highly of themselves.  LeBron thought highly enough of himself to have a show two summers ago detailing his decision about which team to take his talents to, and Kim thinks highly enough of herself to have an entire show about her life.

LeBron and Kim Kardashian are a match made in heaven.  Just imagine how great the holiday pickup basketball games would be with Kim and LeBron taking on Kim's sister Khloe and her husband Lamar Odom.  Yeah, I'd pay to watch that one.  

Dwyane Wade: Khloe Kardashian Odom from 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians'

Whether Dwyane Wade likes it or not, he's now in LeBron James' shadow.  Ever since LeBron brought his talents to South Beach, Wade took the back seat to the self-proclaimed "chosen one."

No matter what Wade does in Miami, it will be overshadowed by talk surrounding LeBron James, and that's exactly what life is like for Kim Kardashian's sister, Khloe Kardashian Odom, who's married to NBA player Lamar Odom.  No matter what Khloe Kardashian does, it's not going to be as good or as important as whatever her big sister Kim is doing, and that's the same fate Wade will suffer in Miami.

Wade and Khloe have a lot in common, whether they like it or not, and there's not much that they can do to change it.  They will both be living in someone else's shadow for a long, long time.     

Derrick Rose: 2011 American Idol Winner Scotty McCreary

It was hard to find a reality TV star who shares the humility that defines Derrick Rose.  Rose isn't only humble, though; he also has a winner's mentality, which is why he won the 2011 NBA MVP trophy.

The only reality TV star that matched up with Rose is none other than 2011 American Idol winner Scotty McReery.  McReery is a humble winner, and that's what makes them such a perfect comparison.

Both Rose and McCreery seem like two of the nicest guys in the world, but don't mess with them because they also want to win.  That's a very rare combination in the world of professional anything.  Kudos to both Rose and McCreery for stepping up their game.   

Carmelo Anthony: Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi from 'Jersey Shore'

Carmelo Anthony is a solid basketball player, but he's not up there with top talents like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Kobe Bryant.  Melo just hasn't been able to take his game to that "next level" and help his team win playoff series.  

Carmelo just isn't quite on the same level as the guys he associates with, just like Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi on Jersey Shore.

Snooki is an interesting-looking person.  She's short, somewhat stumpy, and the ridiculous amount of makeup and fake tan she uses makes her look more like an Oompa Loompa than a normal human being.  Her housemates, JWoww and Sammi Giancola, don't help Snooki out either, in that they both look way more attractive than she does.

It's clear that Snooki isn't on the same level as the other girls on Jersey Shore, just like Anthony isn't on the same level as a lot of other stars in the NBA.  Anthony will probably never be on the same level as guys like LeBron, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, etc., much like Snooki likely won't ever be on the same level as JWoww and Sammi. 

Dwight Howard: Vinny Guadagnino from 'Jersey Shore'

Dwight Howard and Vinny Guadagnino from Jersey Shore have one thing in common: They both want out (well, at least Vinny wanted out recently).  Vinny got fed up with the drama on Jersey Shore, and he just walked out without saying much else. And that is exactly what Dwight Howard is going to do at the end of the 2011-12 NBA season.

Interestingly enough, Howard might be taking his talents from Orlando to the Jersey Shore, if he decides to sign with the New Jersey Nets this summer when he becomes a free agent.  The difference between Vinny and Howard is that Vinny was able to leave whenever he wanted to, whereas Howard has to wait a little bit until he can up and leave.

The Jersey Shore crew managed to talk Vinny into coming back, which is what the the Orlando Magic all want to do with Howard.  Orlando's front office should spend some time with the Jersey Shore crew and figure out how they reeled Vinny back in.  Maybe that will help Orlando be able to talk Howard into coming back to the Magic next season. 

Kobe Bryant: Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino from 'Jersey Shore'

Kobe Bryant isn't humble, and that's part of the reason why he's such a good basketball player.  Kobe knows he's one of the best players in the NBA, and he's comfortable letting everyone know it.  He puts his best asset—his smooth jumper—on display every night, which is exactly what his compadre Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino does, too.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last year, you know that The Situation on Jersey Shore has a six-pack that the ladies love, which many would consider his strongest asset.  You'd be hard pressed to sit through an episode of Jersey Shore without seeing The Situation's six-pack, much like you can't watch a Lakers game without seeing Kobe's nasty jump shot.

Kobe and The Situation are both great at what they do.  Kobe's great at being one of the best basketball players in the world, and The Situation is great at being an arrogant guy from New Jersey.  I'd like to see a reality TV show that had Kobe and The Situation in the same house.  

I wonder which ego would rise to the top?    

Chris Paul: Chef Gordon Ramsay from 'Hell's Kitchen'

Chris Paul looks like a nice guy, but if you ask Pau Gasol, you'll find out that he's got a gritty and aggressive side to him.  CP3 took offense to Gasol patting him on the back of the head, and he let Gasol known exactly how he felt about it.

While there are a lot of reality TV stars that have aggressive tempers, the one that comes to mind first and foremost is the famous Gordon Ramsay of Hell's Kitchen.  While Ramsay is on a whole other level than most people when it comes to confrontation, I'm sure Chris Paul wouldn't be scared to do the same.  Just look at these videos of CP3 confronting Gasol and Ramsay confronting some chef.

CP3 and Gordon Ramsay don't have the most in common, but there's no doubt that they both aren't afraid to confront people, no matter the time or place.  I'd like to see Ramsay and CP3 go at it with each other in a yelling match and see who comes out alive.

Blake Griffin: Jim Bob Duggar from '19 Kids and Counting'

If you've never seen the reality TV show 19 Kids and Counting, take a minute and watch this clip to understand exactly what the show is about.  

Now that you've seen it, you'll better understand my comparison between Blake Griffin and Jim Bob Duggar, the father of the Duggar's huge family.

Blake Griffin is an absolute monster on the court with an incredibly rare mix of athleticism, size and strength—and that's not why he and Duggar are so much alike.  The reason they are perfect counterparts is because both guys are pretty lame.  

I love Griffin, but his lack of personality is absolutely ridiculous.  I've never seen him smile or even say anything on the court, which for an NBA star is pretty odd. 

While Duggar has a personality, it's unfortunately pretty lame.  At least Griffin's lack of personality makes him somewhat intimidating, though I still think Griffin could benefit from speaking up a little bit or even just throwing around a smile once in awhile.  

Duggar, on the other hand, needs to tone his cheesiness down a bit to deal with his lameness.  Both Griffin and Duggar have a long way to go; that's for sure.

Kevin Durant: Jenny 'JWoww' Farley from 'Jersey Shore'

Kevin Durant is one heck of a basketball player.  He's one of the purest scorers the league has ever seen.  What makes Durant such a dangerous player is his ability to score at will, which also makes him an extremely one-dimensional player.  Durant scores, scores and scores, but he doesn't do much more.

Jenny "JWoww" Farley from Jersey Shore is exactly the same kind of person.  While she doesn't earn her paychecks by winning NBA scoring titles, she does rely on one thing—well, actually, two big things—to make money and to earn her celebrity status.  JWoww doesn't have much going for her aside from her two breast, i mean, best friends, and it surprisingly works for her. 

JWoww and Durant have more in common than you'd think by just looking at them.  While they look different, they're both one-dimensional professionals that make a lot of money.  Durant has a smooth jumper, and JWoww has some serious sex appeal.

It seems to work for them, so they need to just keep doing what they're doing until it stops working.  

Andrew Bynum: 'The X Factor' Judge Nicole Scherzinger

Andrew Bynum is having the best year of his career, which is the main reason why he's even on this list as a starting NBA All-Star.  While he is having a great year, a lot of people have quickly hopped on the "Andrew Bynum is the future of the Lakers" bandwagon, and while it might be true, it's not time to declare something like that just yet.

Bynum isn't the only "celebrity" that people gave too much credit way too soon.  

There's a singer/reality TV show judge/dancer named Nicole Scherzinger who suffered the same fate over the past few years.  For some reason, reality show producers for shows like The X Factor and The Sing-Off thought Scherzinger would be a good judge, but unfortunately, she's since been axed from those shows.

People hopped on the Scherzinger bandwagon way too early, and Bynum is hanging around on that same level.  Bynum needs to produce at his current rate for a few more years before he's considered one of the best in the league.  

Yes, Shaq, he's not on Dwight Howard's level yet.  Bynum's more on Scherzinger's level than he is Howard's, but give him another year or two, and Bynum could change that.