The Most Dubious 'All Stars' of the 2000s
What's with sports fans measuring the success of an athlete by All-Star Game appearances?
I mean, while it's a great honor for a guy to be named to a game that features the top stars in his respective sport, there have been a number of questionable decisions that seem to tarnish the achievement.
Sure, I'm one of the worst culprits out there, using the accolade as something to convince myself, friends and readers that an athlete is great, but that doesn't make it right.
And with fans given the ability to vote players in, well, things are even more tainted.
For that reason, I figured the best thing to do is give you a list of the most dubious All-Stars since the turn of the century—with these players making up the not so All-Star team.
Ty Wigginton (2010)
1 of 15
Although Ty Wigginton's addition gave the American League three players at second base even after Boston's Dustin Pedroia was out with an injury, he was still part of the All-Star Game in 2010, making him a questionable choice at best.
With 14 homers at the All-Star break, the Baltimore Orioles player took full advantage of his power supply, earning his first trip.
Finishing with just eight more dingers in the second half of the season—22 in total—Wigginton also saw his average drop to .248, which is far from a notable year for a guy who made the trip with the elite players in the game.
Jamaal Magloire (2004)
2 of 15
Unlike a few others on this list who were an injury replacement, former NBA big man Jamaal Magloire was actually chosen by the coaches to play in the All-Star Game in 2004.
Yes, statistically, it was the best season Magloire ever had in the league—averaging 13.6 points and 10.3 boards on the year. However, it wasn't anything that was so amazing he needed to be added to the All-Star roster.
This was a case of zero options at center for the Eastern Conference, as the other two bigs on the squad that year were Ben Wallace and Jermaine O'Neal.
Marion Barber III (2007)
3 of 15
Never rushing for more than 975 yards in a season, former Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III was known for one thing: a bullying running style that was most effective in short-yardage situations.
Hell, that's what led him to 53 rushing touchdowns during his seven-year career, with his best output coming in 2006 and his lone Pro Bowl season of 2007, when he scored 14 and 10 respectively.
Should that be enough to be named a Pro Bowler, though?
Apparently so. Barber earned a trip to Hawaii in 2007, when those 10 rushing touchdowns placed him in the top five in the entire league.
Still, players such as Clinton Portis, Edgerrin James and Frank Gore in the NFC, who had solid seasons in both rushing yards and touchdowns, were snubbed as Pro Bowlers.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Vlade Divac (2001)
4 of 15
Of all the years Vlade Divac played in the NBA, he actually only made the All-Star Game once in his 16 seasons.
Typically thought of as the guy the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Kobe Bryant, Vlade was a skilled big man, but he wasn't considered to be a star.
In fact, Divac's numbers in the 2000-01 season, during which he made the All-Star Game as an injury replacement, weren't even his best of his career—he had other years in which he averaged higher points and assists.
Still, there was the Serbian on the floor with the best the NBA had to offer—more than likely flopping around.
Brad Miller (2003)
5 of 15
To his credit, former NBA big man Brad Miller was a good passer and a decent player who enjoyed some good years.
But a two-time All-Star? No way!
Yet, there Miller was as a member of the Sacramento Kings during the 2004 game with the game's elite.
Miller might be hailed as a two-time All-Star for the rest of his life, but he never stood out as a player who did anything more than almost get crushed by Shaquille O'Neal in a near-fight once.
Unlike a fluky, one-hit-wonder-like season, Miller's stats were so-so, with him finishing by averaging 14.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
Derek Jeter (2014)
6 of 15It's the Captain playing in his final All-Star Game. For that reason, there was no way in hell former New York Yankees iconic shortstop Derek Jeter was going to sit the 2014 Midsummer Classic out.
Still, was he deserving to be there, let alone start? No chance.
Announcing that the 2014 season would be his last in the big leagues, Jeter may have impressed everyone with his usual theatrics during the game, but by hitting a career-low .256 in 145 games and unable to be the player we all remember him as being, DJ didn't earn the right to be an All-Star—but he was always going to be, no matter what his numbers were.
Kerry Collins (2008)
7 of 15
No joke, it took Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck eight games in 2014 to surpass the 2,676 total passing yards former Tennessee Titans quarterback Kerry Collins had in 15 starts during his second career Pro Bowl appearance in 2008.
Sure, the NFL might be a more pass-heavy league now, but that's absolutely insane.
An absolute beneficiary of his Titans going 13-3, winning their division and earning the AFC's No. 1 seed, Collins tossed just 12 touchdowns to go with seven interceptions that season and should have been watching the Pro Bowl on TV rather than getting an invite to play in it.
Dale Davis (2000)
8 of 15
Playing for an Indiana Pacers team that won 56 games, finished first in the Eastern Conference and made a trip to the NBA Finals, former power forward Dale Davis was one of those glue guys every coach wanted and every title-contending team needed.
With all due respect to all of the blue-collar leaders like Davis out there, the All-Star Game isn't where you belong.
The game is an exhibition for the best players to put on a show for fans, scoring at will with little effort.
That was never Davis' game—as evidenced by the 10 points and 9.9 rebounds he averaged during his lone All-Star season in 2000.
Kordell Stewart (2001)
9 of 15
Known as Slash due to his multipurpose talents, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart made just one Pro Bowl during his 11 seasons in the NFL—and it should have never happened.
While guys should be commended for playing on a winning team—as Stewart did, managing the Steelers to a 13-3 record—a Pro Bowl is an honor that, for better or worse, is heavily based off of statistics.
Kordell just didn't have them.
Averaging fewer than 200 yards passing per game in 2001, Slash threw just 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, adding 537 yards and five scores on the ground.
He finished outside the top 20 in passing touchdowns in his own conference, so can someone please explain to me how this happened?
Allen Iverson (2010)
10 of 15
Like a few other players on this list, former baller Allen Iverson had the chance to have his swan song for the fans who wanted him on the 2010 NBA All-Star Game roster.
Still, he should have done the right thing and declined the invitation.
In his second stint with his original team, the Philadelphia 76ers, A.I. headed into the league's halfway point with pedestrian numbers—14.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists.
This came after the Memphis Grizzlies had released the former league MVP after just three games with the team for him to return to Philly, where he started 24 games for a team that won 27 games, with Iverson calling it quits once the season ended.
Derrick Turnbow (2006)
11 of 15
Going to the MLB All-Star Game as a reliever is always a little bit of a crapshoot.
In addition to the rule of having one player from each team represented—which, when push comes to shove, can always be a guy from the bullpen—it's never easy to predict how their role will fit in an exhibition like the Midsummer Classic.
And the case with Derrick Turnbow in 2006 was one of those sticky situations.
One of three guys from the Milwaukee Brewers who made the National League team, Turnbow's final stat line that year read 4-9 and a 6.87 ERA with eight blown saves in 32 chances.
Yikes.
Even with his ERA at 4.74 at the All-Star break, Turnbow was, inexplicably, invited to take part in one of baseball's best traditions.
Vince Young (2006)
12 of 15
The product of hype and fan enthusiasm, when former Texas Longhorns national champion quarterback Vince Young was drafted No. 3 overall in the 2006 NFL draft, he was thought to be the next-gen signal-caller.
Blending a decent arm with elusiveness and sneaky speed, VY captured the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year thanks to his 8-5 record as a starter in his first year with the Tennessee Titans.
Though that is impressive, Young had just 12 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions in 2006. No, that's not a typo. The guy actually had more turnovers as a passer than scores.
Oh, and he only threw for 2,199 yards in those 13 games, so it's not like he moved the ball at will each game.
Yao Ming (2011)
13 of 15
Helping build the NBA's brand globally after being selected first overall in the 2002 NBA Draft, former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming was one of the most polarizing figures in sports during his career.
However, that didn't mean he was always the best choice to play in the All-Star Game—especially in 2011.
Voted in by the fans after he had sustained a season-ending injury after just five games, Yao had no business even being invited to the weekend, let alone be named a starter.
Sure, his spot was, eventually, filled by a guy who was more deserving, but why the 7'6" Ming was even on the ballot for fans to rack up the votes for him is ridiculous in itself.
Petr Buzek (2000)
14 of 15
You might not actually believe this but back during the 1999-2000 NHL season, the league had adapted a format of North America vs. the World to throw a nice little wrench in the same standard battle between conferences.
That seemed like a good idea, except for the inclusion of Atlanta Thrashers defenseman Petr Buzek on the World team.
With the game being played in Atlanta and the World team thin on the blue line, whoever had the dubious distinction of putting the rosters together selected Buzek, who finished that year with just 19 points, scoring five goals and assisting 14.
Maybe worse, he registered just 16 total points during the remainder of his career, which covered three more seasons.
Kobe Bryant (2014)
15 of 15
Now, I'll never openly bash a guy such as Kobe Bean Bryant.
After all, he just recently passed Michael Jordan for third on the all-time scoring list in the NBA, owns five championship rings and is easily a top-10 player in league history.
For that reason, people want to see him places—it's just not always warranted.
Take, for instance, last year's All-Star Game, when Kobe was voted a starter for the Western Conference even though he had played in just six games and was averaging 13.8 points per game before going down with a knee injury.
Oh, and this all happened after the Black Mamba pleaded with fans to vote for other players to fill the roster spots.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
