5 Most Ridiculously Undeserving NBA Players to Get All-Star Starter Votes

Fan voting and player voting for the NBA All-Star game has turned into a complete joke. Tacko Fall got more fan votes than Bam Adebayo and Andre Drummond, while Alex Caruso picked up more votes than Russell Westbrook, Donovan Mitchell, and Ja Morant. Players like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, who have played either zero or a handful of games, also received votes.

Even if you don't include inactive players like Durant and the social media darlings Fall and Caruso that showed what a disgraceful waste of time fan voting is, these five players were particular standouts on a dizzying list of fringe players that received All-Star consideration from their peers, fans, or the media.

5. Nuggets Forward Jarred Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt is in his second season in the league, but he has mustered just 22 games of action and isn't even averaging a point per-game with the Denver Nuggets this season. In fact, he's one of the few players in the league with a negative PER of -0.7. Apparently, in the eyes of his peers, he is an All-Star. What a sham.

4. Thanasis and Kostas Antetokounmpo

Did whoever voted for these guys get their names mixed up? Did they actually mean to vote for Giannis? Thanasis is part of the mop-up squad that comes in after Giannis has given the Milwaukee Bucks a 25-point lead, while Kostas has played in a whopping five games for the Lakers. Somehow, both of them got six votes each. It's looking more and more like player voting needs to go away.

3. Heat Forward KZ Okpala

Okpala, a three-point specialist out of Stanford, has played in an astounding three games for the Miami Heat as a rookie, and he's still looking for his first points at the NBA level. That didn't stop one rogue player from making Okpala an All-Star in their minds, further showing that this process has become a method for players to get their friends meaningless All-Star votes.

2. Jazz Forward Jarrell Brantley

Credit to Okpala, at least he played in three scoreless games, as Brantley has managed just two scoreless outings for the Utah Jazz. Brantley wouldn't say he's an All-Star. His mom wouldn't say he's an All-Star. One player, however, did.

1. 76ers Guard Marial Shayok

Marial Shayok, a former Virginia starter who transferred to Iowa State and was picked in the second round by the Philadelphia 76ers, is a 24-year-old rookie for the G League Delaware Blue Coats that has yet to play in an NBA game. Let me repeat that: Shayok has played ZERO NBA minutes, and he still ended up with a vote. How is that even allowed? Stunts like this prove that player and fan voting shouldn't be taken with any degree of seriousness.