Rookies Who Made the NBA All-Star Game
Making the NBA All-Star Game is an accomplishment for any player, but earning a selection during a rookie season is especially impressive. While most players need several years to establish themselves among the league's best, a select group made an immediate impact and received All-Star recognition in their first NBA season.
The tradition dates back to the inaugural NBA All-Star Game in 1951, when rookies Bob Cousy, Paul Arizin and Larry Foust were selected. Over the following decades, future Hall of Famers such as Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan joined the list.
Blake Griffin was the most recent player on this historical list, earning a selection in 2011 while playing his first NBA season for the Los Angeles Clippers.
NBA Rookie All-Star Selections by Year
| Year |
Player |
Team |
Starter |
Rookie-Season Stats |
| 1951 | Bob Cousy | Boston Celtics | Yes | N/A |
| 1951 | Paul Arizin | Philadelphia Warriors | No | 17.4 P |
| 1951 | Larry Foust | Fort Wayne Pistons | No | N/A |
| 1954 | Ray Felix | Baltimore Bullets | Yes | N/A |
| 1954 | Jack Molinas | Fort Wayne Pistons | No | 12.1 P, 7.2 R |
| 1954 | Don Sunderlage | Milwaukee Hawks | No | N/A |
| 1955 | Bob Pettit | Milwaukee Hawks | No | 20.6 P |
| 1955 | Frank Selvy | Milwaukee Hawks | No | 20.6 P |
| 1956 | Maurice Stokes | Rochester Royals | No | 15.9 R |
| 1957 | Tom Heinsohn | Boston Celtics | No | N/A |
| 1959 | Elgin Baylor | Minneapolis Lakers | Yes | 23.4 P |
| 1960 | Wilt Chamberlain | Philadelphia Warriors | Yes | 37.3 P |
| 1961 | Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati Royals | Yes | 31.2 P |
| 1961 | Jerry West | Los Angeles Lakers | No | N/A |
| 1962 | Walt Bellamy | Chicago Packers | Yes | 29.7 P |
| 1963 | Terry Dischinger | Chicago Zephyrs | No | N/A |
| 1964 | Jerry Lucas | Cincinnati Royals | Yes | N/A |
| 1965 | Willis Reed | New York Knicks | No | 18.4 P |
| 1965 | Luke Jackson | Philadelphia 76ers | Yes | 15.2 P |
| 1966 | Rick Barry | San Francisco Warriors | Yes | N/A |
| 1969 | Wes Unseld | Baltimore Bullets | No | 15 P |
| 1969 | Elvin Hayes | San Diego Rockets | Yes | 30.3 P, 18.0 R |
| 1970 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Milwaukee Bucks | No | 26.5 P |
| 1971 | Geoff Petrie | Portland Trail Blazers | No | N/A |
| 1971 | John Johnson | Cleveland Cavaliers | No | N/A |
| 1972 | Sidney Wicks | Portland Trail Blazers | No | 24.0 P |
| 1976 | Alvan Adams | Phoenix Suns | No | N/A |
| 1978 | Walter Davis | Phoenix Suns | No | N/A |
| 1980 | Larry Bird | Boston Celtics | No | 19 P, 10 R |
| 1980 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | Yes | N/A |
| 1980 | Bill Cartwright | New York Knicks | No | 23.1 P |
| 1982 | Isiah Thomas | Detroit Pistons | Yes | 17.4 P |
| 1982 | Kelly Tripucka | Detroit Pistons | No | 19.9 P |
| 1982 | Buck Williams | New Jersey Nets | No | 15.5 P |
| 1984 | Ralph Sampson | Houston Rockets | No | 21.3 P |
| 1985 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | Yes | 27.4 P |
| 1985 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets | No | 20.7 P |
| 1986 | Patrick Ewing | New York Knicks | No | 20.9 P, 9.2 R |
| 1990 | David Robinson | San Antonio Spurs | No | 23.2 P, 11.8 R |
| 1992 | Dikembe Mutombo | Denver Nuggets | No | 19.1 P, 13.3 R |
| 1993 | Shaquille O'Neal | Orlando Magic | Yes | 24.0 P, 14.3 R |
| 1995 | Grant Hill | Detroit Pistons | Yes | 18.4 P, 5.1 R |
| 1998 | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs | No | 18.2 P, 11.5 R |
| 2003 | Yao Ming | Houston Rockets | Yes | 13.0 P, 8.1 R |
| 2011 | Blake Griffin | Los Angeles Clippers | No | 22.8 P, 12.6 R |
Understanding the Statistics
Year: The calendar year of the NBA All-Star Game in which the rookie was selected.
Player: The rookie who received All-Star recognition.
Team: The franchise represented by the player at the time of the selection. Historical franchise names have been preserved.
Starter: Indicates whether the player was selected as an All-Star Game starter.
P: Points per game during the player's rookie NBA season.
R: Rebounds per game during the player's rookie NBA season.
N/A: The original archive did not provide statistics for that entry.
The statistics are reproduced from the original NBAHoopsOnline page. They are season averages, not necessarily the player's statistics through the date of the All-Star Game. Entries have not been independently recalculated.
Notable Rookie All-Star Performances
Wilt Chamberlain (1960): Chamberlain entered the NBA with the Philadelphia Warriors and immediately established himself as one of the league's most dominant players. He averaged 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds per game over his full rookie season, won both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors, and earned an All-Star selection. The original table lists 37.3 points.
Oscar Robertson (1961): Robertson made an immediate impact with the Cincinnati Royals. The future Hall of Famer was selected as an All-Star starter in his first NBA season and went on to become one of the greatest all-around players in league history.
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson (1980): Both future legends were All-Stars during their rookie seasons. Bird represented the Boston Celtics, while Johnson was selected as a starter for the Los Angeles Lakers, foreshadowing one of basketball's defining rivalries.
Michael Jordan (1985): Jordan earned an All-Star starting spot as a rookie with the Chicago Bulls. His first season established him as one of the league's brightest young stars.
Shaquille O'Neal (1993): O'Neal made the All-Star starting lineup during his rookie season with the Orlando Magic, beginning a career that would eventually include 15 All-Star selections.
Yao Ming (2003): Yao was voted an All-Star starter in his first season with the Houston Rockets, becoming one of the NBA's most prominent international stars.
Blake Griffin (2011): Griffin was selected during his first season of NBA game action after missing the entire 2009–10 season with an injury. His explosive play made him one of the league's biggest attractions.
Related NBA All-Star Pages
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