Why NBA Superstars Don't Want to Be Like Allen Iverson Anymore

Dean Oliver on the shift in All-Star voting, from the Eye Test Era to the Age of Analytics

Allen Iverson’s uniform said 3, but his game shone brightest from 2. A new generation of All-Stars, including Jayson Tatum, make a living from 3-point range. (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images/Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

This column by Dean Oliver — author of Basketball on Paper and the upcoming Basketball Beyond Paper — is part of our series on making NBA analytics easy.

Twenty years ago, the NBA All-Star Game had legends — Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter. They didn’t play all that hard, though it was harder than the All-Stars of 2024 did. 

You know who else was in that 2004 All-Star Game? Jamaal Magloire, Brad Miller, Baron Davis, Steve Francis, Sam Cassell. Good players, but not legends. 

The NBA’s method for choosing these players has changed, though not a lot. In those days, fans voted for the starters, and the coaches selected reserves. Now the fans, media, and players all vote for starters, and then the coaches select the reserves. It’s a small shift, giving voice to the media and players. 

But the information that voters use to identify All-Stars has definitely changed in the last 20 years.

In particular, there are now analytical metrics, found at sites like Basketball Reference, BBall Index, Dunks & Threes, and Neil’s Substack — these didn’t exist 20 years ago. One exception was WINVAL, from Wayne Winston and Jeff Sagarin. But it wasn’t broadly known, its reliance on small samples made it suspect, and its influence remained limited.¹

So, two decades ago, most fans, media members, players, and coaches did not have these metrics in mind. They were using the eye test or simple statistical rules to make their assessments.

But 20 years is a long time, and analytical metrics have clearly changed the way voters of all stripes see the game — and how players approach it, too.

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The evolution of All-Star voting

Back in 2004, Allen Iverson was one of those All-Stars. He was leading the league in scoring at more than 27 points per game. But his 76ers were nine games below .500 at the All-Star break and, frankly, his analytical numbers weren’t very good.