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- LeBron James has played with numerous star players who were past their primes.
- Some players were former stars acquired by management to give James support, while others were aging veterans chasing a ring on James’ teams.
- We ranked each of those past-their-prime All-Stars by their total careers.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
LeBron James has played with plenty of stars in their primes, but the list of former All-Stars who have joined his teams after their best days is even longer.
Following recent reports that the Los Angeles Lakers are considering signing Dwight Howard, we took a look back at each of James’ teams and found former All-Stars who played with James just a few years too late.
Some players were former stars acquired by management to give James some help on the court, while others were ring-chasing veterans, hoping for one last shot at a championship.
From Wally Szczerbiak to Ben Wallace to Shaquille O’Neal, take a look at our rankings of James’ past-their-primes All-Star teammates. Each player was ranked by their total careers, not just their time with James.
14. Wally Szczerbiak
Tony Dejak/AP
All-Star seasons: 1 — 2001-02
Years with LeBron: 2 — 2007-2009
Career stats: 14.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 48.5% FG, 40.6% 3FG
Other awards: none
One thing to know: Wally Szczerbiak was a valuable veteran addition to the Cavs in 2007, but he averaged just 7 points per game in his two seasons alongside LeBron James. In his prime, he would have been a sharp-shooting wing and secondary scorer that would have thrived with the looks James created for him. He retired after the 2008-09 season.
13. Juwan Howard
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
All-Star seasons: 1 — 1995-96
Years with LeBron: 3 — 2010-2013
Career stats: 13.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 46.9% FG
Other awards: All-NBA (1995-96)
One thing to know: Howard’s best years came well before James entered the NBA, but he was nonetheless a solid presence at power forward and small-ball center for much of his career. He and James didn’t end up playing together until 2010 when James joined the Heat and Howard was in his final playing days. Howard later worked with the Heat as an assistant coach.
12. Jerry Stackhouse
Tim Shaffer/Reuters
All-Star seasons: 2 — 1999-00, 2000-01
Years with LeBron: 1 — 2010-11
Career stats: 16.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 40.9% FG, 30.9% 3FG
Other awards: none
One thing to know: Stackhouse was once an athletic scorer and tough defender. He averaged almost 30 points per game in 2000-01, just three seasons before James entered the league. The two didn’t team up until 10 years later, and only briefly, as the Heat waived Stackhouse after a month.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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Source: Business Insider – sdavis@businessinsider.com (Scott Davis)