The Elite of the Elite: A Deep Dive into Superstar Seasons in SLN
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GX.
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The Elite of the Elite: A Deep Dive into Superstar Seasons in SLN
Introduction
Piggy backing off my last article, i wanted to open this PER metric up to more SLN seasons to see how many times a player has reached Superstardom, and which teams have owned the most superstars in recent years.
This analysis only accounts for players in the current file so anyone who has retired is omitted from these lists.
The Superstar Hierarchy: Individual Excellence
When examining individual players, a clear hierarchy emerges among those who have consistently reached Superstar status:
Kyrie Irving stands alone at the summit with an impressive 11 Superstar seasons (1 season with the lakers is questionable because he played 12 games), regardless kyrie has established himself as one of the most consistently elite performers in league history. Albiet he is a crazy man and has shuffled to 5 separate teams for his 11 superstar seasons.
Kevin Durant follows closely with 10 Superstar seasons, cementing his status as one of the league's all-time greats. 7 of which were for the hawks!!!
The next tier features Nikola Jokic with 7 Superstar seasons
and Joel Embiid rounds out the top tier with 6 Superstar seasons
The Supporting Cast
Several players have achieved multiple Superstar seasons, creating a second tier of excellence: Aaron Gordon and Kristaps Porzingis each contributed 5 Superstar seasons, demonstrating the value of versatile forwards who can impact multiple areas of the game
Luka Doncic, Myles Turner, and Rui Hachimura each achieved 3 Superstar seasons.
The presence of Eddy Curry with 2 Superstar seasons provides an interesting historical note, showing how different eras of the league may have favored different player types and skill sets.
Team Distribution: The Spread of Excellence
The distribution of Superstar seasons across teams reveals intriguing patterns about organizational success and player development:
The Phoenix Suns lead all teams with 9 Superstar seasons, suggesting either exceptional player development, smart acquisitions, or perhaps favorable team systems that allow individual players to flourish.
The Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks are tied for second with 7 Superstar seasons each, indicating sustained periods of having elite individual talent on their rosters.
Several teams cluster in the middle tier with 4-5 Superstar seasons: the Milwaukee Bucks (5), Dallas Mavericks (5), Memphis Grizzlies (4), and Orlando Magic (4). This suggests a relatively balanced distribution of elite talent across the league.
Interestingly, 10 teams have managed only 2-3 Superstar seasons total: Bulls (3), Pistons (3), Rockets (3), Lakers (2), Nets (2), Raptors (2)
while 6 teams have managed 1 superstar season: Boston Celtics, LA Clippers, Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets, Seattle SuperSonics, and Minnesota Timberwolves. This could indicate either organizational challenges in developing or retaining elite talent, or perhaps different strategic approaches that prioritize team balance over individual stardom.
I will not be pointing out the teams that have never had a superstar but you all can do the math!
The Rarity of Excellence
Perhaps the most striking aspect of this analysis is just how rare true Superstar performance is. With 62 total Superstar seasons spread across multiple years of league play and 19 different teams, we're looking at an average of roughly 3-4 Superstar performances per season league-wide. This scarcity underscores the genuine difficulty of reaching this elite tier and makes each Superstar season a truly special achievement.
The fact that only 17 individual players have ever achieved Superstar status speaks to the exclusivity of this tier. When we consider that players like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant have combined for 21 of the 67 total Superstar seasons (31%), it becomes clear that sustained excellence at this level is extraordinarily rare.
Looking Forward
In this new age of SLN, are we to see upcoming stars like Luka, Wemby, Maxey, and Flagg challange Kyrie and KD for their crowns? or is 10 seasons of continued production too much for these frail boys to handle?
Full Data
Piggy backing off my last article, i wanted to open this PER metric up to more SLN seasons to see how many times a player has reached Superstardom, and which teams have owned the most superstars in recent years.
This analysis only accounts for players in the current file so anyone who has retired is omitted from these lists.
The Superstar Hierarchy: Individual Excellence
When examining individual players, a clear hierarchy emerges among those who have consistently reached Superstar status:
Kyrie Irving stands alone at the summit with an impressive 11 Superstar seasons (1 season with the lakers is questionable because he played 12 games), regardless kyrie has established himself as one of the most consistently elite performers in league history. Albiet he is a crazy man and has shuffled to 5 separate teams for his 11 superstar seasons.
Kevin Durant follows closely with 10 Superstar seasons, cementing his status as one of the league's all-time greats. 7 of which were for the hawks!!!
The next tier features Nikola Jokic with 7 Superstar seasons
and Joel Embiid rounds out the top tier with 6 Superstar seasons
The Supporting Cast
Several players have achieved multiple Superstar seasons, creating a second tier of excellence: Aaron Gordon and Kristaps Porzingis each contributed 5 Superstar seasons, demonstrating the value of versatile forwards who can impact multiple areas of the game
Luka Doncic, Myles Turner, and Rui Hachimura each achieved 3 Superstar seasons.
The presence of Eddy Curry with 2 Superstar seasons provides an interesting historical note, showing how different eras of the league may have favored different player types and skill sets.
Team Distribution: The Spread of Excellence
The distribution of Superstar seasons across teams reveals intriguing patterns about organizational success and player development:
The Phoenix Suns lead all teams with 9 Superstar seasons, suggesting either exceptional player development, smart acquisitions, or perhaps favorable team systems that allow individual players to flourish.
The Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks are tied for second with 7 Superstar seasons each, indicating sustained periods of having elite individual talent on their rosters.
Several teams cluster in the middle tier with 4-5 Superstar seasons: the Milwaukee Bucks (5), Dallas Mavericks (5), Memphis Grizzlies (4), and Orlando Magic (4). This suggests a relatively balanced distribution of elite talent across the league.
Interestingly, 10 teams have managed only 2-3 Superstar seasons total: Bulls (3), Pistons (3), Rockets (3), Lakers (2), Nets (2), Raptors (2)
while 6 teams have managed 1 superstar season: Boston Celtics, LA Clippers, Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets, Seattle SuperSonics, and Minnesota Timberwolves. This could indicate either organizational challenges in developing or retaining elite talent, or perhaps different strategic approaches that prioritize team balance over individual stardom.
I will not be pointing out the teams that have never had a superstar but you all can do the math!
The Rarity of Excellence
Perhaps the most striking aspect of this analysis is just how rare true Superstar performance is. With 62 total Superstar seasons spread across multiple years of league play and 19 different teams, we're looking at an average of roughly 3-4 Superstar performances per season league-wide. This scarcity underscores the genuine difficulty of reaching this elite tier and makes each Superstar season a truly special achievement.
The fact that only 17 individual players have ever achieved Superstar status speaks to the exclusivity of this tier. When we consider that players like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant have combined for 21 of the 67 total Superstar seasons (31%), it becomes clear that sustained excellence at this level is extraordinarily rare.
Looking Forward
In this new age of SLN, are we to see upcoming stars like Luka, Wemby, Maxey, and Flagg challange Kyrie and KD for their crowns? or is 10 seasons of continued production too much for these frail boys to handle?
Full Data
2020 Bubble Boyz
The Elite of the Elite: A Deep Dive into Superstar Seasons in SLN
All I'm getting from GX is that Rui Hachimura is HIM
The Elite of the Elite: A Deep Dive into Superstar Seasons in SLN
Who wants superstars when you can have weirdos?
Weirdos >>>>>>>>>>>> Superstars
Weirdos >>>>>>>>>>>> Superstars
The Elite of the Elite: A Deep Dive into Superstar Seasons in SLN
I’m ok with 3rd billing on this listGX. wrote: May 27th, 2025, 4:44 pm
In this new age of SLN, are we to see upcoming stars like Luka, Wemby, Maxey, and Flagg challange Kyrie and KD for their crowns? or is 10 seasons of continued production too much for these frail boys to handle?
The Elite of the Elite: A Deep Dive into Superstar Seasons in SLN
this is cool - would love to see some of the historical guys as well. Could pull from the HOF archive perhaps
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