With how high NBA player salaries have been going for the past couple of seasons, we thought it would be compelling to look at the high-level players in the past who were never in the upper echelon of salaries. Specifically, we are taking a look at the best players – the NBA stars – who were never in the Top 20 in player salaries in any given season.

Sometimes, these players were unselfish and sacrificed taking a lower salary to play for a winning franchise, and other times, these players were simply unlucky.

Here is a list that includes 24 players over the decades, including a league MVP in Steve Nash and Finals MVPs such as Tony Parker and Chauncey Billups.