Fridays around here typically belong to our This Week In Basketball column, but we had to call an audible today. For two reasons.
1. Game and practice coverage in Atlanta, as well as a challenging travel itinerary, intervened.
2. We know now the full list of 76 players — one more than expected because of what the league said was a tie — who made the NBA's 75th Anniversary team. And we need to assess the selections ASAP.
I was super surprised that every single member from the 50th Anniversary Team in 1996 made the 2021 edition, since there were many more than 25 worthy candidates to consider over the past 25 years. I was likewise surprised that Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard were among the mere 11 active players chosen, alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
Who was the biggest snub on your scorecard? Dwight Howard? Tracy McGrady? Grant Hill?
For me: Nikola Jokić, Kyrie Irving, Vince Carter, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Pau Gasol, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all made my unofficial Top 75 ballot — none of them made the real deal.
So let's hear it. How do you feel about the 76 players chosen by 88 voters? Who got robbed? What did the panel get right? I will be responding to comments in this thread all weekend.
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@Marc Stein, what do you think of Alex English's candidacy for the Top 75 list? Led the 80's in scoring (20th all-time), 8x All-Star, 3x All-NBA, went to the Playoffs 16 times. Seems like based on his scoring prowess and consistency, should have been in. Him and Vince Carter present similar cases. I would have voted those two in over Lillard and Davis
I thought Klay should have gotten in along with Steph. But I wonder if him missing the last 2 years of basketball had anything to do with him being snubbed?
For me, my initial thoughts were Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and Yao Ming. Then I went back and looked at their accolades and Dwight's was way more impressive than Yao's and Pau's. It made me think that if you're one of the greatest to play the game then you should have been a 1st Team All-NBA Player at least once. Looking at Pau and Yao they never made 1st team but did make several 2nd and 3rd team.
Dwight Howard is the biggest snub, and it seems like his personality was one of the biggest reasons to keep him off this list. Reminds me a little of the Isiah Thomas “Dream Team” snub, to a degree.
At his peak, Dwight was an 8x all-NBA selection; had 8 all star appearances; was a 4x top-5 MVP vote-getter, and 3x DPOY. Plus, he was a key contributor to the Lakers winning the Championship in 2020 and led his Magic team to the Finals in 2009, when everyone had the Cavs playing the Lakers that year. What more do you need, especially when compared to other centers on this list?!
Granted, his peak coincided with the small-ball revolution and phasing out of centers as focal points of the offense. Still, he was the most impactful at his position for several years and deserved to be on the 75th Anniversary team…
If they were going to include the original 50 no matter what they should have stated that in the beginning. I can see why you wouldn't want hurt feelings but I imagine some of those players probably would have dropped off to make way for guys like Tony, Manu, Carter, Gasol.
I think Bernard King and Vince Carter should have been on the 75. King was unstoppable prior to the knee injury and VC was a very good all around player…good shooter, high IQ, and passed very well.
@Marc Stein, what do you think of Alex English's candidacy for the Top 75 list? Led the 80's in scoring (20th all-time), 8x All-Star, 3x All-NBA, went to the Playoffs 16 times. Seems like based on his scoring prowess and consistency, should have been in. Him and Vince Carter present similar cases. I would have voted those two in over Lillard and Davis
I thought Klay should have gotten in along with Steph. But I wonder if him missing the last 2 years of basketball had anything to do with him being snubbed?
For me, my initial thoughts were Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and Yao Ming. Then I went back and looked at their accolades and Dwight's was way more impressive than Yao's and Pau's. It made me think that if you're one of the greatest to play the game then you should have been a 1st Team All-NBA Player at least once. Looking at Pau and Yao they never made 1st team but did make several 2nd and 3rd team.
Dwight Howard is the biggest snub, and it seems like his personality was one of the biggest reasons to keep him off this list. Reminds me a little of the Isiah Thomas “Dream Team” snub, to a degree.
At his peak, Dwight was an 8x all-NBA selection; had 8 all star appearances; was a 4x top-5 MVP vote-getter, and 3x DPOY. Plus, he was a key contributor to the Lakers winning the Championship in 2020 and led his Magic team to the Finals in 2009, when everyone had the Cavs playing the Lakers that year. What more do you need, especially when compared to other centers on this list?!
Granted, his peak coincided with the small-ball revolution and phasing out of centers as focal points of the offense. Still, he was the most impactful at his position for several years and deserved to be on the 75th Anniversary team…
Really this was a Best 25 in the last 25 (plus Dominique) and not Best 75*
If they were going to include the original 50 no matter what they should have stated that in the beginning. I can see why you wouldn't want hurt feelings but I imagine some of those players probably would have dropped off to make way for guys like Tony, Manu, Carter, Gasol.
Honestly, ending up with 76 is weak stuff. Should've broken that tie. 75 for 75.
What are the odds of all the guys from the 1996 list making the cut? It's almost as if it was preordained...
I think Bernard King and Vince Carter should have been on the 75. King was unstoppable prior to the knee injury and VC was a very good all around player…good shooter, high IQ, and passed very well.