NBA is ready to celebrate its 75th anniversary with a bang! This year, the league has named the 75 greatest basketball players ever throughout history. Several legendary players have made it to the list including the late NBA star Kobe Bryant. Read on to learn more about this list.
The NBA’s 75th season has kicked off already. To commemorate the occasion, the organization has compiled a list of the greatest players in NBA history. It must have been a tough decision as it is also the case for any headhunter even in a staffing agency. Coming up with an A-list of top talent is one hell of a task. Due to a tie, 76 members were named instead of 75. A panel of voters was convened to compile this list, which differs significantly from the Top 50 list announced in 1996 to commemorate the league's 50th anniversary. The players, like those on the 1996 list, were not ranked.
The organization revealed the 76 names during the opening 3 days of the regular season to build anticipation for who made the cut. On Tuesday, the first 25 players were named, followed by the second 25 players on Wednesday. The remaining 26 names were added to the list on Thursday night. Now that the whole list has been disclosed, let us look at the names of the players that have received the prestigious award.
Team Highlights
All 50 members from the 50th Anniversary team made it to this new team as well. This includes legends like Bob Pettit, George Mikan, Bob Cousy, and Bill Russell. These men are the only players who have been named in all 4 of NBA Anniversary Teams!
Here is everyone who has been recognized:
All 50 Members
As mentioned earlier, all fifty members from the 50th Anniversary team are part of the list.
Active Players
This list includes 11 players who are currently playing. The names are Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
NBA Stars
- Paul Arizin, George Mikan, Dolph Schayes, and Bob Cousy from the 1951 NBA All-star game
- Bob Pettit: NBA’s Most Valuable Player (1955 to 1956)
- Jerry West: Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award
International Players
- Steve Nash from Canada
- Dirk Nowitzki from Germany
- Hakeem Olajuwon from Nigeria
- Tim Duncan from US Virgin Islands
- Antetokounmpo from Greece
- Patrick Ewing From Jamaica
NBA Legends and Ambassadors
These players will be serving as the ambassadors for the 75th Anniversary Season. The names include Oscar Robertson, Clyde Drexler, Nowitzki, Magic Johnson, and Pettit.
Legends Listed in All Four NBA Anniversary Teams
The names include Bill Russel, Mikan, Cousy, and Pettit.
To view the complete list, click here.
How Were the Players Selected?
From George Mikan to Zion Williamson, the NBA is loaded with superstars. Selecting the top 75 players was a challenging process, but one that was surely interesting. No wonder there was a tie and the committee had to select 76 players.
According to NBA.com, a panel of media representatives, current and past players, coaches, and franchise executives selected the NBA 75th anniversary squad. The league has yet to say if it will reveal voting results or if it will issue detailed criteria for each voter to follow. The procedure appears to be largely subjective.
Some Notable Omissions
Once the list was out, of course not everyone was happy with the list. Fans were outraged because some notable and deserving names never made it to the cut. the names include players like Manu Ginobli, Grant Hill, Tracy Mcgrady, Vince Carter, Dwight Howard, Dikembe Mutombo, and many others.
Final Words
For the players who have made it, it’s surreal. To be voted and included in the list of the best 75 players ever to play the NBA game is a huge honor. It’s clear that not everyone can make it to this list.
With that being said, list-making is an imperfect science that can never satisfy everyone. Many names were omitted, but that doesn’t mean those legendary players were any less important. For those who made the list, knowing that their impact on the game has been felt at an all-time high will be a huge accomplishment. For those who were left out, they will have to prove themselves to make it to the next list.
Technically, this marked the most appropriate time for any NBA team to fix its roster.
But the Los Angeles Lakers did not view the NBA trade deadline as the mechanism to address their problems.
Tenemos todas: El 30 de los Warriors, Stephen Curry, el 77 de los Mavericks, Luka Doncic, la de Irving en los Celtics o la de Westbrook en los Thunder.
También hay clásicas como la de Allen Iverson, Jason Williams, Larry Bird o la de Isiaiah Thomas.
Hasta la de Drazen Petrovic en los Nets o del Dream Team.
No nos olvidamos de las del All Star.
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