NBA 75: The Greatest Players & The Greatest Snubs
By Jordan Brightman-Charles
As part of their celebrations for their 75th anniversary season, the National Basketball Association decided to compile a list of the league’s 75 greatest ever players. This list was decided via a voting process which involved a panel containing: current and former NBA players, WNBA legends, coaches and team executives, and various members of NBA-affiliated media. Due to a tie in votes, 76 players were added to the list, instead of the intended 75.
Some of the players included in the list are: Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
As always when compiling lists of great individuals, debates will be sparked based around who should and shouldn’t be on these sorts of lists.
Here is a list of some of the NBA stars that fans have considered to be glaring omissions on the list of the 75 greatest players the NBA has seen:
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Dwight Howard
Drafted #1 out of high school in 2004, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Center has been listed by many fans as being one of the biggest snubs from this list. Howard has enjoyed a stellar career during his 17 years in the NBA, amassing such honours as: an NBA Championship, 8 All Star appearances, 3 Defensive Player of the Year Awards and 5 selections to the All-NBA First Team.
The former Orlando Magic man has publicly stated that he found the decision not to vote him onto the team as being “disrespectful.”
Klay Thompson
Another surprising omission was that of the Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson. Dubbed as one half of the “Splash Brothers” alongside teammate Steph Curry, Thompson has routinely displayed himself to be among the league’s best shooters of all time.
Not only is Thompson a three time NBA Champion and a five time league All Star, he also holds the records for: Most three pointers made in a regular season game, scoring 14 against the Chicago Bulls in 2018; The joint-most three pointers scored in a single post-season, successfully completing 98 attempts in the 2015/16 playoffs; scoring 60 points against the Indiana Pacers in only 29 minutes in 2016 (Thompson did not even play in the final quarter of the game); and scoring a record 37 points in a single quarter, scoring 13/13 field goals during the 3rd quarter against the Sacramento Kings in 2015.
As displayed above, Thompson’s omission is one which has certainly raised the ire of many NBA fans, as well as the man himself.
Chris Bosh
Despite being part of the fabled Miami “Big Three” alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Heat legend Chris Bosh has been overlooked by voters. Not only was the 11-time NBA All Star and two time NBA champion a valuable member of his team throughout regular season gameplay, but without his late heroics in game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, the Heat would not have been able to overcome the might of the San Antonio Spurs that year.
Bosh’s series-saving rebound and assist for Ray Allen’s game-tying three pointer is oft regarded as one of the greatest plays in the history of the NBA Finals.