The 2021-22 season is a special one as it represents the 75th anniversary of the NBA. The game of basketball has grown into a global sport, and the league has numerous greats to thank for its popularity. In honor of its 75th anniversary, the NBA recently released its 75th Anniversary Team, a collection of the best NBA players in league history.
The Los Angeles Lakers are well-represented on the list, with 18 members of the storied franchise making an appearance. Current Lakers LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony all make an appearance, but Dwight Howard was a glaring omission.
Head coach Frank Vogel believes Howard was snubbed and laid out his argument for why. “He should for sure be on the list,” Vogel said. “For sure. 3-time Defensive Player of the Year. 11th, I think, all-time in rebounds. He’ll be in the top 10 before the season ends. … There’s going to be some great player (left off), Klay Thompson not on there? Seriously? There’s going to be some great players that don’t get in there.
“If you put those two guys in, there’s going to be somebody from the top 75 that didn’t get in. Those guys deserve it, too. But it is pretty surreal to have four of those guys on the same team and it’s exciting to give us confidence of what we can accomplish this year.”
Even though the second half of Howard’s career has not gone the way most expected it to, his first 10 years in the league are beyond impressive. Howard made eight consecutive All-Star appearances from 2007 to 2014 and within that span made eight All-NBA teams, was named a four-time All-Defensive First Team member and won three Defensive Player of the Year awards. He was also a five-time rebounding leader as well as a two-time blocks leader.
The veteran big man is a sure-fire Hall of Famer, especially after collecting his first NBA Championship in 2020 and he is easily the biggest snub on the list. It is a shame that he did not make the cut and hopefully it is remedied the next time one of these lists come out.
TNT celebrates 75th Anniversary
The NBA has had countless iconic moments throughout the years, so TNT was creative when celebrating its 75th anniversary by gathering several current stars and having them post and recreate iconic moments.
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