NBA 75th Anniversary Team: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry among new players announced

The NBA officially kicked off its 75th season in existence, and to celebrate, the league decided to put together a list of the greatest players in history. However, instead of it consisting of 75 names similar to how the 50th anniversary team included 50 players, 76 players were announced due to a tie. To create this list, a panel of voters was assembled, which is entirely distinct from the Top 50 list the league released for its 50th anniversary in 1996. However, like the ’96 list, the players were not ranked. 

In an effort to ramp up anticipation for who made the list, the NBA unveiled the 76 names over the first three days of the regular season. The first 25 names were announced on Tuesday, followed by the second batch of 25 players on Wednesday. The list was finalized Thursday night with the final 26 names. Now that the list has been released in its entirety, here are the players who were granted the prestigious honor: 

1. Bill Russell
2. Oscar Robertson
3. Dirk Nowitzki
4. Hal Greer
5. Bob Pettit
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo
7. Kevin Durant
8. Elvin Hayes
9. Jerry Lucas
10. Willis Reed
11. Nate Archibald
12. Bob Cousy
13. Dave Cowens
14. James Harden
15. Hakeem Olajuwon
16. Kevin McHale
17. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
18. George Mikan
19. John Stockton
20. Steve Nash
21. Charles Barkley
22. Julius Erving
23. George Gervin
24. Moses Malone
25. David Robinson
26. Paul Arizin
27. Rick Barry
28. Larry Bird
29. Wilt Chamberlain 
30. Clyde Drexler 
31. Tim Duncan
32. Patrick Ewing
33. Walt Frazier
34. Kevin Garnett
35. John Havlicek
36. Allen Iverson
37. Magic Johnson
38. Sam Jones
39. Michael Jordan
40. Karl Malone
41. Robert Parish
42. Chris Paul 
43. Scottie Pippen 
44. Bill Sharman
45. Isiah Thomas
46. Nate Thurmond
47. Wes Unseld
48. Bill Walton
49. Jerry West
50. James Worthy
51. Elgin Baylor
52. Dave Bing
53. Billy Cunningham
54. Dave Debusschere
55. Pete Maravich
56. Earl Monroe
57. Shaquille O’Neal
58. Dolph Schayes
59. Lenny Wilkens
60. Dominique Wilkins
61. Dennis Rodman
62. Ray Allen
63. Dwyane Wade
64. Jason Kidd
65. Kobe Bryant
66. Gary Payton
67. Bob McAdoo
68. Paul Pierce
69. Stephen Curry
70. Reggie Miller
71. Kawhi Leonard
72. Damian Lillard
73. LeBron James
74. Carmelo Anthony
75. Anthony Davis
76. Russell Westbrook

Although the league said the Top 50 honorees weren’t guaranteed a spot on the 75th anniversary team, all 50 players made it after the final batch of players were revealed. Every era and player type has been represented on the list, showing the history and evolution of the NBA.   

For Kevin Durant, one of the new selections that had not even reached the NBA when it named its top 50 players in 1996, the honor was among the greatest of his career. 

“It means a lot,” Durant said on TNT after being selected. “It means everything to be honest. You wanna leave your mark on this league, on the game of basketball itself. To be among the greatest that this game has ever seen, just to be in that same company is pretty sweet. As a kid I saw the 50th anniversary and always dreamed of having one of those jackets on, being amongst that group so it feels good to be a part of it now.” 

The league has a number of celebrations planned for the season to honor the 75th anniversary, and players like Nowitzki, Pettit, Robertson, Magic Johnson and Clyde Drexler will serve as ambassadors for the diamond anniversary.