NBA 75 team: Key takeaways from full list of players

Gilbert McGregor

NBA 75 team: Key takeaways from full list of players image

The NBA has revealed all 75 members of its 75th Anniversary Team and the names included did not disappoint.

MORE: Who made the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team?

From George Mikan to Giannis Antetokounmpo, the list contains players who have made widespread contributions since the league's inception, ensuring the story of the NBA could not be told without their chapters.

NBA 75 team revealed: Key takeaways from full list of players

From the active players who made the cut to the franchises that have had the most all-time greats, there is plenty to take away from the list of players announced.

Which active players made the NBA 75?

Beginning with Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, a total of 11 active players were selected. Antetokounmpo, who will not turn 27 until December of 2021, is the youngest player selected to the list, entering his ninth NBA season.

Carmelo Anthony, who will turn 38 in May, is the oldest active player to make it onto the list.

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
  • Carmelo Anthony, Lakers
  • Stephen Curry, Warriors
  • Anthony Davis, Lakers
  • Kevin Durant, Nets
  • James Harden, Nets
  • LeBron James, Lakers
  • Kawhi Leonard, Spurs
  • Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
  • Chris Paul, Suns
  • Russell Westbrook, Lakers

How many players from the NBA's 50 Greatest Players were named to the NBA 75?

Of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players that were announced in 1996, all 50 were named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.

Which teams have the most players on the NBA 75? 

While the NBA's three charter franchises in the Celtics, Knicks and Warriors are well represented, it's hard to ignore the presence of players who spent time with franchises like the 76ers and Lakers.

(Note: Players may appear more than once for appearing with multiple franchises)

Franchises with most NBA 75 team members
Team No. Players
Lakers 17 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Carmelo Anthony, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, Bob McAdoo, George Mikan, Steve Nash, Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, Jerry West, Russell Westbrook, James Worthy, 
Celtics 15 Nate Archibald, Ray Allen, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens, Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Kevin McHale, Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Parish, Paul Pierce Bill Sharman, Bill Russell, Bill Walton
Knicks 9 Carmelo Anthony, Dave DeBusschere, Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, Jason Kidd, Jerry Lucas, Bob McAdoo, Earl Monroe, Willis Reed
76ers 7 Charles Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, Hal Greer, Allen Iverson, Moses Malone
Warriors 6 Paul Arizin, Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Nate Thurmond
  • There are multiple examples in which three or more of these players were teammates, including a few notable title-winners:
    • 1962-63 Celtics – Cousy, Havlicek, Jones and Russell
    • 1972-73 Knicks – Frazier, Lucas and Reed
    • 1980-81 Celtics – Archibald. Bird, McHale and Parish
    • 1981-82 Lakers – Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson and McAdoo
    • 1983-84 Celtics – Bird, McHale and Parish
    • 1984-85 Lakers – Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, McAdoo and Worthy
    • 1985-86 Celtics – Bird, McHale, Parish and Walton
    • 1986-88 Lakers – Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson and Worthy
    • 1995-96 Bulls – Jordan, Pippen and Rodman
    • 1996-97 Bulls – Jordan, Parish, Pippen and Rodman
    • 1997-98 Bulls – Jordan, Pippen and Rodman
    • 2007-08 Celtics – Allen, Garnett and Pierce
    • 2012-13 Heat – Allen, James and Wade

Which decades are represented?

  • Mikan, who made his Basketball Association of America (BAA) debut in 1948 and his NBA debut in 1949, made the earliest debut among players on the list.
  • The 1984 NBA Draft class is represented by Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and John Stockton
  • The 1996 NBA Draft class is represented by Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Steve Nash
  • The 2003 NBA Draft class is represented by Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade
  • Antetokounmpo, who made his NBA debut in 2013, is the most recent draft selection on the list.
  • Among players drafted in the 2010s are Antetokounmpo, Davis, Leonard and Lillard.

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.