dwight howard nba 75
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA 75 is out and Dwight Howard is the biggest snub, but he’s far from the only legend feeling left out.

Picking 75 of the greatest players in NBA history isn’t an easy task, but leaving Dwight Howard off is criminal. Out of all the snubs — and there were a few — Howard is the most egregious.

He’s being penalized for transitioning nicely into a great role player. Sure, there were a few bumps in the road for Howard as he aged, but his overall resumé speaks for itself:

  • Eight NBA All-Star appearances
  • Eight All-NBA selections (five First Team selections)
  • Three straight Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2009-2011
  • Five All-Defense selections
  • Led the league in rebounds five times
  • Led the league in blocks two times
  • NBA Champion

Howard is a no-doubt, sure-fire, lock-it-up, first-ballot Hall of Famer. At one point in time, he was the most dominant big man in the league. In fact, he was exactly that from 2008-2012, the five years he was First Team All-NBA.

Everyone on the NBA 75 is a legend. That’s not in dispute. No disrespect to Damian Lillard because he is on his way to a Hall of Fame career as well, but Howard’s body of work is better. Lillard has one First Team All-NBA selection to Howard’s five.

Other Snubs Out There

Howard is the one snub that stands out, but he’s hardly alone.

Alex English is always overlooked during these discussions. English led the NBA in scoring during the 80s. He was an eight-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA, and led the league in scoring in 1983. Scoring is the most important thing in basketball and English was one of the greatest to ever do it.

Pau Gasol has an argument to make. He has a ton of individual accolades, but his championship qualities stand out. Kobe Bryant doesn’t get his fourth and fifth rings without Gasol.

Speaking of championship qualities, either Manu Ginóbili or Tony Parker would have made a nice addition to the list. Those Spurs championships don’t happen without them. My pick would be Manu, possibly the greatest sixth man in NBA history.

Real hoopers also know that Kyrie Irving should be on the NBA 75.

Here’s the list of 76 players to make the NBA 75 (there was a tie in voting on the final spot):

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

NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.