NBA
NBA 75th Anniversary Team: 15 greats who were left out
The NBA named its 75th Anniversary Team in October - and there were plenty of basketball legends who didn't make the list.
Kyrie Irving (2011-)
All the ability in the world with ball in hand. The point guard debuted in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers as first overall pick in the 2011 draft, and won a championship ring alongside LeBron James and Kevin Love, in the greatest ever finals comebac
Tony Parker (2001-2019)
After being drafted at number 28 in 2001, Parker spent his entire NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs. The France international oozed class and intelligence, controlling the tempo of games in a way very few have done in the American league. He was part
Chauncey Billups (1997-2014)
“Basketball was my way of going to college.” Billups didn’t set out to be an NBA star, but, in a 17-year career in the league, ended up becoming a legend of the game, winning a championship and a finals MVP award, and making the All-Star Game four times.
Klay Thompson (2011-)
The 11th pick in the 2011 draft, Thompson is one of the sharpest shooters in the history of the NBA, a player with a receive-it-and-take-aim-quick mentality who was part of what, for many, is the best ever NBA team: the Golden State Warriors who registere
Vince Carter (1998-2020)
A man seemingly capable of defying gravity, he said farewell to the game last year. Carter was a unique, easy-on-the-eye player whom the NBA did not reward with a championship ring. However, he did manage eight All-Star selections and was part of one of t
Tracy McGrady (1997-2013)
T-Mac is another NBA great who never got his hands on a championship ring. He began his NBA career at the Toronto Raptors, but it was at the Orlando Magic that he exploded into a franchise player and proved himself to be a generational talent. In four sea
Adrian Dantley (1976-1991)
An oft underrated player. One of the great points scorers of the early 1980s, he twice racked up more than anyone else in an NBA season (1981 and 1984) and averaged over 30 per game for a period of four years. All that came at the Utah Jazz. When, years l
Alex English (1976-1991)
After being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks at number 23 in the 1976 draft, English’s NBA career took off at the Denver Nuggets, where he achieved the nigh-on impossible feat of making a name for himself alongside the great stars of the 1980s. He was an A
Paul George (2010-)
A player with an astonishing scoring capacity, George made his name in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, helping the franchise go toe to toe with the Miami Heat of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. An immense defender, he has made All-NBA Defensive
Pau Gasol (2001-2019)
Spain’s greatest ever player announced his retirement in October, with an enviable resumé: a seven-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA Team member, Rookie of the Year in 2002 and twice an NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, alongside his close friend K
Draymond Green (2012-)
Green had a hand in changing the way the game is played in the NBA. His passing vision and ability to defend in any position (he was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2017) allowed the Golden State Warriors to break new ground by playing ‘small ball’
Chris Bosh (2003-2016)
A special player who was forced to retire early because of a life-threatening blod-clotting condition. Bosh was pure poetry, graceful in his movements and in his short and long-range shooting. He was a key figure in the two championship rings won by the M
Dwight Howard (2004-)
Before descending into a destructive spiral, Howard was one of the great NBA centers. A natural successor to Shaquille O’Neal in the paint, he was an unstoppable force under the rim and catapulted the Orlando Magic, who had drafted him at first overall pi
Ben Wallace (1996-2012)
The center who wasn’t a center is one of the best defensive players the NBA has ever seen. Big Ben was a key cog in the Pistons’ ‘Bad Boys 2.0’, and won a title in Detroit, where he spent the bulk of his career. His 1,088 regular-season games is the most
Dikembe Mutombo (1991-2009)
One of the best non-American players ever in the NBA. Born in Zaire (now DR Congo), he is an eight-time All-Star. A battling defender (winning the Defensive Player of the Year award on four occasions), he is the second-top blocker in the history of the le