"Arguably Dwight Howard and people like that" - Dominique Wilkins on players who should've been on NBA 75 team

dominique-wilkins

The NBA has been around since 1946, and it’s continuously housing the best players from all over the world. That said, it’s never easy to rank all the greatest players the league has ever had. Let alone please everybody when they trim the list down to the best 75 players ever to do it. For instance, NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins thinks the league should’ve included a few names on the vaunted all-time squad.

Like some of the avid NBA fans, “The Human Highlight Film” would’ve also added some players to the NBA 75 team. Off the top of Wilkins’ head, at least six NBA legends from different eras definitely and arguably earned their spot on that list.

“Vince Carter, Bernard King, [Alex] English, [Adrian] Dantley, Klay Thompson. Arguably Dwight Howard and people like that,” Wilkins told Robb Report in 2022 when asked if he was surprised to see some names missing on the NBA 75 team. “There are quite a few guys who could have easily been on the list.”

Nique was moved to be an NBA 75 member

Wilkins joined the ranks of NBA legends who never won a championship, but his resume undoubtedly speaks for itself. During his prime years, “The Human Highlight Film” was one of the most consistent scorers in the league. He made the All-NBA seven times and the All-Star nine times. But for some odd reason, Nique wasn’t included in the NBA’s 50 greatest players of all time back in 1996.

For Wilkins, the NBA 75 team still wasn’t on point, but at least the NBA did quite a better job in selecting who’s who twenty-five years later. More importantly, it meant a lot to him and his legacy as a player because it already had his name on it.

“How does it feel? Absolutely amazing [laughs],” Wilkins said of being on the NBA 75 team. “I try not to look backwards. So many of my colleagues say, ‘Hey man, you should’ve been on the 50 Greatest list.’ But to actually be part of a historic group like this now means more to me than anything. I was talking with Isiah Thomas and Clyde Drexler, and these are some of the subjects that we talked about. It lets you know life has come full circle for you, and you are now recognized as one of best to ever do it.”

Admittedly, Wilkins was moved upon learning that he made it to the NBA 75 team. While he felt great about the announcement as a player, Nique confided that the feeling was more satisfying as a person.

“I was at home, smoking a cigar and having a nice glass of Hennessy VSOP [laughs]. I was really smoking a cigar, just waiting on the word, and my business partner called me and said, ‘You’re on the list,’ Wilkins recalled. “It didn’t hit me until an hour later. I was kind of emotional about it with my son. My son came and said, “Dad, I heard that you were part of the 75th Anniversary team. And I’m so proud of you.”

The NBA 75 list left some players salty about it

Unsurprisingly, the NBA 75 team got some legendary players feeling what Wilkins felt back in his NBA 50 GOAT snub. As expected, each of them has their own respective argument about why they should’ve been on the list. Dwight Howard was among the most notable ones who weren’t happy about being snubbed.

For “D12,” it didn’t make sense that he wasn’t a Top 75 player, considering he has achieved a lot in his career, and numbers don’t lie.

“I didn’t know winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards in a row, and it should’ve been four, is something that is considered not good,” Howard said.

“There’s guys who don’t have those many accolades,” he explained. “I’m the (youngest) player that’s (reached) 1K, 2K, 3K, all the way up to 9K rebounds. That doesn’t add up. So, where is the miscommunication? Where is the lie with my stats?”

At the same time, there were also those who chose to be witty about the snub, like Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson. Shortly after being excluded on the NBA 75 team, Thompson rocked a No. 77 jersey and declared, “77th greatest player of all time!”

Understandably, some of their family members also expressed their disappointment over the list, as Kenny Anderson’s daughter did on social media.

“I’m not being biased, but how the All-Star Game honors the guards from all time periods….Gary Payton, Allen Iverson, etc., and not honor Kenny Anderson? Doesn’t make sense,” Kenny’s daughter Jazz tweeted.

On the NBA’s 100th anniversary, the league committee would surely come up with a new list. For sure, a new set of NBA greats would once again be left out, and it’s safe to say some of them wouldn’t be happy about it.