The National Basketball Association (NBA) has named four teams throughout its history that commemorate a milestone league anniversary by honoring its greatest all-time players.[1][2] The NBA considers 1946 to be its founding year. The league was formed in 1949 with the merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL). The NBL began play in 1937, while the BAA started in 1946.[3][4]
The NBA 25th Anniversary Team was named in 1971.[5] Selections were restricted to retired players and were intended to be an all-time All-NBA Team, consisting of four guards, four forwards, and two centers.[6][7] In 1980, eleven players were named to the 35th anniversary team, chosen by the Pro Basketball Writers Association.[8] Players were selected regardless of their position.[6] Just four of the silver anniversary members were chosen.[2] The only two active players on the 50-man ballot, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving, were both selected.[9]
For the league's 50th anniversary in 1996, an appreciably larger list was named.[10] Dubbed the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, the 50 members included 11 who were still active.[11] All 11 members of the 35th anniversary team were selected.[12] Eight of the 10 players from the 25th anniversary team were chosen, with Bob Davies and Joe Fulks—who both last played in the 1950s—being omitted.[13] Forty-seven of the 50 gathered at the 1997 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland,[12] where they were honored at halftime.[14] Missing were Pete Maravich, who had died at age 40 in 1988; Shaquille O'Neal, who had a knee injury and was advised not to fly; and Jerry West, who was also told to not fly due to an ear infection.[12][15] Due to a tie, 76 players were named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. Eleven active players were named, and all 50 members of the 50th anniversary team were included. Bob Cousy, George Mikan, Bob Pettit, and Bill Russell are the only four players to be named to all four anniversary teams.[16]
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| Team | Year | Players | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Active | ||
| 25th | 1971 | 10 | 0 |
| 35th | 1980 | 11 | 2 |
| 50th | 1996 | 50 | 11 |
| 75th | 2021 | 76 | 11 |
- ^ Jackson, James (October 22, 2021). "James Harden, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony among greats celebrating place on NBA's Top 75 list". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ a b Anderson, Ben (September 22, 2021). "28. The 75th Anniversary Of The NBA". KSLSports.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Hallman, Charles (September 30, 2021). "Is the NBA 'fudging history'?". Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Given, Karen (October 25, 2019). "Why The NBA Celebrates The Wrong Birthday". WBUR.org. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Irving, Kyle (August 26, 2021). "NBA 75: Which active players could join the list of all-time greats?". Sporting News. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ a b "Everything you need to know about the NBA's 75th Anniversary Season". NBA.com. October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "Bill Russell Is Unmanimous Pick On Silver Anniversary Squad". The Evening Standard. January 11, 1971. p. 17. Retrieved October 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "By the Numbers: NBA celebrates 75th anniversary season". Sporting News. October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Sachare, Alex (October 31, 1980). "NBA's all-time all-star team". Public Opinion. Chamersburg, Pennsylvania. p. 25. Retrieved October 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "NBA 75: Who was selected to the NBA's 25th, 35th and 50th Anniversary Teams?". NBA.com. August 25, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ Bembry, Jerry (October 29, 1996). "Unseld gets NBA top 50 tip Former Bullets great takes honor in stride". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
- ^ a b c Aschburner, Steve (October 23, 2021). "How I voted players to NBA's 75th Anniversary Team". Sporting News. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Aboy, Agustín (September 3, 2021). "NBA 75: Taking a trip down memory lane to revisit the NBA 50 years ago". NBA.com. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ "NBA's 75 greatest players of all time: The complete list". ESPN.com. October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Condotta, Bob (February 10, 1997). "Payton on Karl: 'No problem'". The News Tribune. p. C-4. Retrieved October 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Butler, Alex (October 22, 2021). "LeBron, Kobe, Shaq among 76 players on NBA's 75th anniversary team". United Press International. Retrieved October 24, 2021.