Tag: NBA 75

76 greatest NBA players ever: Where Rockets rank in HoopsHype’s updated list

For the NBA’s 76th season in 2022-23, @HoopsHype has a fresh update of the top 76 players of all-time. Here’s where former Rockets came in, starting with Hakeem Olajuwon.

Edition one of the HoopsHype 75 went well enough that many people liked it better than the official NBA one, so our sister publication is doing another round. The catch is that they’re adding another player to make it a 76-deep list, since this is the league’s 76th season.

The main difference between this list and the official NBA75 one is that HoopsHype is giving modern-era players their flowers, to a larger extent. Egregious omissions from the official list, such as Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, easily made it onto this ranking.

As was the case last year, HoopsHype held a team vote with the opinions of eight staff members, removed the highest and lowest rank for each, and awarded points from 76-1 for the rest.

Scroll on to see where former Houston Rockets were ranked, along with voting details, player accolades, and analysis from HoopsHype. You should check out the full HoopsHype list for all 76 updates.

Draymond Green thinks his NBA Finals suspension kept him off the NBA 75 team

As a big-game player, you can’t be missing big games for your legacy.

By every measure, Draymond Green is one of the NBA’s best players ever. And it’s not remotely debatable. As the all-around defensive lynchpin for a dynastic Warriors squad, Green made a name for himself by locking down other superstars while being a versatile and efficient offensive facilitator. It’s a grimy job, but someone’s got to do it, and not everyone can. A four-time All-Star, four-time First-Team All-Defense member, and a former Defensive Player of the Year like Green quite obviously can.

But something is curiously missing from Green’s resume lately. While he might be on the shortlist for the best defenders ever, he didn’t qualify for another list: The NBA 75th Anniversary Team, or 75 best players in league history.

According to Green, the reason is pretty simple: He was suspended from the latter half of the 2016 Finals, where he likely would’ve won MVP, while the Warriors fell in a historic collapse to LeBron James Cavaliers.

Yeah, that might do it.

Green also discussed the topic on a recent episode of J.J. Reddick’s podcast, The Old Man & The Three. He did not hold back:

“The one thing, when I look back on it, that bothers me is I would’ve been the Finals MVP. And that totally changes the narrative. Good luck leaving me off the NBA 75 if I was Finals MVP. Good luck even having a debate if I’m a Hall of Famer or not if I was Finals MVP.”

This sort of assessment can sometimes be read as self-aggrandizement, but it actually appeared to be a moment of genuine reflection. Green knows he’s more of a second/third/fourth fiddle player, especially when the Warriors had Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson. Because he’s not a prolific scorer, big playoff moments are where he will always make his legacy first.

He screwed up, and he knows it. Via The Old Man & The Three:

“When I look back on that from a selfish standpoint, which I rarely do, I would have been Finals MVP and that changes the course of everything.”

If it’s any consolation to Green, his Hall of Fame resume probably isn’t in doubt. It’s not as if it’s some particularly exclusive club with the most stringent accessibility measures. Three-time champions with a Defensive Player of the Year in their trophy case don’t get the door slammed in their face.

If he’s really fortunate, Green might also soon be a four-time champion, as the Warriors are the NBA title favorites (+425), according to Tipico Sportsbook. That, and another potential Defensive Player of the Year (+270, second-best), and Green will be an even clearer shoo-in for the Hall.

Plus, who knows: in 25 years it’s unlikely Green is left off the NBA 100. Everything’s coming up Draymond, sooner or later.

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Where ESPN ranks Rockets greats among NBA’s Top 75 players of all-time

The official NBA 75 list of the league’s greatest all-time players includes 11 former Rockets. Here’s where ESPN ranks them, historically.

Founded in 1967 in San Diego before moving to Houston in 1971, the Rockets are clearly one of the NBA’s flagship franchises. With 2,286 wins and 2,074 losses, the team’s .529 winning clip entering the 2021-22 season ranks eighth among the league’s 30 active clubs, and they are one of only 11 teams with multiple championships (1994, 1995).

As such, it wasn’t a surprise to see Houston well represented with more than 10 former players on the historic NBA 75 list. The NBA 75 is the league’s official 75th anniversary team, honoring the 75 greatest players in league history as selected by a panel of media and current and former players, coaches, general managers and team executives. (Because of a tie in voting, there were ultimately 76 players named.)

Many of those 76 players were honored on Sunday, Feb. 20, as part of a celebration at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland.

What the league office did not do, however, is rank those 76 all-time greats in comparison to each other. An independent ESPN panel recently took that additional step, and here’s where the 11 players with Houston ties ended up. Scroll on for further statistics, career data, and analysis.

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NBA 75: See which former Houston Rockets made the historic list

Hakeem Olajuwon, James Harden, and Moses Malone are among former Rockets who were named to the NBA’s official list of 75 all-time greats.

Founded in 1967 in San Diego before moving to Houston in 1971, the Rockets are clearly one of the NBA’s flagship franchises. With 2,286 wins and 2,074 losses, the team’s .529 winning clip entering the 2021-22 season ranks eighth among the league’s 30 active clubs, and they are one of only 11 teams with multiple championships (1994, 1995).

As such, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see Houston well represented by more than 10 former players on the historic NBA 75 list. The NBA 75 is the league’s official 75th anniversary team, honoring the 75 greatest players in league history as selected by a panel of media and current and former players, coaches, general managers and team executives. (Because of a tie in voting, there were ultimately 76 players named.)

As far as representation by the Rockets, some are all-time franchise legends like Hakeem Olajuwon, James Harden, Moses Malone, and Clyde Drexler. Others are those who simply passed through for a season, such as Russell Westbrook, Scottie Pippen, and Carmelo Anthony.

In alphabetical order, here’s a rundown of players on the NBA 75 list who played with the Rockets at some point over their distinguished playing careers. Big names with Houston ties who did not make the list included Dwight Howard, Tracy McGrady, and Dikembe Mutombo.

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Editor’s note: Detailed information on the Houston careers of many of these players is available in our newly released all-time Rockets roster.

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen named to NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team

The two six-time champions were locks to join the NBA 75.

There aren’t many dynamic duos, if any, that can top what Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen accomplished in their time together on the Chicago Bulls.

To no surprise, on Wednesday, the two Hall of Famers were named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, as announced on ESPN’s NBA Today.

In 13 seasons as a Chicago Bull, Michael Jordan won six championships while hoisting five NBA MVP’s and six NBA Finals MVP trophies. Over his 15-year career, Jordan was a 14-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, 9-time All-Defensive, 10-time scoring champion, and the fifth all-time leading scorer in league history among a million other amazing things.

Scottie Pippen won those same six championships alongside Jordan. Over his 17-year career, Pippen was named a 7-time All-Star, 7-time All-NBA, and 10-time All-Defensive Team.

Both Jordan and Pippen were named to the original ‘NBA at 50’ list, which was made up of the 50 greatest players in league history as of Oct. 29, 1996.

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Clyde Drexler, Chris Paul highlight second day of NBA 75 honorees

Former Rockets guards Clyde Drexler and Chris Paul were among 25 players named Wednesday to the NBA’s official 75th anniversary team.

Former Houston Rockets players Clyde Drexler, Chris Paul, Scottie Pippen, and Rick Barry were among 25 names announced Wednesday during part two of the three-part “NBA 75” reveal. The NBA 75 is the league’s official 75th anniversary team honoring the 75 greatest players in league history, as selected by a panel of media and current and former players, coaches, general managers, and team executives.

Each day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the league’s plan is to announce 25 of the NBA 75 names. TNT will announce the remaining 25 players on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Central.

With the latest reveal, 50 players on the list of 75 are now known. Tuesday’s announcement included five players with Houston ties — Hakeem Olajuwon, James Harden, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, and Charles Barkley. See below for the full lists from Tuesday and Wednesday.

Of the nine former Rockets named to the NBA 75 list thus far, seven are also in the Basketball Hall of Fame, while the other two (Harden and Paul) are not yet eligible because they are still playing in the league. Each of those two is a virtual lock to join the others after their career ends.

Pippen and Barry each spent very limited time in Houston, with Pippen playing one abbreviated season there in 1999 and Barry two at the end of his career from 1978 through 1980. The other seven players had more distinguished accomplishments with the Rockets.

Detailed information regarding the Houston careers of each legend is available in our newly released all-time Rockets roster.

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Hakeem Olajuwon, James Harden, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes among initial NBA 75 list

Hakeem Olajuwon, James Harden, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, and Charles Barkley were among Tuesday’s honorees for the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

Houston Rockets legends Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, and James Harden were among 25 names announced Tuesday by the NBA on night one of the official “NBA 75” reveal. The NBA 75 is the league’s official 75th anniversary team honoring the 75 greatest players in league history, as selected by a panel of media and current and former players, coaches, general managers, and team executives.

For three consecutive days on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the league is announcing 25 of the NBA 75 names. ESPN will unveil 25 more players on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Central, while TNT will announce the remaining 25 on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Central.

Charles Barkley, who played with the Rockets for four seasons in the 1990s, was also on Tuesday’s list of honorees — though the vast majority of his list-worthy accomplishments came in other organizations.

Detailed information regarding the Houston careers of each legend is available in our newly released all-time Rockets roster. Tuesday’s complete list of 25 NBA greats can be viewed below.

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Charlotte Hornets all-time roster: See which legends made the cut

In honor of the NBA’s 75th anniversary, we present the best rosters in Hornets history.

As part of celebrating their 75th anniversary, the NBA is releasing a list of the greatest 75 players of all-time, which they’re calling NBA 75.

In honor of NBA 75, we have put together a similar list — the Charlotte Hornets all-time roster. The roster is made up of the most important 15 players and three coaches in Hornets history, starting from 1988, through the Bobcats era, to present day.

Now, for players like LaMelo Ball, who will undeniably make this list eventually, don’t fit the bill of making the all-time roster for the Hornets with playing such small stints with the franchise.

Check out our Charlotte Hornets all-time roster below.

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Chicago Bulls all-time roster: See which legends made the cut

In honor of the NBA’s 75th anniversary, we present the best rosters in Bulls history.

As part of celebrating their 75th anniversary, the NBA is releasing a list of the greatest 75 players of all-time, which they’re calling NBA 75.

In honor of NBA 75, we have put together a similar list — the Chicago Bulls all-time roster. The roster is made up of the most important 15 players and three coaches in Bulls history, starting from 1966 to present day.

Now, for players like Dwyane Wade, who are undeniable Hall of Famers, don’t fit the bill of making the all-time roster for the Bulls with playing such small stints with the franchise.

Check out our Chicago Bulls all-time roster below.

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NBA 75: Our all-time roster for the Houston Rockets

As the NBA honors its 75th anniversary with a list of its historical greats, we look back at the top players in Houston Rockets history.

As part of a celebration of its 75th anniversary, the NBA is releasing what it calls the NBA 75 — a list of the greatest players in league history.

With that in mind, we’re looking back at the greats over that same time period who played for the Rockets. Founded in 1967 in San Diego before moving to Houston in 1971, the Rockets are clearly one of the league’s flagship clubs. With 2,286 wins and 2,074 losses, the .529 winning clip by the Rockets ranks eighth among the league’s 30 active franchises, and they are one of only 11 teams with multiple championships (1994, 1995).

Some ground rules: Since this exercise is to determine an overall roster, this list contains position biases. For example, even though the Rockets have a long history of elite centers, a team wouldn’t be likely to carry six centers on a 15-man roster. Thus, some greats did not make the cut.

Also, this roster defers to each player’s specific contributions in Houston. In other words, even though Scottie Pippen is a Hall of Famer and an all-time NBA legend, he played just one season with the Rockets and was past his prime at that time — which makes him not a fit for an all-time Houston list. Similar logic holds true with Russell Westbrook.

Without any further delay, here’s our all-time Rockets roster, and be sure to check out our other NBA Wire sites for rival comparisons.

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