When the NBA released its list of the Top 75 players in history, everybody knew there would be some snubs.
Anytime any sort of list or ranking gets created, there’s always going to be some controversy involved.
Perhaps the most controversial absence from the NBA’s “Top 75” list is former Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard, who now plays for the Lakers as a backup center.
According to 3x All-Star Gilbert Arenas, it was a disrespectful snub that failed to appropriately recognize Dwight’s individual accolades.
“The most disrespected? Probably Dwight Howard,” said Arenas on the ‘No Chill’ podcast. “I mean, if Patrick Ewing is in… I mean, come on. When you’re talking about it like we’re talking about standalone stats like your stats have to reflect what you did as a player…
You have to remember, a Championship is the last thing that happens during the season. But what did you actually do as an individual? Were you dominant?
So when you compare stats, you look at his resume and you’re like wait, how is he not actually on this list? Like, he’s not even a bubble player.
If Ewing is in, Dwight is in front of him. When you match up you guys accolades it’s just… sorry big fella.”
Nowadays, Dwight isn’t anything more than a background character for the Lakers. But in his prime, the dude was borderline unstoppable.
In 8 seasons with the Magic, he averaged 18.4 points, 13 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game on 58% shooting. He’s also an 8x All-Star, 8x All-NBA player, 3x Defensive Player of the Year, and an NBA Champion.
So while the guy was only really a star for 9 or so years, what he was able to do in that time is more than most players can do over their entire careers.
Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough for the NBA to consider him among the Top 75 greatest players ever.
