Unsurprisingly, the NBA’s “Top 75” list earned a lot of attention from fans, players, and the media.
While most of the list featured easy picks like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant; not every name was so agreeable.
For former NBA star Tracy McGrady, who was one of those left off the list, the biggest mistake was including L.A. big man Anthony Davis over 8x All-Star Dwight Howard.
“That’s a travesty. And, I’m gonna say this: Dwight Howard deserves to be on that list for 8-straight years that he was extremely dominant. And I just can’t believe some of the guys they have on the list that I’m looking at, like Anthony Davis. No disrespect to Anthony Davis, but before he got to LeBron James and won that Championship with the Lakers, I mean… you’re trying to tell me if Anthony Davis was to retire right now he has a better career than Dwight Howard? No way.
You can’t be mad at this list. I look at Tony Parker. Tony Parker deserves to be on this list. There are guys that are not on there that should be on there and there are guys that are on there that I feel shouldn’t be on there.”
“You’re trying to tell me if Anthony Davis was to retire right now he has a better career than Dwight Howard? No way.”
Tracy McGrady talks #NBA75 snubs with @AshNicoleMoss pic.twitter.com/gg5OAu4EeJ
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 15, 2021
Dwight Howard is only a role player for the Lakers now, but he was once one of the most dominant big men in the NBA.
Back in 2009, he carried the Orlando Magic all the way to the NBA Finals before they eventually lost to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
By the time his tenure in Orlando ended, he was a 6x All-NBA player, and 3x Defensive Player of the Year.
As for Anthony Davis, he’s a multiple-time All-Star himself, but he wasn’t able to do in regards to team success without LeBron at his side.
In the end, it’s hard to say definitively who deserves it more than the other. They both have strong cases to be included, and it’s a shame that Dwight was the one who got cut.
Still, people haven’t forgotten what he was able to do for Orlando basketball.
