The controversy over the NBA's 75th-anniversary team has brought to light the lack of respect for legends from the past. However, not everyone can make this team. Fans and current players are strongly opposed to Kyrie Irving's exclusion from the team. It shouldn't take much to be able to handle the ball with a good grip.
Advertisement
I don't mean to say Irving isn't a great player of his era. Irving is a great player, but his achievements in the NBA don't justify him being on any of the top players over the 75-year history.
Kyries deserves credit for hitting one of the greatest shots in NBA history to beat Golden State Warriors in Game 7 in the 2016 NBA Finals. This was an incredible shot considering the circumstances. Individual shots are great, but they don't qualify you for the best ever list. I also doubt that he has done enough to merit a place on this team. Irving did not even win Finals MVP that series.
Irving's career is not a complete one, except for his three years with LeBron James. I don't see how anyone could have predicted that he would make the 75th anniversary team. Kyries' three years in Cleveland prior to James' return were all losses for the Cavs. However, that was a young team and he was quite injured his first two campaigns so I will give him a little credit.
After three consecutive Finals appearances, Kyrie got his wish and was traded to Boston Celtics for the team that everyone thought would be Kyries. It didn't work out as planned. Irving's leadership style was rejected by Boston's young stars. We now see the progress of his tenure as a Brooklyn Net. Irving is not the best leader, despite the fact that a lot of Brooklyn's events have occurred off the court.
Dwight Howard is a player I admire, in contrast to Irving. Although it's been awhile, Howard was once a star. Dare I say, for a brief time, during his prime with Orlando, Howard was one of five top players in the league. The Magic reached the NBA Finals 2009 as the best team in the league because Howard was their leader and best player. They even beat LeBron and his Cavs counterparts.
Howard has more individual accolades than Irving. Dwight has been awarded the Defensive Player Of The Year three times. Dwight is also a three time rebound champion and has led the league in blocks twice. He was an eight-time All NBA, eight-time All Star, five-time All Defense, and won a title with Lakers in 2020. Howard might have been a member of the 75th anniversary team if he had retired from the Magic after eight years. Howard's numbers after leaving Orlando were not bad but it seems like Howard's clown-like personality may have been taken into consideration when he was drafted to this list. Kobe Bryant did not think Howard was serious enough in his first stint in Los Angeles. I believe that that is also a reason for Howard's exclusion.
Advertisement
Howards awards aren't even close to Irvings. Kyrie was named Rookie of The Year in 2012. He is also a seven-time All-Star selection and a three-time All-NBA selection. Although he scores a lot of points and plays the ball like a legend on the playground, this isn't the And 1 All-Star Mixtape tour. These are the 75 NBA's all-time great players.
Advertisement
I cannot say that I agree with Andre Iguodala who claims Kyrie is a top-20 player. I hope he meant in today's NBA and not the past. Irving is not even a top-10 all-time point guard, and probably not even that. Therefore, he's unlikely to be a top-20 player in NBA history. This is disrespectful to all the players who have come before him and it's an argument that falls prey to the recency bias fallacy.
Irving has the time and resources to build his resume. Irving will continue to play whenever he can, adding to his resume. Hell be on the top 100 teams in less than a quarter century.
