3 NBA teams with the most players on the 75th Anniversary Team
In celebration of the NBA's diamond anniversary, the league announced the 75th Anniversary Team or the NBA 75. Due to a tie, 76 players were included with almost all teams represented. The only team not to have a player in the 75th Anniversary Team was the Sacramento Kings.
In this list, we will take a look at the three NBA teams with the highest number of players on the 75th Anniversary Team. A player will be included as long as he plays or played for the team, regardless of tenure and accomplishments with the team.
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For example, LeBron James playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and LA Lakers. Now, let's take a look at the three NBA teams who dominated the NBA 75.
#1 Boston Celtics - 20 players
Obviously, the Boston Celtics have the highest number of players in the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. The Celtics have 20 players on the list, all of whom are retired and inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Tied with the LA Lakers for having the most NBA championships, the Celtics are loaded with great players. Some of these players played the majority of their career in Boston. These players include Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Paul Pierce, Bill Russell, and Bill Sharman.
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The other prominent members of the NBA 75, who played for the Celtics, are Ray Allen, Nate Archibald, Kevin Garnett, and Bill Walton. The remaining legends only played for a season or less with the Celtics. They are Dave Bing, Pete Maravich, Bob McAdoo, Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, and Dominique Wilkins.
#2 LA Lakers - 18 players
The LA Lakers are tied with the Boston Celtics with the most number of NBA championships at 18 each. The Lakers also have 18 players on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, four of which are active. They are LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.
There are six Lakers lifers on the list: Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, George Mikan, Jerry West and James Worthy. These players spent all of their careers in Los Angeles and are forever part of the Lakers lore.
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The other legendary Lakers players who made the NBA 75 are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O'Neal. These three are among the greatest centers ever.
Meanwhile, the remaining five players who made the list but played briefly for the Lakers are Karl Malone, Bob McAdoo, Steve Nash, Gary Payton and Dennis Rodman. Malone and Payton were members of the 2004 Lakers, while Nash and Rodman had unremarkable stints in Los Angeles. As for McAdoo, he won two championships with the Lakers.
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#3 Houston Rockets - 11 players
Surprisingly, there are 11 players who played for the Houston Rockets that made the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. The only Rockets legends among those 11 are Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Moses Malone and James Harden.
The remaining seven players spent only a brief time in Houston. Nevertheless, they still played for the Rockets and are part of the NBA 75. The players are Carmelo Anthony, Charles Barkley, Rick Barry, Elvin Hayes, Chris Paul, Scottie Pippen and Russell Westbrook.
Barkley and Barry were in the twilight of their careers when they played in Houston, while Anthony, Pippen and Westbrook only played for one season. Paul was there for just two years and Hayes had two stints with the Rockets before and after his prime.
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