Two former Syracuse University basketball players and two former Syracuse Nationals basketball players have been named among the 75 greatest NBA players of all time.
Carmelo Anthony, who led Syracuse basketball to its only NCAA championship in 2003, and fellow SU alum Dave Bing were announced on Thursday night, along with Syracuse Nats legend Dolph Schayes. The league is celebrating its 75th anniversary by naming the 75 best basketball players in NBA history.
Hal Greer, who was drafted by the Syracuse Nats in 1958 and stayed with the team when it moved to Philadelphia to become the 76ers in 1963, was among the first 25 names announced on Tuesday. The next 25 names were announced Wednesday and the final 25 were announced Thursday.
Bing, Greer and Schayes were also on the NBA 50 greatest players of all time list in 1996. In fact, all 50 of the top 50 players chosen 25 years ago, during the NBA’s 50th anniversary celebration, made the top 75 list as well.
Melo is one of the few current NBA players to make the new list. He has never won an NBA title, but was noted as a 10-time NBA All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection and the scoring champ for the 2012-13 season. He also won three Olympic gold medals and had his No. 15 jersey retired at Syracuse University.
“I’m humbled by the names I’m joining on this list. Thank you to the teammates, coaches, and fans along the way who’ve lived this dream with me,” Anthony wrote on Twitter Thursday.
Bing averaged 20.3 points and 6 assists per game in 12 seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Washington Bullets and Boston Celtics. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star, three-time All-NBA selection, 1966-67 Rookie of the Year, 1976 All-Star MVP and the league’s scoring leader for the 1967-68 season.
Schayes was a 12-time All-Star and 12-time All-NBA selection with the Syracuse Nationals and the Philadelphia 76ers. He was also the 1950-51 rebounding champion and led the Nats to the team’s only NBA title in 1955.
Greer played 15 seasons in the NBA, helping lead the 76ers to an NBA championship in 1967 with Wilt Chamberlain. Greer finished his career with 21,586 points and remains the 76ers’ career leader in field goals, field goals attempted, games and minutes played; he was also the first player on the 76ers to have his number (15) retired by the team in 1976.
The entire NBA 75 list includes, in alphabetical order:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; Ray Allen; Giannis Antetokounmpo; Carmelo Anthony; Nate Archibald; Paul Arizin; Charles Barkley; Rick Barry; Elgin Baylor; Dave Bing; Larry Bird; Kobe Bryant; Wilt Chamberlain; Bob Cousy; Dave Cowens; Billy Cunningham; Stephen Curry; Anthony Davis; Dave DeBusschere; Clyde Drexler; Tim Duncan; Kevin Durant; Julius Erving; Patrick Ewing; Walt Frazier; Kevin Garnett; George Gervin; Hal Greer; James Harden; John Havlicek; Elvin Hayes; Allen Iverson; LeBron James; Magic Johnson; Sam Jones; Michael Jordan; Jason Kidd; Kawhi Leonard; Damian Lillard; Jerry Lucas; Karl Malone; Moses Malone; Pete Maravich; Bob McAdoo; Kevin McHale; George Mikan; Reggie Miller; Earl Monroe; Steve Nash; Dirk Nowitzki; Hakeem Olajuwon; Shaquille O’Neal; Robert Parish; Chris Paul; Gary Payton; Bob Pettit; Paul Pierce; Scottie Pippen; Willis Reed; Oscar Robertson; David Robinson; Dennis Rodman; Bill Russell; Dolph Schayes; Bill Sharman; John Stockton; Isiah Thomas; Nate Thurmond; Wes Unseld; Dwyane Wade; Bill Walton; Jerry West; Russell Westbrook; Lenny Wilkens; Dominique Wilkins; James Worthy.
Players were not ranked, but the list included 76 players because of a tie in voting. (It’s also technically not the NBA’s 75th anniversary this year.)
Notable players left off the list — or “snubs,” according to Yahoo Sports — include Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, Bernard King, Tony Parker and Dwight Howard.
The NBA’s 75th anniversary team was selected by a panel of media, current and former players, coaches, general managers and team executives, including Syracuse University alumni Marv Albert and Bob Costas.
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