Where Do Mavs Greats Rank On NBA 75th Anniversary Team?

ESPN ranked the NBA’s top-75 players of all-time. DallasBasketball.com examines where the Dallas Mavericks greats fall on the list.

The NBA's 75th-anniversary team has been the source for a lot of debates during the downtime as many wait for the regular season to resume after the All-Star break.

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The list itself released by the NBA did not include a ranking of the players that made the cut. When the list itself was released back on Oct. 21, there was a lot of debate about whether names like Dwight Howard should have made the list over some other questionable names.

Among the 11 active players to make the 75th-anniversary team were Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook.

Adding fuel to the debate fire, ESPN ranked each of the players on the 75th-anniversary team. The Dallas Mavericks had some representation on the list with Dirk Nowitzki (17th), Steve Nash (37th) and Jason Kidd (43rd) each being included.

“In Dallas, obviously, Dirk is the one that represents Dallas. But it’s great to be here, great to have those two guys with me,” Luka Doncic said. “Just unbelievable to see (all the talent). I enjoyed being here with the 75 players. Very special.”

With names like Stephen Curry, Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Kevin Durant being the immediate names ahead of Nowitzki on the list, his ranking seems quite fair. Giannis Antetokounpmo, who has won two MVP awards and is just 27-years-old, could move ahead of Nowitzki eventually. 

Kidd ended up being ranked directly behind Gary Payton, Walt Frazier, Patrick Ewing, and Kevin McHale. Meanwhile, Nash immediately trailed Dominique Wilkins, Bob Pettit, Bob Cousy, Kawhi Leonard, and Scottie Pippen. 

When evaluating Nash's ranking, it was interesting to see where he stacked up when considering he's won two MVPs and is among the only 14 players in league history to manage to win multiple. He's the lowest-ranked of all multi-time MVPs. Of course, that's not the only way to compare players, but it’s hard enough to win one MVP. One would think winning multiple MVPs would have some merit over players who didn’t accomplish that.