- NBA 25th Anniversary Team
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The NBA 25th Anniversary Team was announced in 11 December 1971 to celebrate the 25-year existence of BAA/NBA. This team was meant to be an All-NBA Team for that period. Up that time, All-NBA Teams only consisted of 2 teams (First and Second), so this Team also only consists of 2 teams/10 players (4 Forwards, 2 Centers, and 4 Guards). The list excluded players who were still playing in the NBA, such as Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West.
Contents
Selection process
A panel selected 25 nominees from all eligible players, made up from 10 Forwards, 10 Guards, and 5 Centers. Then every NBA player that had been named All NBA 1st Team up to that time gave his vote. The four top voted forwards, two top voted centers, and four top voted guards made the team.
Eligibility requirements
To be eligible as a nominee, a player must (by 1971):
- have completed his career, and
- have been named All-NBA Team at least once.
Selection panels
Red Auerbach, Ned Irish, Eddie Gottlieb, Haskell Cohen, Danny Biasone, Lester Harrison, Fred Zollner, Ben Kerner, Fred Schaus, and Bob Feerick.
Nominees
List of nominees, sorted by position, and last name (players denoted with an asterisk had been inducted into Basketball Hall Of Fame).
Name Career Years
Forwards
- Paul Arizin*, 1950-1962
- Joe Fulks*, 1946-1954
- Harry Gallatin*, 1948-1958
- Tom Gola*, 1955-1966
- Vern Mikkelsen*, 1949-1959
- Bob Pettit*, 1954-1965
- Jim Pollard*, 1947-1955
- Tom Heinsohn*, 1956-1965
- Dolph Schayes*, 1948-1964
- George Yardley*, 1953-1960
Centers
- Neil Johnston*, 1951-1959
- Ed Macauley*, 1949-1959
- George Mikan*, 1946-1954, 1955-1956
- Bill Russell*, 1956-1969
- Maurice Stokes*, 1955-1958
Guards
- Richie Guerin, 1956-1970
- Bob Cousy*, 1950-1963, 1969-1970
- Bob Davies*, 1946-1955
- Bob Feerick, 1945-1950
- Sam Jones*, 1957-1969
- Slater Martin*, 1949-1960
- Dick McGuire*, 1949-1960
- Bill Sharman*, 1950-1961
- Bobby Wanzer*, 1947-1957
- Max Zaslofsky, 1946-1956
NBA 25th Anniversary Team
List of 25th Anniversary Team players, sorted by position and vote received.
- F Bob Pettit
- F Dolph Schayes
- F Paul Arizin
- F Joe Fulks
- C Bill Russell
- C George Mikan
- G Bob Cousy
- G Bill Sharman
- G Bob Davies
- G Sam Jones
- Coach Red Auerbach
Bill Russell was the only unanimous selection to the team. All players of the 25th Anniversary Team have been inducted to Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame. Furthermore, all nominees of the 25th Anniversary Team besides Feerick, Guerin, and Zaslofky have also been inducted into Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame.
In 1980, only four players of the 25th Anniversary Team were selected into NBA 35th Anniversary Team (Pettit, Cousy, Russell, and Mikan). However, along them, four other players of this team (Arizin, Jones, Schayes, Sharman) were selected into NBA 50 Greatest Players of All-Time on 1996.
Some of 25th Anniversary Team players and nominees appear on NBA Live video game series (since 2000) as players of NBA Live Legend All-Stars Teams (50's All-Stars or 60's All-Stars).
References
NBA Anniversary Teams NBA 25th Anniversary Team · NBA 35th Anniversary Team · NBA 50 Greatest Players (50th Anniversary Team)Categories:- NBA Anniversary Teams
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