One current NBA star was not happy to see his name omitted from the league’s 75th Anniversary team.
This week, the NBA selected 75 players (which ended up being 76 due to a tie in voting) as the greatest players in league history to commemorate the founding of the league in 1946. The NBA had previously chosen the 50 greatest players of all-time for its 50th anniversary in 1996. All 50 of them were named to the 75th Anniversary team as well, leaving 26 open slots.
One notable snub was Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who reacted to the news with a pointed message on Instagram.
“Maybe I’m just naive in my ability to play basketball, but in my head I’m top 75 all time,” wrote Thompson. “PERIOD. #fuelforthefire #NBA75”
Among active NBA players, eleven ended up making the cut, including Thompson’s backcourt partner Stephen Curry. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook were the others.
Working in Thompson’s favor is the fact that he is one of the greatest three-point shooters of all-time with a career 41.9 percent success rate on triples. He is also a three-time champion, a five-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection, and an All-Defensive selection. But working against Thompson is that he has only played in eight total seasons thus far and is a sub-20-point-per-game scorer for his career. Additionally, Thompson has never been the No. 1 offensive option on his team.
Granted, the 31-year-old Thompson should be confident in his own abilities and find motivation wherever he can get it. Plus, seeing another player with a similar skillset getting the call probably made Thompson even angrier.
Photo: May 14, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) stands on the court before the start of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers in game one of the Western conference finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
