The NBA is set to unveil its 75th Anniversary Team, comprised of the 75 greatest players in league history. Selections are being announced during editions of NBA Tip-Off on TNT and NBA Today on ESPN between October 19 and 21. The Toronto Raptors, unfortunately, may not get a ton of love on this list.
The 75th Anniversary Team follows in the tradition of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, which was unveiled on October 29, 1996. The Raptors weren’t represented among that group, of course. The Toronto franchise was only one season old at that point.
That won’t be the case this time around. There’s at least one former Raptor player, Hakeem Olajuwon, who is a lock to make the 75th Anniversary Team.
Olajuwon accomplished nearly all of his accolades in Houston, but his one season with the Raptors did happen, and that should guarantee the neophyte franchise some representation on that list in a very marginal way.
NBA to announce 75th anniversary team during opening week of 2021-22 seasonhttps://t.co/vu6B5v6Q8V pic.twitter.com/umRQ6qrbRG
— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) October 12, 2021
Will any Toronto Raptors players make the 75th Anniversary Team?
So will there be anyone else on the ceremonial squad with Raptors connections? Well, with apologies to arguably the heart and soul of the franchise, it won’t include DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.
And it’s likely not going to be Chris Bosh, either, even though he is a newly enshrined member of the Naismith Hall of Fame.
There are, however, three former Raptors who captured fans’ hearts, that have a strong case for being included among the 75 greatest to ever do it.