Everything you need to know about the NBA's 75th Anniversary Season
This is NBA Lane – where 75 seasons of the game comes together to celebrate.
The NBA’s milestone 75th Anniversary Season will be a celebration that lasts throughout the 2021-22 campaign. The landmark season will be commemorated as “NBA 75” and features a team compiled of the game’s greatest pioneers ever.
NBA 75 is a culmination of transcendent players, extraordinary moments and remarkable teams. An homage to exceptional talents and unforgettable flashes in time. NBA 75 celebrates 75 years of greatness.
In anticipation of the NBA’s 2021-22 season and the celebrations therein, here are some common questions and answers about everything to come.
Q: What is NBA 75?
In order to celebrate the NBA’s milestone 75th Anniversary Season, the NBA will honor its historic legacy throughout the 2021-22 season. This massive NBA 75 landmark will pay tribute to generations of basketball fans around the world, as well as current and former players and coaches. Throughout the season, the league will continue its decades-long legacy of supporting the communities where the NBA family lives, works and plays and by improving lives through the game of basketball.
Q: Who made the 75th Anniversary team?
The 75th Anniversary Team has been unveiled and features pioneers that helped shape, define and redefine the game. The complete team can be found here.
The complete NBA 75th Anniversary Team ⬇️ #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/v8Tz5ixaab
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) October 21, 2021
Q: Who votes on the 75th Anniversary team?
The team was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of media and current and former players, coaches, general managers and team executives. As a result of a tie in the voting, the 75th Anniversary Team features 76 players.
Q: Will there be any special games dedicated to NBA 75?
Yes, throughout the season, the league will feature NBA 75 Classic Matchups to celebrate the teams, players, coaches and moments that have defined 75 years of NBA basketball.
• NBA TV will present a matchup between the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors on Monday, Nov. 1 (7:30 p.m. ET), marking the 75th anniversary of the league’s first regular-season game, which was played between the Knicks and Toronto Huskies on Nov. 1, 1946.
• The three franchises that have played in every NBA season – the Knicks, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors (who began as the Philadelphia Warriors) – will face each other across three nationally televised games during a five-day stretch in December: Warriors at Knicks on Tuesday, Dec. 14 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT); Warriors at Celtics on Friday, Dec. 17 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN); and Knicks at Celtics on Saturday, Dec. 18 (8:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV).
• On Friday, Jan. 7, the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Atlanta Hawks on ESPN (10 p.m. ET). The matchup will take place 50 years to the day (Jan. 7, 1972) that the Lakers defeated Atlanta for their 33rd straight victory, which remains the longest winning streak in NBA history.
Q: Is there a new NBA 75 logo?
The commemorative NBA 75th Anniversary Season logo, which will appear throughout the 2021-22 season on courts and official NBA merchandise, inside arenas and in original broadcast, digital and social media content.
The new logo is a fresh take on the league’s iconic Logoman identity, based in the classic 75th Anniversary symbol – the diamond.
Q: Will there be any new uniforms during the 75th Anniversary season?
Nike will release new Classic Edition and City Edition uniforms across the league which will feature the NBA Logoman inside a diamond.
New Era will also integrate the 75th diamond embellishment on its 2021 NBA Draft and Tip Off Edition caps.
Q: Will there be special content around the 75th Anniversary?
The NBA debuted a short film called “NBA Lane” on Oct. 7 featuring Michael B. Jordan. More than 30 NBA players and legends commemorate the 75th season by telling the NBA’s story through a comedic and fun lens.
Q: How will the 75th Anniversary factor into other things?
Further initiatives include diamond on-court elements, Wilson as the new game ball partner, and integration around marquee events such as NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland and the NBA Draft.
As part of “NBA 75,” the league’s celebration of its landmark 75th Anniversary Season, the NBA selected Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler, Magic Johnson, Bob Pettit and Oscar Robertson, as well as 14-time NBA All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, to serve as ambassadors for the 2021-22 season. Representing different eras of the league’s history, the ambassadors will make appearances throughout the 75th Anniversary Season and have a significant presence at NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland.
Q: Who made the NBA’s 50th Anniversary Team? Who decided on that list?
The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History were selected by a blue-ribbon panel of media, former and current players and coaches, current and former GMs and team executives before the 1996-97 season. The team was officially announced on Oct. 29, 1996 in New York City at a luncheon.
At the start of the 1996-97 season, the 50 players on that list had accounted for 107 NBA titles, 49 MVP awards, 17 Rookie of the Year awards, 447 All-Star Game selections, 36 scoring titles, 923,791 career points and 410,327 rebounds.
Below is an alphabetical list of the players on the NBA at 50 team:
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Nate Archibald |
| Paul Arizin | Charles Barkley |
| Rick Barry | Elgin Baylor |
| Dave Bing | Larry Bird |
| Wilt Chamberlain | Bob Cousy |
| Dave Cowens | Billy Cunningham |
| Dave DeBusschere | Clyde Drexler |
| Julius Erving | Patrick Ewing |
| Walt Frazier | George Gervin |
| Hal Greer | John Havlicek |
| Elvin Hayes | Magic Johnson |
| Sam Jones | Michael Jordan |
| Jerry Lucas | Karl Malone |
| Moses Malone | Pete Maravich |
| Kevin McHale | George Mikan |
| Earl Monroe | Hakeem Olajuwon |
| Shaquille O’Neal | Robert Parish |
| Bob Pettit | Scottie Pippen |
| Willis Reed | Oscar Robertson |
| David Robinson | Bill Russell |
| Dolph Schayes | Bill Sharman |
| John Stockton | Isiah Thomas |
| Nate Thurmond | Wes Unseld |
| Bill Walton | Jerry West |
| Lenny Wilkens | James Worthy |
Q: Who made the NBA’s 35th Anniversary Team? Who decided on that list?
The NBA celebrated its 35th anniversary on Oct. 30, 1980 with its 35th Anniversary Team. That team was created in the mold of an All-Star team, consisting of 11 players regardless of position and a coach. Active players were eligible for this list.
The selections were made through a poll of the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America.
Below is an alphabetical list of the players on the NBA’s 35th Anniversary team:
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Elgin Baylor |
| Wilt Chamberlain | Bob Cousy |
| Julius Erving | John Havlicek |
| George Mikan | Bob Pettit |
| Oscar Robertson | Bill Russell |
| Jerry West | Coach: Red Auerbach |
Q: Who made the NBA’s 25th Anniversary Team? Who decided on that list?
The NBA celebrated its 25th anniversary on Dec. 11, 1971 by unveiling its Silver Anniversary Team. That team did not include active players and was meant to be an all-time All-NBA team. As such, it was comprised of four guards, four forwards and two centers.
To be nominated, players must have had at least one All-NBA team selection up to that point. The selection panel included NBA coaches, owners and executives such as Red Auerbach, Danny Biasone, Eddie Gottlieb, Haskell Cohen and others.
Below is an alphabetical list of the players on the NBA’s 25th Anniversary team:
| Player | Position |
| Bob Cousy | Guard |
| Bob Davies | Guard |
| Sam Jones | Guard |
| Bill Sharman | Guard |
| Paul Arizin | Forward |
| Joe Fulks | Forward |
| Bob Pettit | Forward |
| Dolph Schayes | Forward |
| George Mikan | Center |
| Bill Russell | Center |
