Stan Van Gundy recently said on the Knuckleheads Podcast that Dwight Howard should have been selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary team over Anthony Davis.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team was selected by "a blue-ribbon panel of current and former NBA players, coaches, general managers and team and league executives, WNBA legends and sportswriters and broadcasters. Voters were asked to select the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History without regard to position. Panelists did not rank their selections. Current and former players were not allowed to vote for themselves." per NBA.com release.
The list was released in October of 2021, and included current Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, but excluded former Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard.
Brandon and I dove into this topic today on In The Zone, you can listen to the podcast at the link at the top of the page, beginning at the 5:43 mark. Check out the podcast for the full thoughts and analysis, but here's just some quick career numbers for each player.
Dwight Howard (2004-2022)
- 8x All Star
- 8x All-NBA
- 5x Rebound Champion
- 5x All-Defensive Team
- 2x Block Leader
- 3x Defensive Player of the Year
- 1x NBA Champion - 2020 Los Angeles Lakers (2.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.3 BPG in Finals)
Career AVGs:
- 15.7 PPG
- 11.8 RPG
- 1.8 BPG
Anthony Davis
- 8x All Star
- 4x All-NBA
- 3x Block Leader
- 4x All-Defensive Team
- 1x NBA Champion - 2020 Los Angeles Lakers (25 PPG, 11 RPG, 2 BPG in Finals)
Career AVGs:
- 24 PPG
- 10.4 RPG
- 2.3 BPG
Dwight has had the longer career, giving time for more totals but also a decrease in production. I think the best way to compare these two is to look at their 8 seasons as NBA all stars head-to-head. Davis averages nearly eight more points a game in that stretch, while Howard owns the numbers on the glass - these numbers are also heavily effected by teammates, as Dwight never played alongside a double-digit rebounder, while AD had teammate Demarcus "Boogie" Cousins average 10+ rebounds in every season they spent together in New Orleans. Check out all of the nuggets from this segment and a deep dive from earlier today at the link below, discussion starts at the 5:43 mark. Plus, tune in to 'In The Zone' every Monday through Friday from 3-6 p.m, live on 96.9 The Game.