As if the fast-approaching, much-anticipated return of Warriors guard Klay Thompson wasn’t enough, a bit of drama has been added to the situation. Thompson has made it clear he’s upset about being left off the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, which identifies the top 76 NBA players of all time, as declared by the NBA.
Take a look at Thompson’s social media posts on the subject. Notice he was still simmering over his perceived snub the day after the NBA revealed its team.
Wow. Tell us how you really feel, Klay.
For reference, here’s the complete squad, which contains 76 players due to a tie.
So is Thompson right? Should he be on the 75th Anniversary Team?
Thompson is projected to be a Hall of Fame player, that’s for sure. But one large factor here is the NBA’s 50th Anniversary Team. Released 25 years ago, it contained — naturally — the 50 best players in NBA history. Every single payer to make that team also made the 75th Anniversary team. That reduces Thompson’s chances immediately.
Also, and this is unfortunate — but Thompson hasn’t played in two seasons. I imagine that if he had two “standard” Thompson campaigns during that time. He’d be hard to leave off the list.
Thompson is unquestionably one of the best 3-point shooters in NBA history, and that’s gotta be his largest gripe regarding his snub. But again, with two missed seasons, Thompson has lost some ground in the NBA all-time 3-pointers made list, falling behind Trail Blazers G Damian Lillard, for example.
And that could be the difference, because Lillard made the cut for the 75th Anniversary Team. And if every member of the 50th Anniversary team was up for closer review, Thompson would definitely be included. So while Thompson might deserve to be on this team, he’s a victim of circumstance.
At least Thompson has some added motivation, as he’s set to return from consecutive catastrophic injuries in late December or early January. Plus, we all know how great he is. Thompson’s teammate , forward Draymond Green, said what a lot of Warriors fans were thinking with his reaction to Thompson’s angst.
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