In 1996, the NBA released a list of the 50 greatest players in NBA history to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the league's original charter signed in 1946.
The list included 8 out of the 10 members of the 25th-anniversary team and 11 from the 35th-anniversary squad. Also on the list were 11 players who were still active during the 1996-97 season. However, Dominique Wilkins , who was then in his 14th NBA season and was in the Top 10 in the NBA's all-time scoring list, was conspicuously absent from the list.
During an interview with SLAM in 2006, Wilkins expressed frustration at not making that team.
"I mean," said Wilkin. "You look at that list of the Top 50 greatest players — how the hell did that happen? Tell me! That's beyond me. Here I'm eighth all-time in scoring, and yet I'm not at least in the Top 50? You look at the guys who've been voted Top 50, and a lot of them couldn't hold my jock. That's a fact. But, I guess people got other reasons how you get in or why you get in."
It was almost impossible to miss Dominique's name
The NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time team was voted by a panel of media members, former players and coaches, and current and former NBA general managers. As with any award that is decided by votes, the list is subjective. So Wilkins missing the NBA 50 list was subjective more than anything else. However, considering his resume, it was a travesty to leave 'Nique off that list.
When voting, Wilkins ranked 7th in the NBA's all-time scoring leaderboard. He was also the only player who made at least 9 All-Star teams not to make the list. The Hawks superstar was also the only player with at least seven All-NBA team selections to be omitted.
"My peers came to my defense on that," Nique added. "Larry Bird, Magic, Jordan, they all said, 'How do you leave a guy like Nique off? The guy's one of the top ten scorers of all time!' That meant more to me than anything because my peers know. They know."
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The mistake was not made twice
Five years later, the NBA finally gave Wilkins the respect he truly deserved. When it was time to name the NBA's 75th-anniversary team, the league finally put Dominique on its all-time squad. For Wilkins, missing the Top-50 list was a joke, but making the Top 75 team was enough to make it right .
"But comes full circle - I'm Top 75. And then you see some of the rankings and see where I'm ranked now. I'm ranked between 20 and 35. So I'm like, 'Well, how did I miss the top 50?' But it doesn't really matter at this point," Wilkins said . "You're a part of the 75 Greatest Players to ever play. So, for me, I'm cool with that."
It would have been a crime if Dominique still didn't make the Top 75 list. Although he dropped to 17th in the NBA's all-time scoring leaderboard, he's still in the Top 20. For sure, making the list is not just about scoring points. But given how high Nique was on that scoring list in '96, there was no reason to leave him off the Top 50 team. But then again, it was all about votes and preference.
Related: Dominique Wilkins says Wilt Chamberlain should always be in the GOAT conversations: "His era was even more physical than our era"
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