Three Former Syracuse Players Named to NBA's 75th Anniversary Team
The NBA is celebrating 75 years of professional basketball by releasing the NBA 75, its list of the 75 best players in league history. Featured on the list are three former Syracuse players. They are as follows.
CARMELO ANTHONY
One of the legendary players in Syracuse history, Melo led the Orange to the 2003 National Championship. In the NBA, he has been one of the league's most prolific scorers. Here is more from NBA.com:
Carmelo Anthony is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. As he enters the 2021-22 season (his 19th in the league), he ranks 10th on the all-time scoring list (27,370) but is set to pass Moses Malone (ninth) as he trails him by only 40 points (27,409).
Anthony starred at Oak Hill Academy as a senior and earned All-American honors. From there, he went to Syracuse, where he averaged 22.2 points per game and led the Orangemen to the first NCAA title in 2003 and was named the NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
DAVE BING
Dave Bing is a former teammate of Jim Boeheim and one of the best scorers in program history. In the NBA, he was also an elite scorer. More from NBA.com:
A 6-foot-3 scoring machine drafted second overall out of Syracuse, Dave Bing made an immediate and lasting impact with the Detroit Pistons by averaging 20 points or more in his first seven NBA seasons.
Bing managed to score at an elite level despite suffering a severe left eye injury as a child, then an equally career-threatening injury to his right eye during a 1971 preseason game. Bing overcame the residual effects of the surgeries to become a seven-time All-Star and, eventually, a Hall of Famer.
DOLPH SCHAYES
While Schayes did not play for Syracuse in college, he did play for the Syracuse Nationals in the NBA. In fact, Schayes led the Nats to 1955 NBA Championship. More from NBA.com:
Dolph Schayes’ second season as a pro marked the NBA’s inaugural season, and the power forward led the Syracuse Nationals to the playoffs on 15 occasions, winning his lone championship in 1955 over the Fort Wayne Pistons.
He helped to revolutionize post play with a high-arching set shot and near constant movement away from the ball, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 15,000 points.
The full list of the NBA's best 75 players in league history can be found HERE.
