Darius Rucker sounds off on Alex English snub from NBA Top 75 team
South Carolina and Denver Nuggets basketball fans may have noticed that Alex English was missing from the NBA’s 75th anniversary team during Sunday night’s televised ceremony.
Country music star Darius Rucker did, and the noted Gamecock fan took to Twitter to voice his displeasure with the lists not including the University of South Carolina basketball legend.
“This team is bs without @AlexEnglish_2,” Rucker wrote on Sunday night, replying to an NBA tweet with a video of the NBA’s Top 75 players, as voted on by a panel of former players, media members and team executives.
Because of a tie, this year’s list added 26 names to the NBA’s top 50 list, which was compiled in during league’s 50th anniversary in 1996.
English retweeted two tweets from Sunday regarding his absence from the 75th anniversary team.
“Watching the (NBA) as they celebrate #NBA75 & #NBAAllStar in Cleveland but that list is incomplete. There’s no representation of the @nuggets,” former NFL safety and Denver sports radio host Nick Ferguson wrote on Twitter. “We all know that @AlexEnglish_2 has earned his spot on that list #RealTalk @NBAonTNT #MileHighBasketball.”
English also retweeted a reply to Rucker’s tweet from Sunday.
“Louder for those in the back!!!!” the tweet said.
English, considered to be one of the best professional players of the 1980s, was an eight-time NBA all-star and is touted as one of the best players in Denver Nuggets history. His No. 2 jersey was retired by the Nuggets in 1992, and he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1997. His 25,613 career points in the NBA rank 23rd all time.
Before his NBA career, English was a four-year starter for Frank McGuire’s USC from 1973-76. He ranks second in program history with 1,972 career points, first in field goals made (855) and third in career rebounds (1,064).
English was vocal about his displeasure with being left off the NBA’s top 75 team when it was first announced back in October.
“Can’t say I am not disappointed for not being included on the 75th anniversary team after seeing the list. I felt the same after the first list of 50. I have always known that my understated style wasn’t conducive to being associated with such a flamboyant sport,” English said in a tweet.
“Especially when you start making ‘the best of’ lists. I know that my body of work as an @NBA player stands up to the test and would put it to test against many on the list, I am content with that. I congratulate the Players that were selected,” he continued.
Several others, including former Denver Nuggets coach George Karl, also shared their thoughts around English’s snub on Twitter back in October.
NBA player snubs from NBA 75
Following the announcement, ESPN’s Kirk Goldsberry, Jorge Sedano, Ramona Shelburne, Marc Spears and Brian Windhorst shared their thoughts on which players should’ve been included in an article published in October. None of the experts in the panel mentioned English.
- Dwight Howard
- Tracy McGrady
- Manu Ginobili
- Kyrie Irving
- Pau Gasol
- Paul George
- Klay Thompson
- Tony Parker
- Alonzo Mourning
- Ben Wallace
26 additions to NBA’s 75th anniversary team
- Ray Allen
- Carmelo Anthony
- Kobe Bryant
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Stephen Curry
- Anthony Davis
- Tim Duncan
- Kevin Durant
- Kevin Garnett
- James Harden
- Allen Iverson
- LeBron James
- Jason Kidd
- Kawhi Leonard
- Damian Lillard
- Bob McAdoo
- Reggie Miller
- Steve Nash
- Dirk Nowitzki
- Chris Paul
- Gary Payton
- Paul Pierce
- Dennis Rodman
- Dwyane Wade
- Russell Westbrook
- Dominique Wilkins
This story was originally published February 21, 2022 at 10:23 AM.
