Dwight Howard sneaks into CBS Sports’ 50 greatest players

The NBA named its 50 greatest players 20 years ago at All-Star Weekend. CBS Sports updated the list and included Dwight Howard.

Twenty years ago, the NBA gathered its 50 best players in Cleveland, Ohio for All-Star Weekend to celebrate the league’s 50th anniversary. It was one of the most moving and exciting ceremonies in NBA history.

This was not a ranking of who was the greatest. It was just presenting whom many thought were the best basketball players of all time. And with the league still relatively young, many of the players selected were able to attend.

Here was the living embodiment of the NBA and its greatness in its first 50 years. And All-Star Weekend was the perfect weekend to celebrate and come together.

Go ahead and try to name all 50 from 1997:

The league has not updated the list in the past 20 years. The debate, though, rages on. There were plenty of players snubbed from that first list. There were many players still in the league who would one day overtake many of those players — Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant‘s careers were just in their infancies. And there have been a lot more to come ever since.

The league did not roll out a new top-50 list for its 70th anniversary at All-Sar Weekend in New Orleans. The exercise of creating a top-50 list is still intriguing. And every year, someone wants to recreate the list.

Bill Simmons created his “Pantheon” in his Book of Basketball to include modern players and update that list (it was a top-100 list).

Now CBS Sports has updated the list of 50 players. And much like Simmons’ list, it does have its fair share of current and modern players added in. One name was especially curious.

Dwight Howard earned a place in the top 50. And this is largely on what he did in his eight years in Orlando. Howard was No. 49 on the list.

"The winner of three straight Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2009 to 2011, Howard was perhaps the most dominant defensive center since Bill Russell. While his prime seems relatively short now, he is one of three centers (Shaquille O’Neal, George Mikan) to be named to the All-NBA First Team for five straight seasons. While his post game has deteriorated as he has lost a few steps athletically, there was a time when he could destroy defenses with a simple drop step and a dunk. He had a strong case for MVP in 2011, the year that Derrick Rose won it."

Howard was quite the dominant beast when he played for the Orlando Magic. He averaged 18.4 points per game and 13.4 rebounds per game with the Magic. In Orlando, he posted a 3.2 defensive box plus-minus, according to Basketball-Reference. Howard won three straight Defensive Player of the Year Awards and was the clear choice each time.

Not to mention, Howard’s defense helped transform the Magic into a surprise Playoff team and a surprise Finals team in 2009.

There is a strong argument that Howard is the greatest player in Magic history.

But a top 50 player? That is certainly a bigger debate. Simmons’ Book of Basketball put Howard at No. 91 before his 2009 Finals run. Perhaps Howard would have risen some, but a top-50 player of all time seems a bit much.

Howard’s run as a truly elite player in the league just feels a bit ephemeral. And what he has done since leaving Orlando certainly does not bolster his career much. It feels a bit off to have Howard at No. 50.

The biggest point here is the Magic are beginning to see their history become part of NBA history. Shaquille O’Neal (No. 9 on CBS’s list) became the first Orlando Magic player inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Tracy McGrady is likely to become the second whether it happens this year or in the near future. McGrady was named a finalist for induction last weekend.

Next: Orlando Magic Trade Value Column

Howard too will have his moment after his career is over. Whether he is truly among the top-50 players in NBA history? That will be a matter of taste and for time to determine.