Editor's note: This story was originally published on Feb. 21. Celtics legend Bill Russell -- No. 6 in ESPN's ranking of the NBA's 75th Anniversary team -- died Sunday at age 88.
Early in the 2021-22 season, the NBA unveiled its 75th Anniversary Team, a squad full of iconic players representing different points in the evolution of basketball.
But the league never ranked them. We did.
ESPN's NBA expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head player matchups, taking into consideration the quality and quantity of their NBA contributions.