Countdown 4: Top 10 Five-Tool Players in MLB History, Countdown 153: Top 10 Minnesota Twins of All Time, Countdown 152: Top 10 Dallas Mavericks of All Time, Countdown 151: Top 10 Tampa Bay Lightning of All Time, Countdown 150: Top 10 Kickers in NFL History, Countdown 149: Top 10 Left-Handed Pitchers in MLB History. Oscar Robertson. Oscar Robertson: Cincinnati Royals (1960-1970) Milwaukee Bucks (1970-1974) Jerry West: Los Angeles Lakers (1960-1974) [8], West attended East Bank High School in East Bank, West Virginia from 1952 to 1956. [74] As a coach, West led the Lakers into three consecutive playoff campaigns, and then went on to win seven NBA championships as a general manager, building the 1980s Lakers dynasty under coach Pat Riley and players Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy and the 2000s under coach Phil Jackson and players Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Every bit West's equal was Baylor. Fittingly, Thomas remembered the Big O agreeing with Wests assessment. Your email address will not be published. It seems to bother the Big O more than West, this dulling of fans' memories of their glory days. "I met people from all over the world," said Robertson, who was inducted to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2009. [59], After his coaching stint, West worked as a scout for three years before becoming general manager of the Lakers before the 198283 seasons. Meanwhile, as Robertson was dominating night in and night out in Cincinnati, West exploded in his second NBA season, averaging 30.8 points (on 44.5% shooting), a career-high 7.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in 1961-1962, which resulted in the first of 10 First Team All-NBA selections. Perhaps fittingly, the two players also went into the Hall of Fame together in 1980, and Wests silhouette continues to grace the NBA logo today. Robertsons response might seem arrogant. He moved up and he was like, I know Im The Logo and everything else, but in my era, there was no better basketball player than Oscar Robertson.'. Robertsons all-around excellence made him a triple-double machine on the court, and he drastically altered the complexion of the sport with a 1970 class-action lawsuit that led to the creation of free agency. This display of arrogance motivated the Celtics and angered West. "Certain players seem to be able to do things in a certain part of the game that they might not be able to do earlier," said West. However, due to the dynastic dominance of the Boston Celtics, who won 10 NBA titles between 1959 and 1969, including eight straight from 1959 to 1966, both players would fall short of a ring time after time again until finally reaching the NBA pinnacle in the early 1970s. SG. Answer (1 of 13): Big O * 65, 225 lbs, 69 wingspan, * was ball dominant and precise with his playmaking in his era like CP3 or Stockton, * shielded the ball from smaller guards with his backside like Magic, * had a high post game like Dirk with underrated pump fakes and footwork, * was . RotoWire considers the best player values in Yahoo fantasy leagues for Wednesday night's slate. Jerry West. The answer is "yes," according to The Ringer's Bill Simmons. I think West is the smoother player and the stronger defensively. With continued individual excellence and improved team play, he earned MVP honors in 1963-1964 on the strength of a career-high 31.4 points (48.3% shooting), 9.9 rebounds, and 11.0 assists per game, once again nearly averaging a triple-double for the season; in fact, over his first five seasons, Robertson averaged a triple-double (30.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 10.6 assists per game). He earned the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honor despite the loss. Some of these triple-doubles that Jerry West or Oscar Robertson or Elgin Baylor had, they would think they had the worst day in the world!. With Elgin Baylor (Mr. [23], The Lakers won 54 regular-season games and secured a first-round bye in the 1962 NBA Playoffs. "They have everything it takes to win a championship. It might have been even better had John Havlicek and Lenny Wilkins not been passed over in the selection process. I want to help make a difference. On the flipside, West was selected more frequently for All-Star (14x to 12x), All-NBA (12x to 11x), and All-Defensive (5x to none) Teams, though Robertson does have the one MVP to his name. After two years away from basketball, West became the Lakers coach before the 1976-77 season. That was our goal.". The Big O appeared on the Knuckleheads podcast to discuss his favorite players in league history. His first season in Milwaukee was his best, as he averaged 19.4 points (49.6% shooting), 5.7 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game for Second Team All-NBA honors. In Game 1, which Boston easily won, defensive Celtics guard K. C. Jones kept West to the only 26 points, and in Game 2, West scored 45 points, but Boston still won 129123. Only Jordan had a higher career scoring average in the playoffs, and only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tallied more career points in the postseason. Selvy then missed an open 8-foot shot which would have won the Lakers their first title. "[83], West was also regarded for his extreme mental toughness and his exemplary work ethic. [77] Finally, the NBA logo itself is modeled after West's silhouette. [8] Having played forward early in his career, West was also a capable rebounder, and gifted with long arms, quick hands, and strong defensive instincts, West was also once described as one of the best ballhawks, man-to-man defenders and shot blockers among NBA guards:[23] when the All-Defensive Teams were introduced in 1969, West made every one of them until his career ended in 1974. Moreover, before Johnson entered the NBA, West and Oscar "The Big O" Robertson were considered the greatest guards in league history, not to mention that West was the one who received more respect and love. West stole the ball, raced upcourt, and converted a running layup as the buzzer sounded. [22], Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke was known for a keen eye identifying leadership and teaching qualities (he also gave Hall of Famers Sparky Anderson and Joe Gibbs their first managerial/head coaching positions),[57] and asked West to coach and participate in player personnel decisions. West and Oscar Robertson co-captained the U.S. men's basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Oscar Robertson. He said at the ceremony that athletes should not pass up a chance to represent their homeland. Magic Johnson, Larry Bird . [53][54], The 197374 NBA season was to be West's last as a player. It sounds like trash talk before its time, but West did not christen himself. West was named the NBA Executive of the Year for 1995 after the Lakers posted their best record in four seasons. [15] The Lakers had a disappointing season, winning only 36 games and getting swept by the San Francisco Warriors in the first round of the 1967 NBA Playoffs. Laker Legend Jerry West calls Redick out for his reckless. sk* pam* rbtsn; Charlotte, 24 novembre 1938) un ex cestista statunitense di ruolo guardia.. Soprannominato The Big O, disput 14 campionati NBA con le maglie dei Cincinnati Royals e dei Milwaukee Bucks, vincendo con questi ultimi il titolo nel 1971.Nel 1962 fu il primo giocatore nella storia dell'NBA a concludere una stagione con una tripla . [26] In overtime, Jones scored several clutch baskets to ensure a 110107 win for the Celtics. 44 jersey in 1983. West is undoubtedly one of the all-time greats, but he has one blemish: his NBA Finals record. The Big O's best statistical season came in 1961-62 when he averaged a . Led by Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, and John Havlicek, the Celtics would win eleven NBA . Oscar Robertson vs Dominique Wilkins In 1960, Robertson was a member of the gold medal winning basketball team in the Rome Olympic Summer Games with fellow Hall of Famers Jerry West, Jerry Lucas and Walt Bellamy. Both entered the league via the 1960 NBA Draft - Robertson was the No. [34] Veteran coach Fred Schaus retired, and Butch Van Breda Kolff took over; under his reign, the Lakers won 52 games in the 196768 NBA season in their first season in The Forum. Clutch, but none of them lived up to it as well as West did. The book has had tremendous critical acclaim and became an instant New York Times bestseller. Perhaps I expect too much.. He believes sports connect us to our best selves, and he hopes to help people experience sports more holistically. In some ways, the decision of who was better comes down to personal preferences on playing style do you prefer Robertson with his penchant for racking up triple-doubles or West with his silky smooth moves and shooting? black vs. white, East vs. West, etc. On the most recent episode of his podcast, Simmons named (in order) his top 15 in the "Pantheon." Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon . I could've played another very good year. For some of Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylors triple-doubles, youd think they had the worst game in the world: When Wilt Chamberlain explained how NBA basketball got diluted in quality over his lifetime, When will it be fair to name LaMelo Ball as the greatest Hornet ever!? Despite his statistical achievements, and those of Wilt Chamberlain, NBA media voted Bill Russell their 1961-62 MVP. "When we played, [the NBA] was a minor league acting like a pro league. Oscar Robertson, however, demurred about change in general in basketball. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 1 overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft, with the Lakers selecting West immediately thereafter. FGA, TRB, AST, PF, GS over 99% complete back to 1975-76. West tuvo una media de 2,6 recuperos y 0,7 tapones ese ao, contra un Robertson que apenas lleg a 1,1 robos y 0,1 tapas. West said to Robertson. West and Co. got their revenge the following season, as The Logo led the NBA in assists and LA got a legendary game from Wilt Chamberlain en route to a title. Years after a game in which he hit 16 of 17 shots from the field, sank all 12 free throw attempts, and notched 12 rebounds, 12 assists and 10 blocked shots, West told the National Sports Daily, Defensively, from a team standpoint, I didnt feel I played very well. [73] In 1979, West was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Lakers retired his No. [20] In March 2008, ESPN voted West the third greatest shooting guard of all time. The championship was West's first-ever NBA title. He took a loss harder than any player Ive ever known, said longtime Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn in the National Sports Daily. [60], Those championship-winning Lakers were coached by Pat Riley, and featured superstar players Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. Thomas said on an older edition of NBA TVs Open Court that he had the privilege of sharing a panel with Jerry West and Oscar Robertson. Oscar Robertson. The dirt-covered court became his domain. "[48], Having vanquished this long-time bane, West entered his 13th NBA year. After a big loss, the Wests would drive home and she would try to console him, but West would say "get out" at the home porch and drive awayan experience that "killed" her as a wife. Height: 6-2 (188cm) Weight: 185 (84kg) [citation needed] West's father physically abused him, and West has stated that for a time he slept with a loaded shotgun under his bed out of fear that he might have to kill his father in self-defense. "Not a day goes by when I don't think about that Olympic experience.". "Potentially, I would have to go with Lucas and Robertson, because they are a little younger," said Gallatin. As a member of the Bucks in 1970-1971, Robertson finally broke through as Milwaukee swept the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA Finals for his only NBA title; Robertson led the playoffs in assists that season (8.9 assists per game) to go along with 18.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Rain. [42] As after Baylor's injury years before, West stepped into the void, leading the NBA in scoring average with 31.2 points per game, and averaging 4.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, earning him his first of four All-Defensive First Team votes and another All-NBA First Team berth after two Second Team years. [50] After winning Game 4 due to a superb outing from Wilt Chamberlain, West scored 23 points and dished out 9 assists in Game 5, helping the Lakers to win the game and the NBA championship. But just a word to . Robertsons last 30+ points per game season came in 1966-1967, though interestingly, he would win his lone scoring title the next season at 29.2 points per game (50.0% shooting), while also leading the league in assists at 9.7 per game. ", The NBA had only eight teams in 1960 when West and Robertson were rookies. Rendimiento en Playoffs When you think about iconic NBA players of the 1960s and 1970s, a few players come to mind the great Russell vs. Chamberlain rivalry (and the great Celtics teams and players in general), Oscar Robertson and his triple-double season, Jerry West gracing the NBA logo with his silhouette, just to name a few. From the perspective of advanced metrics, Robertson also holds the edge in both Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and Wins-Shares. Los Angeles Lakers play-by-play man Chick Hearn bestowed the nickname. Indeed, The Logo is still the only player to win Finals MVP as a member of the losing team. From 1962-70, the Lakers reached the Finals six times, losing to Boston five times and to the Knicks once. His high-pitched voice earned him the nickname "Tweety Bird", and he spoke with such a thick Appalachian accent that his teammates also referred to him as "Zeke from Cabin Creek" (his nickname acknowledged his country roots, and his accent was so thick that he squeaked his nickname sheepishly "Zeek from Cab'n Creek"). 1970 class-action lawsuit that led to the creation of free agency, legendary game from Wilt Chamberlain en route to a title, another player (Russell Westbrook) to average a triple-double over the course of a full season. 9 Copy quote. But the experience itself was the most gratifying of all," he recalled. In 2002, West became the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies. Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar helped lead the Bucks to the 1971 championship, beating West and the Celtics in the Conference Finals in the process. Including playoff games, the Lakers record for the year was 81-16. [32] Still, the Lakers guard finished the playoffs with 40.6points per game. All videos are . [40] Game 4 saw Celtics guard Sam Jones hit an off-balance buzzer beater to tie the series,[41] but in Game 5, the Lakers struck back and won by 13points; however, they suffered a major blow when West who scored 39points and by far led all players in scoring during the entire series lunged for a meaningless late-game ball and seriously pulled his hamstring: it was immediately visible that the injury would not heal until the end of the series. [18] In his collegiate career, West totaled 2,309points and 1,240rebounds. Jerry West. Its one that calls for a mutual appreciation, something that remains to this day. [20] His college coach was also hired to coach the Lakers. West holds the NBA record for the highest points per game average in a playoff series with 46.3. 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