NBA icon Oscar Robertson named who he believes could take over any generation – and his answer wasn’t Michael Jordan or LeBron James.
The NBA GOAT debate often revolves around LeBron James and Michael Jordan, but the Milwaukee Bucks legend Robertson has another player who he thinks is in a category of his own.
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LeBron and Jordan have been the faces of their respective eras.
Plenty of fans think the all-time NBA points leader James could take over an era, while a massive amount believe that the six-time NBA Finals MVP Jordan has the edge in the conversation.
But the NBA Hall of Famer Robertson thinks that the iconic big man Wilt Chamberlain was on another level, even surpassing Jordan and LeBron.
“Wilt averaged 50 points per game, and people don’t talk about it enough. It’s unbelievable. My good friend Bill Russell won MVP that season, and he played great because they won the championship,” Robertsaid said on the All The Smoke, which is co-hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, last year.
“But when you average 50 points per game in season, that’s crazy man.”
Robertson referenced Chamberlain’s 1961 historic season in his third year in the league with the Philadelphia Warriors.
The 86-year-old added that Chamberland single-handedly changed the game of basketball during that campaign.
“Wilt carried the NBA that year. They don’t say much about it. I think he could play in any NBA era and dominate,” Robertson said.
Chamberlain wasn’t just a basketball player, as he was talented in other sports thanks to his physical frame.
“He could run track, high jump, play volleyball – he did it all. And he backed it up on the court,” Robertson said.
“Of course, there are great players today, but can you imagine grabbing 50 rebounds in a game? That was incredible.
Chamberlain won the scoring record in his first seven seasons in the NBA.
He was also the rebounding leader for five campaigns.
Unfortunately for Chamberlain, he didn’t receive a championship title and had a 0-5 record in playoff series against Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics.
He retired as a two-time NBA champion in 1973 and is still No. 7 overall in career points.
And the late legend Chamberlain’s record of 100 points in a game still hasn’t been broken.
Robertson was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 1980, a year after Chamberlain’s induction.
Standing at 6-foot-5, the point guard Robertson averaged more than 30 points in six of his first seven seasons.
Nicknamed ‘The Big O’, Robertson earned his first and only MVP award during that span and joined the Milwaukee Bucks in 1970.
He would team up with the legendary Kareem-Abdul Jabaar as the two brought the franchise its first NBA title.
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