Throughout the history of professional basketball great big men have turned mediocre teams into championship contenders and turned championship contenders into championship winners. They make the game much easier for their teammates. And they can do so with less of the extraordinary skills it takes for smaller players to have the same effect. This is why June after June, young men who’ve had the fortune of growing to seven feet in height, or nearly so, are selected earlier than their actual talent should dictate in the NBA’s annual draft. Everyone is hoping to find the next one of these guys:
The Greatest Centers of All Time
[youtube]CFmxxpHMee8[/youtube]
10. Bill Walton, 6’11” – 210
On the Mantle: 2 NBA titles, 1 MVP, 1 Finals MVP, 1 Sixth Man of the Year, 1 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 All-Defensive 1st Team, 1 Rebounding Title, 1 Blocked-Shot Title, Inducted into the HOF in 1993.
On the Floor: 13.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.2 bpg (18th AT), 0.8 spg, 52.1 fg% (41st AT), 66.0 ft%.
Coach Speak: Walton might be the Gale Sayers of NBA centers. He was brilliant early and often, leading the Portland TrailBlazers to the only championship in frachise history. However, what should’ve been the prime of his career was derailed by a number of injuries. They also kept him from ranking higher on this list. Unlike Sayers, he was able to continue his career, remaking himself into a sixth man and helped the Boston Celtics to a championship. The man youngsters know as the master of hyperbole on NBA telecasts is perceived by many to be the best passing big man of all time.
[youtube]qWhAtFQUhpo[/youtube]
9. Patrick Ewing, 7’0” - 240
On the Mantle: 1 Rookie of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 1 All-NBA 1st Team, Inducted into the HOF in 2008.
On the Floor: 21.0 ppg (38th AT), 9.8 rpg (54th AT), 1.9 apg, 2.4 bpg (13th AT), 1.0 spg, 50.4 fg%, 74.0 ft%, 24815 pts (20th AT), 11607 reb (24th AT), 2894 blk (7th AT)
Coach Speak: Ewing is the first lottery pick in the history of the NBA. At first thought to be a project on the offensive end, he surprise by averaging 20 ppg right out the box. As time went on, he developed into arguably the best outside jump shooting center the game has ever seen. His detractors point to the fact that he and his Knicks had a knack for coming up short in the clutch. His supporters note that unlike the other great centers on this list he never really had a championship caliber sidekick.
[youtube]FInsapjeY_M[/youtube]
8. David Robinson, 7’1” - 235
On the Mantle: 2 NBA Titles, 1 MVP, 1 Rookie of the Year, 1 Defensive Player of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 4 All-NBA 1st Team, 4 All-Defensive 1st Team, 1 Scoring Title, 1 Rebounding Title, 1 Blocked-Shots Title.
On the Floor: 21.1 ppg (36th AT), 10.6 rpg (33rd AT), 2.5 apg, 3.0 bpg (4th AT), 1.4 spg, 51.8 fg%, 73.6 ft%, 20790 pts (34th AT), 10497 reb (32nd AT), 2954 blk (6th AT), 1388 st (43rd AT).
Coach Speak: The Admiral is the last great pro athlete to come out of the service academies. Once he left the US Navy and stepped onto an NBA floor, the San Antonio Spurs had the greatest single-season turnaround in league history. They haven’t looked back since. He was able in the post and kept his body lean and strong. However, unlike others on this list his game relied more on speed and quickness. This plus some early playoff failures in his career kept him unfairly fighting off the “soft” label. He will be eligible for the HOF this coming off-season.
[youtube]J4GTOO6wvVE[/youtube]
7. Moses Malone, 6’10” – 215
On the Mantle: 1 NBA Title, 3 MVP, 1 Finals MVP, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 4 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 All-Defensive 1st Team, 6 Rebounding Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 2001.
On the Floor: 20.3 ppg (49th AT), 12.3 rpg (15th AT), 1.3 apg, 1.3 bpg, 0.8 spg, 49.5 fg%, 76.0 ft%, 29580 pts (6th AT), 17834 reb (3rd AT), 7382 offensive reb (1st AT).
Coach Speak: He’ll forever be remembered for going “fo fo fo” with the 1982-83 Sixers en route to the NBA crown. The team finished the post-season with an all-time best 12-1 record. Malone was a dominating presence on the boards and mastered the art of the offensive rebounds. Not only is he the all-time leader in that category, he has over 2500 more than the next person on the list. Granted, the great rebounders of the 50s and 60s pre-date that particular stat but his prowess in that area of the game is undeniable. No one seemed to outwork him. Fittingly, no one seemed to outsweat him, either.
[youtube]8gBd-hiiSfo[/youtube]
6. George Mikan, 6’10” - 245
On the Mantle: 5 NBA Titles, 6 All-NBA 1st Team, 3 Scoring Titles, 2 Rebounding Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 1959.
On the Floor: 23.1 ppg (22nd AT), 13.4 rpg, 2.8 apg, 40.4 fg%, 78.2 ft%.
Coach Speak: Mr. Basketball was the most dominant player of his era by a long way. Those 5 titles he won came over the course of a 7 year career. Opposing teams were so afraid of him they held the ball incessantly. This strategy reached its pinnacle, or lowest point depending on your point of view, when the Ft. Wayne Pistons employed it well enough to earn a 19-18 victory over Mikan’s Lakers in the lowest scoring game in NBA history. Teams would continue to stall when facing Mikan, and as an end-game tactic in general, leading to the invention of the shot clock.
[youtube]sbmm2IZvdtg[/youtube]
5. Hakeem Olajuwon, 7’0” – 255
On the Mantle: 2 NBA Titles, 1 MVP, 2 Finals MVP, 2 Defensive Player of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 6 All-NBA 1st Team, 5 All-Defensive 1st Team, 2 Rebounding Titles, 3 Blocked-Shots Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 2008.
On the Floor: 21.8 ppg (32nd AT), 11.1 rpg (29th AT), 2.5 apg, 3.1 bpg (3rd AT), 1.7 spg (26th AT), 51.2 fg%, 71.2 ft%, 26946 pts (10th AT), 13747 reb (12th AT), 3830 blk (1st AT), 2162 st (8th AT).
Coach Speak: The Dream started as a soccer goalie in his native Nigeria. In fact, he didn’t play any basketball at all until he got to high school. By the time his NBA career was over he excelled at every phase of the game. He had uncommon agility for a man his size and could face the basket and take his man off the dribble better than any big man ever. He also had an unbelievable array of post moves. He’s in the argument for the greatest defensive player ever. Currently, he’s the only player in the top 10 on the both the lists of all-time steals and blocked shots leaders. On that list of steals he’s one of only 2 non-guards in the top 10 (Scottie Pippen, the other). En route to his 2 NBA titles, he outplayed 3 other players on this list in head-to-head match ups, including one ranked ahead of him.
[youtube]sUE_0LRxtpU[/youtube]
4. Shaquille O’Neal, 7’1” – 300?
On the Mantle: 4 NBA Titles, 1 MVP, 3 Finals MVP, 1 Rookie of the Year, 1 All Rookie 1st Team, 8 All-NBA 1st Team, 2 Scoring Titles, 9 Field-Goal Percentage Titles.
On the Floor: 24.9 ppg (12th AT), 11.3 rpg (24th AT), 2.6 apg, 2.4 bpg (16th AT), 0.6 spg, 58.1 fg% (2nd AT), 52.7 ft%, 27102 pts (9th AT*), 12349 reb (18th AT), 2589 blk (8th AT).
Coach Speak: Shaq is the only active player on this list AND an absolute physical anomaly. That 300 lbs. he’s listed at is extremely generous as he’s said to have played usually between 320 and 340 and occasionally near as much as 400. He’s not the first NBA big man to be so…so big <ahem, cough, cough, Oliver Miller, cough, ahem, ahem>, just the first to be blessed with exceptional athletic ability. His brute strength is unparalleled in the history of the game, yet he’s always been very nimble around the basket utilizing a variety of quick spin moves to compliment the pure power moves. The one drawback to his game, besides free throw shooting, is he seems to occasionally sacrifice defense and rebounding in favor of leaking out in an attempt to get easy baskets. Still, his 4 championship rings prove he’s a winner.
* Shaq’s stats are current through 2/21/09. By the end of the 2008-09 season he will likely rank 7th all-time in points and is within .001 of the all-time lead in fg%.
[youtube]40iKnaUjz_w[/youtube]
3. Bill Russell, 6’9” - 215
On the Mantle: 11 NBA Titles, 5 MVP, 3 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 All-Defensive 1st Team, 5 Rebounding Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 1975.
On the Floor: 15.1 ppg, 22.5 rpg (2nd AT), 4.3 apg, 44.0 fg%, 56.1 ft%, 21620 reb (2nd AT).
Coach Speak: 11 Championships. Any assessment of Bill Russell has to start with that number. Due to that number, he alone proves the adage “defense wins championships.” Russell dominated that end of the floor, willing his team to victory and is arguably the game’s most intimidating presence ever. His favorite weapon of choice was the blocked shot. Since it didn’t officially become a stat until after his career, we’re left to wonder how many he actually had. We do know about his rebounding. Over his 13 year career, he averaged less than 20 per game only 3 times and never less than 18.6. He was even an underrated passer, finishing in the top 10 in assists 4 times. Then again, with Russell there’s only one stat that actually matters – 11 championships.
[youtube]sYJJtrcYhVM[/youtube]
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 7’2” – 225
On the Mantle: 6 NBA Titles, 6 MVP, 2 Finals MVP, 1 Rookie of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 10 All-NBA 1st Team, 5 All-Defensive 1st Team, 2 Scoring Titles, 1 Rebounding Title, 4 Blocked Shots Titles, 1 Field-Goal Percentage Title, Inducted into the HOF in 1995.
On the Floor: 24.6 ppg (15th AT), 11.2 rpg (26th AT), 3.6 apg, 2.6 bpg (10th AT), 0.9 spg, 55.9 fg% (10th AT), 72.1 ft%, 38387 pts (1st AT), 17440 reb (4th AT), 5660 ast (34th AT), 3189 blk (3rd).
Coach Speak: Kareem’s sky hook is the single most unstoppable move the game has ever seen. Opposing center Daryl Dawkins claims to have had nightmares about it. None other than Wilt Chamberlain admitted Kareem was the first player he actually asked his teammates for help guarding. Kareem himself rode the sky hook all the way to becoming the game’s all-time leading scorer. He also knew how to taper his own personal success in favor of team goals managed a peaceful coexistence with Magic Johnson to create the Lakers’ dynasty of the 80s despite the two having personalities that didn’t exactly match. Oh, and he also has two of the coolest movie performances ever. First, his fight with Bruce Lee in Game of Death is legendary even though it was a crappy movie (yes, in real life he was a student of Master Lee’s). Second, he had a hilarious turn in Airplane!
[youtube]6QmhTWmAaBc[/youtube]
1. Wilt Chamberlain, 7’1” – 275
On the Mantle: 2 NBA Titles, 4 MVP, 1 Finals MVP, 1 Rookie of the Year, 7 All-NBA 1st Team, 2 All-Defensive 1st Team, 7 Scoring Titles, 11 Rebounding Titles, 9 Field-Goal Percentage Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 1979.
On the Floor: 30.1 ppg (2nd AT), 22.9 rpg (1st AT), 4.4 apg, 54.0 fg% (22nd), 51.1 ft%, 31419 pts (4th AT), 23924 reb (1st AT).
Coach Speak: If Shaq and George Mikan were physical anomalies during their careers, Wilt was a leap forward in the evolution of man. There is no other way to explain the Herculean feats he performed on the floor with great regularity. Scoring 50 points and grabbing 25 rebounds in one NBA game is an amazing accomplishment. During the 1961-62 season he played every minute of every game and AVERAGED 50.4 pts and 25.7 reb. Incidentally, that wasn’t his best rebounding season. One year earlier, he averaged 27.2 boards. Most fans know he once scored 100 points in a single game. What many don’t know is he once grabbed 55 rebounds in one game. As with any great scorer, the knock on him was that he was selfish. No problem for Wilt. He went out finished in the top 10 in apg 4 times, including twice in the top 3 and actually leading the league in total assists for the 1967-68 season. Read that again. A man who retired as the all-time leading scorer and played center led the league in total assists. Though he was routinely criticized for losing to Russell’s Celtics, the truth of the matter is Russell had better teams around him. The dirty secret is Russell couldn’t handle him. Wilt averaged 28.7 ppg and 28.7 rpg in games versus Russell. That 55 rebound game? Yeah, that was against Russell.
Others Honorably Manning the Post
Willis Reed
Bob Lanier
Robert Parish
Artis Gilmore
Kareem vs. Bruce Lee
[youtube]RBRJ2qCx5VM[/youtube]
Kareem Setting Some Kid Straight
[youtube]TRrPntN0OlY[/youtube]
Shaq at the 2009 All-Star Game with the JabbaWockeeZ!
[youtube]kmbh7pqYFDw[/youtube]
The Greatest Centers of All Time
Code:
[size=1]Key:
On the Mantle: championships, awards and honors
On the Floor: career averages and notable totals
pts: points ppg: points per game
reb: rebounds rpg: rebounds per game
ast: assists apg: assists per game
st: steals spg: steals per game
blk: blocked shots bpg: blocks per game
fg%: field-goal percentage
ft%: free-throw percentage
HOF: Hall of Fame
AT: all time
Coach Speak: about the player
Sidenotes: Steals, blocked shots and offensive rebounds did not become official NBA stats until the 1973-74 NBA season.[/size][youtube]CFmxxpHMee8[/youtube]
10. Bill Walton, 6’11” – 210
On the Mantle: 2 NBA titles, 1 MVP, 1 Finals MVP, 1 Sixth Man of the Year, 1 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 All-Defensive 1st Team, 1 Rebounding Title, 1 Blocked-Shot Title, Inducted into the HOF in 1993.
On the Floor: 13.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.2 bpg (18th AT), 0.8 spg, 52.1 fg% (41st AT), 66.0 ft%.
Coach Speak: Walton might be the Gale Sayers of NBA centers. He was brilliant early and often, leading the Portland TrailBlazers to the only championship in frachise history. However, what should’ve been the prime of his career was derailed by a number of injuries. They also kept him from ranking higher on this list. Unlike Sayers, he was able to continue his career, remaking himself into a sixth man and helped the Boston Celtics to a championship. The man youngsters know as the master of hyperbole on NBA telecasts is perceived by many to be the best passing big man of all time.
[youtube]qWhAtFQUhpo[/youtube]
9. Patrick Ewing, 7’0” - 240
On the Mantle: 1 Rookie of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 1 All-NBA 1st Team, Inducted into the HOF in 2008.
On the Floor: 21.0 ppg (38th AT), 9.8 rpg (54th AT), 1.9 apg, 2.4 bpg (13th AT), 1.0 spg, 50.4 fg%, 74.0 ft%, 24815 pts (20th AT), 11607 reb (24th AT), 2894 blk (7th AT)
Coach Speak: Ewing is the first lottery pick in the history of the NBA. At first thought to be a project on the offensive end, he surprise by averaging 20 ppg right out the box. As time went on, he developed into arguably the best outside jump shooting center the game has ever seen. His detractors point to the fact that he and his Knicks had a knack for coming up short in the clutch. His supporters note that unlike the other great centers on this list he never really had a championship caliber sidekick.
[youtube]FInsapjeY_M[/youtube]
8. David Robinson, 7’1” - 235
On the Mantle: 2 NBA Titles, 1 MVP, 1 Rookie of the Year, 1 Defensive Player of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 4 All-NBA 1st Team, 4 All-Defensive 1st Team, 1 Scoring Title, 1 Rebounding Title, 1 Blocked-Shots Title.
On the Floor: 21.1 ppg (36th AT), 10.6 rpg (33rd AT), 2.5 apg, 3.0 bpg (4th AT), 1.4 spg, 51.8 fg%, 73.6 ft%, 20790 pts (34th AT), 10497 reb (32nd AT), 2954 blk (6th AT), 1388 st (43rd AT).
Coach Speak: The Admiral is the last great pro athlete to come out of the service academies. Once he left the US Navy and stepped onto an NBA floor, the San Antonio Spurs had the greatest single-season turnaround in league history. They haven’t looked back since. He was able in the post and kept his body lean and strong. However, unlike others on this list his game relied more on speed and quickness. This plus some early playoff failures in his career kept him unfairly fighting off the “soft” label. He will be eligible for the HOF this coming off-season.
[youtube]J4GTOO6wvVE[/youtube]
7. Moses Malone, 6’10” – 215
On the Mantle: 1 NBA Title, 3 MVP, 1 Finals MVP, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 4 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 All-Defensive 1st Team, 6 Rebounding Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 2001.
On the Floor: 20.3 ppg (49th AT), 12.3 rpg (15th AT), 1.3 apg, 1.3 bpg, 0.8 spg, 49.5 fg%, 76.0 ft%, 29580 pts (6th AT), 17834 reb (3rd AT), 7382 offensive reb (1st AT).
Coach Speak: He’ll forever be remembered for going “fo fo fo” with the 1982-83 Sixers en route to the NBA crown. The team finished the post-season with an all-time best 12-1 record. Malone was a dominating presence on the boards and mastered the art of the offensive rebounds. Not only is he the all-time leader in that category, he has over 2500 more than the next person on the list. Granted, the great rebounders of the 50s and 60s pre-date that particular stat but his prowess in that area of the game is undeniable. No one seemed to outwork him. Fittingly, no one seemed to outsweat him, either.
[youtube]8gBd-hiiSfo[/youtube]
6. George Mikan, 6’10” - 245
On the Mantle: 5 NBA Titles, 6 All-NBA 1st Team, 3 Scoring Titles, 2 Rebounding Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 1959.
On the Floor: 23.1 ppg (22nd AT), 13.4 rpg, 2.8 apg, 40.4 fg%, 78.2 ft%.
Coach Speak: Mr. Basketball was the most dominant player of his era by a long way. Those 5 titles he won came over the course of a 7 year career. Opposing teams were so afraid of him they held the ball incessantly. This strategy reached its pinnacle, or lowest point depending on your point of view, when the Ft. Wayne Pistons employed it well enough to earn a 19-18 victory over Mikan’s Lakers in the lowest scoring game in NBA history. Teams would continue to stall when facing Mikan, and as an end-game tactic in general, leading to the invention of the shot clock.
[youtube]sbmm2IZvdtg[/youtube]
5. Hakeem Olajuwon, 7’0” – 255
On the Mantle: 2 NBA Titles, 1 MVP, 2 Finals MVP, 2 Defensive Player of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 6 All-NBA 1st Team, 5 All-Defensive 1st Team, 2 Rebounding Titles, 3 Blocked-Shots Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 2008.
On the Floor: 21.8 ppg (32nd AT), 11.1 rpg (29th AT), 2.5 apg, 3.1 bpg (3rd AT), 1.7 spg (26th AT), 51.2 fg%, 71.2 ft%, 26946 pts (10th AT), 13747 reb (12th AT), 3830 blk (1st AT), 2162 st (8th AT).
Coach Speak: The Dream started as a soccer goalie in his native Nigeria. In fact, he didn’t play any basketball at all until he got to high school. By the time his NBA career was over he excelled at every phase of the game. He had uncommon agility for a man his size and could face the basket and take his man off the dribble better than any big man ever. He also had an unbelievable array of post moves. He’s in the argument for the greatest defensive player ever. Currently, he’s the only player in the top 10 on the both the lists of all-time steals and blocked shots leaders. On that list of steals he’s one of only 2 non-guards in the top 10 (Scottie Pippen, the other). En route to his 2 NBA titles, he outplayed 3 other players on this list in head-to-head match ups, including one ranked ahead of him.
[youtube]sUE_0LRxtpU[/youtube]
4. Shaquille O’Neal, 7’1” – 300?
On the Mantle: 4 NBA Titles, 1 MVP, 3 Finals MVP, 1 Rookie of the Year, 1 All Rookie 1st Team, 8 All-NBA 1st Team, 2 Scoring Titles, 9 Field-Goal Percentage Titles.
On the Floor: 24.9 ppg (12th AT), 11.3 rpg (24th AT), 2.6 apg, 2.4 bpg (16th AT), 0.6 spg, 58.1 fg% (2nd AT), 52.7 ft%, 27102 pts (9th AT*), 12349 reb (18th AT), 2589 blk (8th AT).
Coach Speak: Shaq is the only active player on this list AND an absolute physical anomaly. That 300 lbs. he’s listed at is extremely generous as he’s said to have played usually between 320 and 340 and occasionally near as much as 400. He’s not the first NBA big man to be so…so big <ahem, cough, cough, Oliver Miller, cough, ahem, ahem>, just the first to be blessed with exceptional athletic ability. His brute strength is unparalleled in the history of the game, yet he’s always been very nimble around the basket utilizing a variety of quick spin moves to compliment the pure power moves. The one drawback to his game, besides free throw shooting, is he seems to occasionally sacrifice defense and rebounding in favor of leaking out in an attempt to get easy baskets. Still, his 4 championship rings prove he’s a winner.
* Shaq’s stats are current through 2/21/09. By the end of the 2008-09 season he will likely rank 7th all-time in points and is within .001 of the all-time lead in fg%.
[youtube]40iKnaUjz_w[/youtube]
3. Bill Russell, 6’9” - 215
On the Mantle: 11 NBA Titles, 5 MVP, 3 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 All-Defensive 1st Team, 5 Rebounding Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 1975.
On the Floor: 15.1 ppg, 22.5 rpg (2nd AT), 4.3 apg, 44.0 fg%, 56.1 ft%, 21620 reb (2nd AT).
Coach Speak: 11 Championships. Any assessment of Bill Russell has to start with that number. Due to that number, he alone proves the adage “defense wins championships.” Russell dominated that end of the floor, willing his team to victory and is arguably the game’s most intimidating presence ever. His favorite weapon of choice was the blocked shot. Since it didn’t officially become a stat until after his career, we’re left to wonder how many he actually had. We do know about his rebounding. Over his 13 year career, he averaged less than 20 per game only 3 times and never less than 18.6. He was even an underrated passer, finishing in the top 10 in assists 4 times. Then again, with Russell there’s only one stat that actually matters – 11 championships.
[youtube]sYJJtrcYhVM[/youtube]
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 7’2” – 225
On the Mantle: 6 NBA Titles, 6 MVP, 2 Finals MVP, 1 Rookie of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 10 All-NBA 1st Team, 5 All-Defensive 1st Team, 2 Scoring Titles, 1 Rebounding Title, 4 Blocked Shots Titles, 1 Field-Goal Percentage Title, Inducted into the HOF in 1995.
On the Floor: 24.6 ppg (15th AT), 11.2 rpg (26th AT), 3.6 apg, 2.6 bpg (10th AT), 0.9 spg, 55.9 fg% (10th AT), 72.1 ft%, 38387 pts (1st AT), 17440 reb (4th AT), 5660 ast (34th AT), 3189 blk (3rd).
Coach Speak: Kareem’s sky hook is the single most unstoppable move the game has ever seen. Opposing center Daryl Dawkins claims to have had nightmares about it. None other than Wilt Chamberlain admitted Kareem was the first player he actually asked his teammates for help guarding. Kareem himself rode the sky hook all the way to becoming the game’s all-time leading scorer. He also knew how to taper his own personal success in favor of team goals managed a peaceful coexistence with Magic Johnson to create the Lakers’ dynasty of the 80s despite the two having personalities that didn’t exactly match. Oh, and he also has two of the coolest movie performances ever. First, his fight with Bruce Lee in Game of Death is legendary even though it was a crappy movie (yes, in real life he was a student of Master Lee’s). Second, he had a hilarious turn in Airplane!
[youtube]6QmhTWmAaBc[/youtube]
1. Wilt Chamberlain, 7’1” – 275
On the Mantle: 2 NBA Titles, 4 MVP, 1 Finals MVP, 1 Rookie of the Year, 7 All-NBA 1st Team, 2 All-Defensive 1st Team, 7 Scoring Titles, 11 Rebounding Titles, 9 Field-Goal Percentage Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 1979.
On the Floor: 30.1 ppg (2nd AT), 22.9 rpg (1st AT), 4.4 apg, 54.0 fg% (22nd), 51.1 ft%, 31419 pts (4th AT), 23924 reb (1st AT).
Coach Speak: If Shaq and George Mikan were physical anomalies during their careers, Wilt was a leap forward in the evolution of man. There is no other way to explain the Herculean feats he performed on the floor with great regularity. Scoring 50 points and grabbing 25 rebounds in one NBA game is an amazing accomplishment. During the 1961-62 season he played every minute of every game and AVERAGED 50.4 pts and 25.7 reb. Incidentally, that wasn’t his best rebounding season. One year earlier, he averaged 27.2 boards. Most fans know he once scored 100 points in a single game. What many don’t know is he once grabbed 55 rebounds in one game. As with any great scorer, the knock on him was that he was selfish. No problem for Wilt. He went out finished in the top 10 in apg 4 times, including twice in the top 3 and actually leading the league in total assists for the 1967-68 season. Read that again. A man who retired as the all-time leading scorer and played center led the league in total assists. Though he was routinely criticized for losing to Russell’s Celtics, the truth of the matter is Russell had better teams around him. The dirty secret is Russell couldn’t handle him. Wilt averaged 28.7 ppg and 28.7 rpg in games versus Russell. That 55 rebound game? Yeah, that was against Russell.
Others Honorably Manning the Post
Willis Reed
Bob Lanier
Robert Parish
Artis Gilmore
Kareem vs. Bruce Lee
[youtube]RBRJ2qCx5VM[/youtube]
Kareem Setting Some Kid Straight
[youtube]TRrPntN0OlY[/youtube]
Shaq at the 2009 All-Star Game with the JabbaWockeeZ!
[youtube]kmbh7pqYFDw[/youtube]
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I enjoyed that.
