NBA Legends And Players Explain Why Wilt Chamberlain Would Destroy Today's NBA
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- NBA Legends And Players Explain Why Wilt Chamberlain Would Destroy Today's NBA
When LeBron James himself says, "Wilt Chamberlain was a flat out monster and ridiculously freakish athlete! Would be dominant in any era point blank.” Then you know it’s a big deal.
Wilt, The Stilt, Chamberlain is a name that resonates like thunder when you think of the most dominant players in the NBA. We're talking about a player whose legend is etched in the books of basketball history.
Wilt wasn't just a player, he was a force of nature, a statistical anomaly, and a larger-than-life figure. His numbers? Remarkable. His feats? Unbelievable. But, for some reason, his legacy still finds itself locked in a game of what if when we consider today's game.
You see, when conversations veer toward the Greatest of All Time, Wilt sometimes gets nudged down the ladder. Critics argue he battled inferior opponents, stacked up stats at the expense of his team, and carried the reputation of a challenging teammate both on and off the court.
Wilt's career spanned from the late '50s to the early '70s, a period of hoops marked by giants like Bill Russell, Bob Pettit, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But the real question is what if Wilt took the court against today's titans, the LeBron Jameses, the Kevin Durants, the Giannis Antetokounmpos? That's the mystery we're about to unravel.
So, whether you're a die-hard fan eager to relive the golden days or a newcomer to the game curious about NBA legends, hit that subscribe button, turn on those notifications, and get ready to unravel the mysteries of Wilt Chamberlain's potential dominance in the modern NBA.
Wilt was a world class athlete. Track star. He was really fast. Strong as Arnold. 7'2" @300lbs. Badass.
I saw him play years ago,and to this day nobody and I mean nobody was as dominant and skillful as Wilt.He is by far the greatest player ever.
Well maybe to you. Not to the rest of us.
@@christophercox936
You’re in denial, junior…give a once-in-a-century, multi-sport, physical freak equal access to ALL of today’s advantages & he would absolutely D E S T R O Y anybody!! Drop your juvenile bias, do some real serious research on the man & perhaps reality may actually set in? Latest ain’t always the greatest & in his particular case, that’s a fact‼️
100%
It's the Media of today. So many younger people think the Nba,Nfl,Mlb, Nhl,,,,etc started when they start watching. This why the real GOAT Russell get ignored just like Wilt,Oscar,West,Baylor,,,,,etc. High flyers like Connie Hawkins,great shooters like Bill Bradley, enforcers like Luke Jackson,Maurice Lucas, other bigs Beaty,Thurman,Lainer,Bellamy,,,etc. Cousy,Sam and KC,Frasier,Monroe. Youngmen and Kids haven't a clue how good these athletes was.
@christophercox936 To me also. Nobody better than Wilt.
Arnold Schwarzenegger once said that Wilt Chamberlain was the strongest human being he'd ever met. He said Wilt would work out with 500 pounds on a bench press bar, there's a lot of "really strong guys" who can't push that even once. People think that long and lanky body couldn't be that strong are in for one hell of a rude shock, he was as strong as an ox! Wilt was athletic as hell, it wasn't just all strength. Such a talent, a "once in a century or three" kind of man. And Wilt playing in the days when knocking a guy down would pick up a foul? Yeah, Shaq was famous for getting away with tanking guys in the lane and not getting called for it, and he is NOT alone. I see so many charging fouls any time I watch an NBA game it's insane. They honestly need to start calling guys for that crap, I don't give a damn if they're a "Big Star" or not. Call the damned fouls.
I was born in the mid 1960’s and watched Wilt Chamberlain play a few times on TV. He is the GOAT, and I don’t think it is even close.
How many other players have forced the NBA to change the rules? Goal tending, thank you Mr Chamberlain. No longer allowed to inbound the ball by throwing it over the backboard, thank you Mr Chamberlain. The widening of the lane and having to stay behind the free throw line while shooting free throws were also because of Mr. Chamberlain.
I can’t watch basketball anymore, time for old man mode, because of all the traveling, double dribble, and charging that the star players are allowed to do.
Yeah he would dunk from the free throw line in college, so they had to change the rules.
Strongest player ever. No one is even close.
I think shaq was stronger
@@rickmillisorNope. On record. Shaq even tells the story in an interview. At his best, Shaq benched 450. At age 59, without a warm up, Wilt benched a 465. At Wilt's peak he benched 600. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Al Atlas both called Wilt the strongest man they ever knew and have stories about his workouts. Look it up... They are sincerely amazing stories. In my mind, the Big Dipper is the single most dominant athlete of any sport of any era.
Umm... Yeah, he was the strongest. Nobody else is even close. In addition. How many track records has shaq had? High jump? 50 yard dash? Freakishly athletic! It's not close. But, I mean, Shaq us very tall and strong. But, you know, he isn't THAT ffreakishly athletic.
@@rickmillisor ruclips.net/video/laflwtrpy-4/видео.html
Wilt was 2 inches taller than Shaq and had much more stamina than Shaq. 7'1" vs 6'11" barefooted heights.
You could add Wilt's incredible other athletic feats like; a 46" vertical. Possibly the best volleyball player ever, Setting records in the high hurdles and high jump, etc. He would take Shaq and run him ragged by half time. He was lighter than Shaq but easily stronger doing lifts with weights that were astounding. I watched him play his entire career and he is my absolute 100% GOAT
He could keep up with Arnold in Powerlifting. Schwarzenegger's Words.
Thank you, finally someone that knows wilt is the Goat. Never failed out, 55 rebounds against Russel. 50/25 for a whole season, nobody has ever done either alone. Averaged over 48 minutes a game for a season. Greatest shot blocker by far, ridiculous numbers, sometimes in the 20s. You block 3 shots a game now you lead the league. Thank you
Not only does he own the record for most minutes per game in a season, he owns the next 6 spots down the list.
He was part of the 71-72 Lakers team that won 33 straight, and has a low year playing only 44.3 minutes per game. Perhaps the most impressive part of that 33 game streak is that the Lakers played 4 series of 3 x 3 (3 games on three nights). All 3x3 series include at leas one game on the road (usually the middle game) and the teams flew comercial coach in those days.
A modern NBA team would be lucky to win two of three under those conditions.
@@luddite4change449 I was at 8 games of that streak.
118 fifty point games (and that was before three point shots). Michael Jordan is second and only has 31.
@@silverjohn6037 I don't think 3 point shots would have had much of an effect on Wilt's point totals. Jerry West, yes. His 60 foot buzzer beater to tie would have won the game, but they lost in overtime. This happened in the '70 finals.
@@dawoool Until someone mentions that he didn't take/make many 3 pointers. You know the story about what happened when the press said he was a ball hog, he went out and led the league in assista the next year.
Wilt still has over 50 NBA records today, and that's 50 years after he retired.
Babe Ruth has over50 records that have lasted about 100 years
Yea and he played in a time when college basketball was more popular than pro. At the end of his career his numbers were horrible because the players became better.
72, 68 individually
@@christophercox936 stop before you embarass yourself. he dropped his mumbers later becasue hsi coaches asked him to not score. he only took like 17-24 shots a game half way thorugh his carer when he used to tak 35-45
@@christophercox936 Or maybe it was the knee injury. Just like Jordan was never the same player after he busted his knee the same is true for Wilt.
1972 was very special with 33 games winning streak and also the best point differential of all time 12.28 that still stands till this day and won the championship!!!
The reason a lot of older players would "destroy" today's players has nothing to do with athleticism. It's because of their minds. Average people think sports are all about how fast you can run, how good you can shoot, how high you can jump etc. But if you've ever played sports, you'd know that mentality is what separates regular players from great ones. It's why Jordan was able to do what he did. He was not just an elite, freak athlete. He had a freak mentality to go with it... and that's what today's players mostly lack compared to the older ones. Larry Bird, Magic, Jordan, Rodman, Thomas... all those guys, they would get inside these softer players minds and wreck them to the point where their athleticism wouldn't matter anymore. There would be technicals called, players would foul out and complain and whine, and they would be completely out of their game. A lot of them would be scared of the older players... it would be ugly.
That is why the older guys would wreck today's players. They're just too mentally soft.
Lets not forget that Wilt owned the 400 Metre record at the University of Kansas for over thirty years, so he was also very fast, and he was also very proficient at the high jump as well.
@@MrGG1959 a;nd wont he NCAA big 8 high jump three years in a row with like literally no form. would have placed 11th in the 1956 olympic finals with the height he won with
ha also benced 550-600 lb
Like I said todays players on average display thier athleticism more. Players from the 60's, 70's and 80's were much better BASKETBALL PLAYERS. PERIOD. 🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀
Imagine Wilt playing in the 90s or early 2000s when bullyball was the norm. What people don’t appreciate and this video points out is that Wilt played under very strict rules, including new rules invented just to try to limit his dominance. And he played against plenty of other talented bigs too.
Very true, and during his career Wilt played against more Hall of Fame Centres than any other Centre in NBA history.
@@MrGG1959 The strict rules also included calling traveling. So instead of saying Wilt would dominate in today's game (which he would), let's ask if someone like oh....I don't know....let's say LeChina James, if they would dominate back in the 70's.
@@Budman_4044 Also they could call a carry probably a dozen times a game if they enforced the rules as they used to.
@@MrGG1959 That's no doubt.
Wilt is easily the 🐐
Finally!! Someone makes a vid and pays tribute to the true GOAT. Check out Wilt's first 7 years in the league; Incredible points per game; incredible rebounds per game; and incredible blocks per game. Wilt still holds 90 plus NBA records that will never be broken. Like 55 rebounds in a game versus Bill Russell; Like leading the league in assists. And after basketball he founded pro volleyball.😊
Wilton Norman Chamberlain Greatest of all time
Yep! That never ending conversation about who the basketball GOAT is starts with Wilt.
Greatest scorer. Russell has 11 rings.
True....but Bill says Wilt was the goat That's good enough for me! @@GB-ez6ge
@GB-ez6ge Wilt was the better player, and Russell had the better players, and probably bench
@@Dan-p2m Russell made his teammates look better than they were. Celtics were under .500 without him. Wilt was a great showboat but not a great teammate/player. 11 championships in 13 years is GOAT to me. We all have different ways of measuring things. Brees and Rogers have better arms than Brady but Tom is my NFL GOAT.
Not "The Stilt." He hated that nickname. He preferred "Dipper," which was short for "Big Dipper" because he had to dip his head to go through most doorways.
WIlt wasn't a star, a whole constellation!
Right-he absolutely hated it-the guy doing the video should know better, if he claims to be an expert
I saw Wilt play in Toronto in 1971 against the Buffalo Braves, and he sunk two baskets from Centre which today would be three pointers, but not in those days. I also saw Wilt play once in a summer tour with the Harlem Globetrotters also at Maple Leaf Gardens, and aside from going to an ABA double-header in a snowstorm that was the only pro basketball I saw live until we got the Raptors. Wilt was the best I have ever seen, and I will be 65 next month.
i know tommy heinesson stated he wonce saw wilt make 20 of 25 baskets from half court (likely during practice) but still. plus a video of him in the early 70s winning a 5 dollar bet makign 4 striaght hook shots from the corner
@@Johnadams20760 There was also footage of a game back in the 70's between the Lakers and the Bucks in which Wilt blocked two consecutive sky hooks, and that was after his knees began to give him problems.
@@MrGG1959 well, he did eventually heal those knees. it was due to a massive patella injurty he came back in 4 monhts when most guys in therir early 20s with today's medicine and reha would take 2.5-3 years before they were ready to play again. so wilt was at 40 percent when he came back and even in those games yo uare speaking of maybe 70 percent. plus he also buit up more msucle and was 30 lb more, abliet muslce.
He is the greatest player ever. They changed the rules of the game because of him . Today you have different game more and more athletic players maybe higher than him but he was the beast. Unstoppable. Hundred points in one game? I have witnessed Drazen Petrovic game against juniors of Olimpia Ljubljana. This is incomparable .Drazen played against juniors and Chamberlain against seniors. He is the greatest player ever
Wilt went to Kansas on a track scholarship - high jump. Wilt was faster than Jim Brown, still considered the most dominant running back in NFL history. Wilt could bench press over 600 pounds. The basketball rules were changed because of him. Yes, Wilt was in a class of his own.
Wilt is the GREATEST !!!
I am a huge Bill Russell fan but cannot deny how great Wilt was. On of the few players that transcend every era. Oscar Robertson falls into that as well
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
Russell himself said that he more than anybody knew that Wilt was the greatest and it wasn’t even close.
I was priviliged to watch him at the Forum, and play against him in beach volleyball. Amazing man
In a conference finals game against the Celtics Wilt’s right hand, he was following a fast break, was above the top of the backboard when he caught the offensive rebound with one hand and slammed it thru the basket!
I got to see Wilt play in person in the late 1960’s. I’ve never been so excited to see a basketball player play before or since.
Wilt was truly the GOAT and his 1962 season 50ppg and 23rpg averages weren't even mentioned.
Wilt played in the most unbalanced era of NBA basketball, against a stacked Boston Celtics team which had *at least* 3 Hall of Famers on the roster every season. In Wilt's high-scoring prime, Boston had SEVEN guys who would eventually make the Hall of Fame:
Bob Cousy
John Havlicek
Tom Heinsohn
K.C. Jones
Sam Jones
Frank Ramsey
Bill Russell
There wasn't any salary cap, there wasn't any free agency. Wilt had enough clout to be able to force his way off of a team by the threat of not playing, but he couldn't make Boston lose talent, and he couldn't force other NBA teams to give up their stars to make a team as stacked as Boston was. Remember how dominant the Spurs were throughout the late 90's to 2000's, and they were just always in contention, because they had 3 guys who would go on to be Hall of Famers the whole time? Yeah, the Celtics had *double* that.
So the idea that Wilt alone was supposed to magically counter all five guys on the other side of the court, or that he was supposed to pass the ball more to a 6 foot point guard who shot .378 for his career is just *INSANE*.
Of *course* he would dominate in today's game. He was 7'1" in his stocking feet, was freakishly athletic, and a bona-fide track and field star. He could outrun anyone else on the court, while he was also the biggest, strongest man on the court. He also had really good touch around the basket. He was not just standing below the rim doing George Mikan layups. He had turnarounds, fadeaways, floaters, and when people started to shit on him for not passing, he set the per-game record for assists at the center position in a single season, which took 56 years to be broken.
He was bigger and stronger than Shaq, more agile and quick than Olajuwon, and had the game-sense and court-awarness of Jokic. All he needed was the opportunity to play in a league with parity. In his career, Wilt played 4 game 7 eliminations against the Celtics, who won all four, and went on to win the Championship each time, if it wasn't the Finals already. The *combined* point differential in those 4 games is 9points. 1962, they lost 109 to 107. 1965, they lost 110 to 109. 1968 the final was 100 to 96, and 1969, the final was 108 to 106. In those games, Wilt's averages were 21.3 points, 28.5 rebounds, 4 assists on an insane .652 shooting percentage.
He was a handful of baskets and free throws from winning 6 championships in his career on three different teams, in a era where player movement and ring chasing wasn't possible, when his last game was a decade before the NBA would institute any kind of salary cap. He might not be the GOAT, but anyone who doesn't put him in the top 3 is just ignorant.
Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest 1
Despite all the Demi god giving ability Wilt was given, people still try to diminish his legacy and act as if Wilts success is because the era he played in rather than his ability, one of the biggest narratives that casuals would point to is that Wilt played against a bunch of much smaller 6’3 defenders, plumbers etc. and that’s why he dominated, this narrative is ignorant and contagious myth it’s a complete lie and espn promotes that with their uneducated analyst example JJ Redick
The league average height today in 30 teams is 6’7 the league average height in 1962 when Wilt averaged 50 points was 6’6
Wow 1 inch difference.
1962 there were 9 teams and every team had a big man 👀
Every team had at least one center that was at least 6’10 except for one team here are the details
Chicago Packers, Walt Bellamy 6’11
Celtics, Bill Russell 6’10
Nationals, Swede Halbrook 7’3
Knicks, Phil Jordon 6’10, Darrall Imhoff6’10
Lakers, Ray Felix 6’11
Royals, Bevo Nordman 6’10
Pistons, Walter Duke 7’0
Hawks, Clyde Lovellette 6’9
Quickest to 10 k points
Wilt Chamberlain 236 games
Jordan 303 games
Quickest to 20 k points
Wilt Chamberlain 499 games
Jordan 620 games
Quickest to 30 k points
Wilt Chamberlain 941 games
Jordan 960 games
Note Wilt stop scoring after 7 years to play more like Bill Russell a winning style getting team involved
Wilt Chamberlain averaged 30 points 20 plus rebounds for his Career!
If blocks and steals were counted it’s pretty obvious who the real triple quadruple double king really is.
Olympic Gold medals ?
I remember seeing an interview post retirement of Buffalo legend, and former Piston and Bucks legend Bob Lanier in which he stated that once while with the Pistons playing the Lakers Wilt blocked 23 shots in that game. Amazing
Appreciate this video.
His opponents were inferior to HIM, only because he was so superior.
Well put, sir.
Only because they were gas station attendants.
@@christophercox936 You reminded me of a saying by Matk Twain. "Keep silent and be thought a fool or open your mouth and remove all doubt."
@@christophercox936 wrong. you believe in that stupid myth of plumbers.
in his FIRST YEAR in 1959 thre was still TWO players who had summer jobs, out of the entire league. 2 guys whom were the last players on their bench. and played like 18 mintues a season
the average height of NBA players in teh 60s was less than one inch cshorter than the all time hig in the 2000s, BUT they measured the60s players without shoes so you would add 1-2 inches/ 1.5 inches so essentally idential. same with cetners.
russell btw was a guy that was thougth to be gold/silver medal contender fo the high jump but he playe ball so he did not wind up doing that. wilt also ha da high jump that would have placed 11th in the 56 olymics.
wilt also out threw the shot put gold medalist
Great vid.👏🏾 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I'm about to get a ton of criticism. So here goes. Chamberlain and Russell were ahead of their time. Look at the rebounding totals. No one even comes close. Olajuwon. Cage. Rodman. DeAndre Jordan. Russell and Chamberlain were ahead of their time.
They were two track and field athletes, championship high jumpers, who were around 6 feet tall and had the brains and drive to achieve whatever they set out to do. Russell set out to help his team win and show the world that black players belonged in the NBA. Wilt set out to defeat Russell's Celtics, and led the only team that managed to do so in the entirety of the 60s.
Why that sole Celtics loss is held against Wilt, as in "he only won once against Russell", is beyond me. Nobody else managed, and that included Oscar, Elgin, West, Walt Bellamy, Willis Reed and Bob Pettit, the last of whom scored 50 points in game 7 of the '58 finals to defeat an earlier Russell-led Celtics team.
Like Jimi Hendrix being the greatest guitarist.... The original creator of everything we love about the game... Only thing missing is the modern 3 pointer.
Its off the subject, but Jimmy Hendrick s was not the greatest guitarist, Stevie Ray Von is.
Wilt was 7' 1 3/4" is bare feet. With basketball shoes on, he was over 7'2". He was 285 pounds of muscle.
Wilt was ahead of his time.
The major stars of the 80's and 90's would dominate todays players.
If they had learned the game with the different rules and norms of today probably, a great will always be great but the shock of how different the game is from the 80s to the 2020s especially in how little offensive fouls are called and how often defensive fouls are called.
@@konorkaotic9657 true.
True, but 50 year old Wilt dominated Magic Johnson and other prime 80's stars.
@@tykemorris No, he didn't.
@@tykemorris Wilt would dominate anyone. Kareem was his only nemesis.
Any Great NBA Player would be good in any era. But there is no doubt that Wilt would dominate today.
Dominate he couldn’t even make a free throw much less a 3.
@@christophercox936 who needs 3’s when nobody in the league can stop you down low
@@christophercox936 tommy heinnson HOF boston Celtic whom he played against many times as a player and him beng a coach. stated he saw wilt make 20 of 25 baskets from half court , there is also literally a video of witl wining a 5 dollar bit making 4 straight shtos from teh corner.
@@christophercox936 even with the 3 point line, how many players have put up 100 points in a single game? I'd wait for an answer but I know there isn't one.
@@christophercox936 Not the same thing. And he would absolutely dominate. There have been many fantastic players over the years, and there continue to be fantastic players, but Wilt is at the top of the mountain. The only thing he wasn't good at was free throws... yet he still averaged 50 PPG for a season.
25 games with 30+ rebounds a game his rookie year! 1 of his many records
You can do this playing against bricklayers. Dwight Howard did this in Asia against midgets.
Wilt was pressured to play "soft" by the owners and commissioners, to not hurt the other players. He also lost several of his finals due to bad coaching. Or you could say that the Celtics had his number.
Shaq was allowed to bulldoze through players.
Wilt is still my Guy. He would undoubtedly Be My #1 Pick and I would build my team around Him. He will Do Whatever You Need Him To Do: Score, Rebound, Assist, Block shots, Get Steals, Defend, Get A Triple Double Tonight, whatever You Need!
Chamberlain led the league in total assists 1967-68, with 702 assists (he did not lead the league in assists per game): he remains the only center to lead the league in assists.
Notice the picture of Jabbar & Oscar guarding wilt WITHOUT the ball!
The never was an NBS player named "Jabbar". Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
This was an excellent video presentation. The video clips were appropriate and represented a lot of research, the narration was intelligent and easy to understand, and the video presented its truth exceptionally well.
Both Chamberlain and Russell are national treasures.
I was at a Knicks game in the 60s and, as the crowd dwindled, i walked down to the court and stood underneath the basket. Wilt was holding the ball in two hands below his knees. Willis Reed had his arm hooked over one of Wilt's arms. Wilt literally lifted Willis off the floor and dunked the ball with two hands. People today just have no idea how strong Wilt was. He had tremendous upper body strength and the man could really jump -- really. He'd be a top 2 player consistently in any era.
Elgin Baylor is pronounced like the beverage jin, Eljin.
You're talking to a robot.
@@anonymike8280nope
Chamberlain would destroy todays NBA. Especially if hes allowed to travel like so many players get away with today. Real question is could any player today dominate back in the Wilt Chamberlain era.
I had the great privilege of watching Wilt and Jerry West play in the early 70s when I was a boy. My brother and I attended 8 games of the 33 game streak, right after Elgin Baylor retired. We were at game 1 of the '72 finals. We saw Pat Riley play against Phil Jackson in that game.
Wilt would have a triple double every game today.
Wilt was so much more than his "finger roll".
If you wonder what he could do today, just watch Wilt run the court. That is FRIGHTENING.
Wilt was and remains STILL in a class by himself!
Thank you thank you, you put out there, the real truth, awesome, I Loved it, everyone needs to watch this!!!
Wilt had three essential skills that Shaq never possessed: dribbling, passing, and shooting.
And blocking.
Wilt was a world class athlete who was stronger than any player ever. He could touch the top of the backboard - 13 feet above the floor with three inches to spare. He benchwd 505. Ran the 440 in under 50 seconds. High jumped 6 ft. 6. Olympuc quality long jump. He would have averaged more points but was told by his coach to pass more after they kept losing in the finals You cant go by rings to say who is the goat in a team sport. You are only as good as your team.
"The MVP of our Championship season was Stumpy'"
< Wilt Chamberlain 1972
My favorite quote from Chamberlain on why Jordan couldn't be the NBA goat was this one, “The difference between you and me is that they had to change the rules for me so I couldn't dominate. They changed the rules so that you could.”
Wilts career numbers! 30ppg 23 boards a game! Averaged 47 minutes a game! Even today holds NBA rebounding record! Wilts records will be here 500 yrs from now! The best ever!! Not even close!!
Its so f***ing hilarious how much people downplay this man. "Oh he averaged 50? He mustve been playing against trash competition." Imagine that... every single player, every legend in the 60s is a "trash player". Bring down every f***ing hall of famer of the 60s just so they can demote wilt to an average superstar player. The man was the only one athletic enough to block the unblockable skyhook, and even did it as an old post injured player thats a few steps away from retiring
Anyone who doesn’t believe Wilt is the GOAT never saw him play. Wilt was right when he told MJ the difference between them was the NBA changed their rules to prevent Wilt from dominating where as in MJ’s day they changed the rules to help MJ dominate. I don’t know how many times I saw Jordan take a step when he gathered the ball then take two more steps before shooting or passing and it was rarely called as traveling as it most certainly would have been in Wilts day.
Wilt Chamberlain is the GREATEST DEFENDER EVER.
hands down !!!!!
Walt Bellamy played against Wilt also.
He was a top 3 player in the same era.
Wilt was the only player who blocked Jabbar's sky hook.
I truly wnjoyed thiisbpresentation. 👍🏿
To say Wilt retired after the title year of 1972 is incorrect, as well as disingenuous. Wilt played the '72-'73 season well enough to help an oft-injured Laker team into the finals, where they lost to the Knicks, and after that season Wilt signed on as player coach of the San Diego ABA team. Before the season started a judge ruled that he could coach but could not play because the Lakers still held his rights. He "coached" one year but that was not for him and he refused to go back to the Lakers. In the years following a couple different teams inquired about signing Wilt but the Lakers insisted on compensation. So his retirement was not really his choice. Even well into his 40's nobody questioned that he could help a team.
I've been watching these guys since the late 50's. I've Seen them all.
Wilt is the GOAT straight up.
No one ever dominated like he did. Not Jabbar Magic Bird LeBron or even Jordon.. Wilt dominated, he controlled on both ends of the floor and in all its aspects as well.
He was like a machine god created with the express purpose of playing basketball.
Wilt always looked to me like a man playing against boys.to me. I doubt I'll ever see anyone who is better, or even his equal.
His competition was pretty stout with Bill Russell, a candidate for GOAT in the mix
Wilt defensively was an exceptionally "clean" player in that he NEVER "FOULED OUT" IN ANY GAME DURING HIS LONG CAREER!
Everyone forgets he started with the Harlem Globetrotters. A year before he played pro ball. I saw them play at the SF Cow Palace.
Saw Wilt standing on the NE corner of Yonge & Bloor in Toronto one Summer (late 70s . early 80s) 'n thought there was an extra column until there was movement when the traffic light changed, an impressive presence .. !
There are numerous accounts of how freakishly strong he was - a number of his contemporaries say this
Wilt was the best I ever seen. The 76ers team with Wilt, Luke Jackson, Hal Greer, Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham was tremendous.
The best. Just watching the rest❤
Thank you for this offering!
I try to be open-minded and progressive in my thinking; still, as a senior, I have my memories and my preferences: I still think Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest to ever play the game.
Now, I'm not demeaning Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kareem Jabbar, or any other great who has played since. And I know Chamberlain's rivalry with Bill Russell shows he had a worthy adversary who won way more championships.
Yet, I think it appropriate to call Chamberlain a "force of nature." I didn't know he never fouled out of a game. He's still the only player to score 100 points in a game. Years after he retired, I learned how intelligent he was - and it's evident in how he adapted his game.
I know the revelation of his prodigious engagements with females tarnished his legacy a bit - but he had some career. I'm not sure the Celtics wouldn't have taken him over Bill Russell if they'd had the chance.
Wilt was am athletic freak of nature foe his enormous size.
Just imagine Wilt Chamberlain getting access to the latest in sports science and training methods, oh my he would be so dominant. He would be like a man playing with junior high kids.
The Big Dipper 🐐
Wilt: The GOAT. END OF STORY.......
All of the great ones would be great.
"Elgin" as in Elgin Baylor is pronounced with a hard "G" like El-J-in, not with a soft 'G'.
elgin is pronounced with a "soft g" as in El-jin"
Wilt might not have been the best player ever in a game generally dictated by skill... But he was the greatest athlete of at least the last 1000 years, if not ever. That pure athleticism was enough to make him one of the 3 or 4 greatest players to ever play that skill game. If Wilt had lived in Greek times he'd have been descended from Zeus himself and we'd still know of his feats today.
I just can't get over the comment that a crossover dribble would be called traveling. It's literally dribbling the whole time.
Probably refers to the fact that most players today don't keep their hand atop the ball while performing the crossover, they carry it to change its direction, which is a violation (palming, carrying)
"He wasn't as good as the players yet to be born" is an argument that is beyond ludicrous. A competitive professional athlete is paid to best his real-world opponent, not some some theoretical man of the future. Wilt Chamberlain was a one-off who, like Babe Ruth did for baseball, single-handedly transformed the game of basketball, permanently.
You forgot to mention that he actually started his professional career as a POINT GUARD for the Harlem Globetrotters, a team some consider the best team of its day (NBA teams stopped playing them when they started winning the games). Larry Bird with be my GOAT for his smarts but the greatest center of all time no one else comes close, and yea I saw him play and all the wanabees as well so I know what I saw. Just a side note just think what a BEAST he would be in today's game where you take a day off for a hang nail and don't play with broken fingernails let alone a broken hand.
Wilt is the true GOAT.
When a guy like Bill Russell says that Wilt is the GOAT of the NBA you haven't been listening to him because everyone to this day MJ is everyones man. BUT for people that know Wilt is the MAN
Wilt chamberlain, forever, the
TRUE GOAT.
Wilt wasn't just a player. He was also a playa!
Why does the Stilt get this kind of consideration but Bill Russell doesn't. To me, shut down defenders would be great in any generation of basketball.
That may be true Mr. Russell but Wilt would still win scoring titles and you'd still quietly go home with a 11 rings. Respect. RIP
He also put up some very big numbers over at Hugh Hefner's pool.
He even shamed Schwarzenegger in the gym. Could of been the physically strongest player of all time.
Imagine how strong wilt could have been if he did powerlifting full time
I've always been a fan of Wilt's legacy. I only wish I could have seen him play live. However, you have to assume the goal tending rules must have been different back in the day.
the 8.8 bpg was actaully harvey pollak, hall of famer and pioneer for stat keeping. he had all the records for 112 of wilt's gmaes. in those, a vast majority came in his lsat coule years when /after his massive knee surgery. i have seen a stat sheet with over 900 of his 1038 games and he average like 12.5 bpg career wise.
also, wilt was stronger than shaq, had a leap as high as jordan, faster than 99.99 percent of NBA players in history. did all this waring chuck taylors, blocked Kareem's sky hook 3 x in one posessio nand did block im like 23 or more times overall in games.
if you counted blocks, steasls and the double doubles, triplee doulbes and all the other things that go with it, he woudl not have only th e72 records he has now, abut he would have likely 120+ 50 years after last touchign a ball.
also, they changed 5 rules to try to prevent wilt from dominating,
they changed or called rules to HELP MJ dominate.
The two greatest players in NBA history had the luxury of playing against each other for most of their careers. If personal statistics is your measuring rod, then Wilt Chamberlain was and still is the greatest of all time. If winning championships is your measure of greatness, then Bill Russell was, and still is the greatest of all time. Wilt was indeed a monster who, in his prime would dominate today just as he did then. Would Bill Russell? I don't know. But Mr. Russell amassed his championship playing in a league dominated by Wilt.
I got to make a court appearance as Wilt’s lawyer when he tried to leave the Lakers and sign with the San Diego Conquistadors. It was futile because of the reserve clause.
Amazing player.
Greatest athlete of the 20th century. Bigger, faster, stronger, jumps higher than Shaq,
and has stamina .
I was alive, but I don’t remember Wilt as a Warrior or the Warriors being in Philly. I caught Wilt from the 6ers on. I am from Harrisburg and the school boy record book may as well been a Wilt athletic diary. Met him once when I was nine or ten. Was stunned how big he was, until I met Andre the Giant……
It's so stupid to compare players of different ages. They each faced different challenges, and a different game. You simply have to evaluate them by how they played in their day and age.
You failed to consider the narrower lane, three second rules and Wilt's MPG and FT stats. Also there was a greater volume of shots in his era. Check out his per 36 MPG playoff stats--significantly lower than his regular season stats. But his rebound stats jump off the page, and he's the best defensive big man I ever saw before Hakeem came along. He backed off once after receiving three fouls, and he hated taking charging fouls--I learned this from Phil Jackson. And Wilt was often a huge detriment to his team due to his poor FT shooting, which also tells you something about his shooting--he was not as good a scorer as Kareem later in his career. I picture Wilt as a combo Shaq/DeAndre Jordan. A great, great player, but flawed, and hard to call him the GOAT IMO.
Wilt was a Monster.