@@kingcam0775 West and Oscar were both big guards that could pass at a high level but maybe more importantly, both were lights out shooters and better shooters than Jordan and Magic. In this era it would be better to have West and Oscar because Jordan and Magic were not great 3 point shooters whereas West and Oscar could shoot from deep very well. Yeah, I'm going West and Oscar. Oh, and by the way, both West and Oscar were extremely athletic too.
Joe Vaughn If Wilt Chamberlain was on that 1960 team 🇺🇸 They would’ve blown away the rest of the international competition by at least 50+ points Automatic gold medal 🥇 for sure
@@taha.030 high school players were eligible during the amateur era to be invited to the Olympic trials. I didn't say he was invited but he was eligible to be invited.
+Sloan Jackson I always take the '72 Lakers: Wilt can feed the backdoor cut like no one else, and it gets so many buckets because it's real hard to defend. If they choose to take their chances with Wilt, he can also back em down in the post, along with his rim protection at the other end. Add in Goodrich and West's jumpers, and it's one of the more complete teams in 2K.
@@o3_o3_28 I'm taking the '67-'68 UCLA Bruins.. Kareem, Shackelford, Allen, Warren..... 4 out of 5 starters who are all excellent scorers and defenders
Politics kept players like John Havlicek and Lennie Wilkins off the team. College players were the most qualified to make the team, but the U.S. Olympic Committee had to put AAU players and players from the U. S. military on the team to appease their respective organizations. To show what making the Olympic team meant to players at that time, Bob Boozer, an All American at Kansas State in 1958-59, decided not to play in the NBA after graduation so that he could play on the 1960 Olympic team.
Speed and skill...they were the FUTURE of NBA basketball. Not just as individuals...but talent-wise... they pointed the way towards how a whole team would play from the 80s going forward...with multiskilled, faster / bigger players in all positions... these guys are the blueprint of the modern. And they look like they would have given any era a "run" for their money if not outright dusted them...
You can really see how the game evolved from 1960 to the end of West's career. Yet, West was a dominant player throughout his career and adapted to the changes in the pro game. Thanks for putting these classic clips together!
Evolved? Individual skillsets have evolved but THE GAME has devolved. Did you hear the Coach say, "When one guy has the ball the other 4 are moving"? Haven't seen that happen in 20 years.
Oscar and Jerry in the backcourt, with Walt Bellamy and Jerry Lucas on the front line -- and as fine a team chemistry between them as has even been. That's perfection.
The 1968 team would've been the 2nd all-amateur dream team ever assembled for USA after this one with Pete Maravich, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Calvin Murphy and Bob Lanier.
The people in the stands were probably mesmerized... I'm a guy from Spain that was a kid in the 80s and back in the day NBA was like a mythological land, we didn't have all the broadcasting we have today. I imagine people in Italy in the 60s watching this amazingly talented college team playing like that, running the court fast, all that quick ball movement, the great defensive plays like blocking... european basketball was much more static, players were quite fundamentally sound but slower and less athletic. The difference was notorious. The improvement for us started in the 70s I think. Some european coaches would travel to the US and watch games, specially college games. Our spaniard legend Antonio Diaz Miguel, who became friend with Dean Smith and later with Bobby Knight, would collect huge amounts of footage of college teams and tried to implement that style here into our national team. College basketball was different back then, it produced a huge amount of talent over 20/30 years until the USSR defeated the US team in the 1988 Olympics semi-finals and it was quite clear that college players were no longer making the difference
The players on this team ruled basketball for the next fifteen years. And they didn’t get to travel and carry the ball like six year olds which you see all over the NBA now.
Actually, the players on the 1956 Olympic team did so - Bill Russell ALONE has more rings than all the players on THIS team combined - since Havlicek didn't make the team as such. And if you count Havlicek, then I counter with the rings of KC Jones who was ALSO on the 1956 squad. There is a reason the 1956 NBA Draft Class is called "The Draft of The Rings" - Russell 11(13), Heinsohm and KC Jones 8(10), Nallis 3, Baylor was originally drafter by both the NBA *AND* the Army in 1956 (arguably 1). Havlicek was another 8, but none as coach (Satch Sanders was the 4'th winner of 8 rings, but didn't play in the Olympics at all). This team was deeper, but the 1956 team had a bigger impact.
@@WiltChamberlainArchive I found it an informative treat. I see several others did as well. While the top to bottom of overall rosters have evolved as far as atheticism and perhaps versatility, this is the cream of the crop of yesteryear. And they would stack up quite well with any era. The quickness and ball movement is impressive.
This was NOT the greatest US amateur Olympic team. Scroll back 4 years, the 1956 team with Bill Russell as it's core averaged a HIGHER margin than any other Olympic team IN HISTORY - INCLUDING the 1992 "Dream Team" where pros first joined the mix (and that 1992 team is #2 on the list of "highest margin of victory" in the Olympics). Not saying this team didn't have an impressive membership, just between West Robinson Lucas and Bellamy - then add in Havlicek and Wilkins AS BACKUPS? Can't argue the deep part.
Havlicek was an excellent athlete but quite rough skill wise... Auerbach wanted him because he was fast and an extraordinary defender. He became a superstar later when he started to develop his offensive game, all about hard work and dedication. In a way, the closest player to him nowadays is Kawahi, who also started as a deffensive dog and a bench player
This team actually lost a game here in the US. They played a two-game exhibition series against the Cleveland Pipers, coached by John McLendon. McLendon was an advocate for fast-breaking basketball, and his AAU Pipers beat the Olympians 101-96 in overtime in the first game (before losing 91-69 in the second). The press buried the loss, which some attributed to racism since McLendon was black, but the "official" reason given was that the powers that be didn't want the Soviet Union to get even a hint that the team was beatable.
The 1984 team was great too. So good, in fact, that Karl Malone and Charles Barkley didn't make it. I wonder what the whole story was there. I can't think those two Hall of Fame players got cut because they weren't good enough.
The players that made the team over them were more skilled, more mature and more disciplined as well as more accustomed to top level competition in their college opponents. They played for more highly regarded basketball programs. Good question though.
Bill and Elgin were already in the NBA and US didn't allowed any NBA player participated until 1992. Bill Russell had played in olympic 1956 though, before he went to NBA
Hando could’ve easily been on the team but I think it was cause of political views I’m not sure, but terry disinger wasn’t bad he turned out to be an 3x all star before heading to Vietnam tho. Walt was pretty good an all state receiver played ball was a great center he was what like 6’9 1/5 he’s a physical specimen, like wilt and russell pretty athletic, this team wouldn’t have needed those goats.💯
Bill was the core of the 1956 squad, delayed his NBA entry for THAT Olympics (Australia, which caused the Olympics to overlap with the first part of the NBA season). Elgin was already in the NBA. I think Wilt was already NBA, but he MIGHT have been in his year with the Globetrotters.
No he wouldn't. One of Kobe's chief weapons was the three point shot, which didn't exist in the 1960s. If you look at his 81 point game, he got 21 points off of three pointers. He got several more off of faking the three to set up a midrange shot. Teams in the 60s wouldn't be worried about Bryant shooting from 25 feet like they were during his career because even with his range he was no more than a 40% shooter from that distance (his best three point shooting year was 36%). Without the threat of the three to open up driving lanes for him, it would have been more difficult for Kobe to get off enough good percentage shots to score 80, let alone 100 points. Many of his dribbles would also have been called as violations back then since you weren't allowed to put your hand on the side of the ball (something Kobe did routinely). He would have to substantially alter his style of play to suit the way the game was called back then, as well as court conditions, vastly inferior shoes, lack of athletic training, and so forth. Kobe would have been a great player in that era, just as he would be great today or at any other time. He was a terrific athlete, smart, extremely skilled, and had a tremendous work ethic. He would have undoubtedly been one of the premier scorers in the league, just like Jerry West was. But he wasn't scoring over 100 points, I'm sorry.
Kobe would not have been the Kobe you know if he played back than. He would have grown up before television, and watch espn, fox sports, and nbatv! His game would have looked like Jerry West mixed with Elgin Baylor. No 100 point games. That was only for Wilt!
The Logo and the Big O in the same backcourt - that’s the greatest backcourt in the history of basketball.
Bruh
The '92 dream team had Stockton, Magic, and Jordan.
@@jamesmeuwissen7823 1960 was the OG
Jordan and Magic?
@@kingcam0775 West and Oscar were both big guards that could pass at a high level but maybe more importantly, both were lights out shooters and better shooters than Jordan and Magic. In this era it would be better to have West and Oscar because Jordan and Magic were not great 3 point shooters whereas West and Oscar could shoot from deep very well. Yeah, I'm going West and Oscar. Oh, and by the way, both West and Oscar were extremely athletic too.
Their teamwork is so great it makes me want to cry.
Imagine if Wilt was there
Joe Vaughn Wilt already won the ROY and MVP when this happened.
Joe Vaughn
If Wilt Chamberlain was on that 1960 team 🇺🇸
They would’ve blown away the rest of the international competition by at least 50+ points
Automatic gold medal 🥇 for sure
Wilt was eligible for the 1956 team with Russell.
@@PoliticusRex632 he wasn’t. I think he was too young
@@taha.030 high school players were eligible during the amateur era to be invited to the Olympic trials. I didn't say he was invited but he was eligible to be invited.
Jerry Lucas, Big O, Bellamy, Logo 🔥🔥🔥
+Sloan Jackson I always take the '72 Lakers: Wilt can feed the backdoor cut like no one else, and it gets so many buckets because it's real hard to defend. If they choose to take their chances with Wilt, he can also back em down in the post, along with his rim protection at the other end. Add in Goodrich and West's jumpers, and it's one of the more complete teams in 2K.
@@o3_o3_28 I'm taking the '67-'68 UCLA Bruins.. Kareem, Shackelford, Allen, Warren..... 4 out of 5 starters who are all excellent scorers and defenders
Politics kept players like John Havlicek and Lennie Wilkins off the team. College players were the most qualified to make the team, but the U.S. Olympic Committee had to put
AAU players and players from the U. S. military on the team to appease their respective organizations.
To show what making the Olympic team meant to players at that time, Bob Boozer, an All American at Kansas State in 1958-59, decided not to play in the NBA after graduation so that he could play on the 1960 Olympic team.
Speed and skill...they were the FUTURE of NBA basketball. Not just as individuals...but talent-wise... they pointed the way towards how a whole team would play from the 80s going forward...with multiskilled, faster / bigger players in all positions... these guys are the blueprint of the modern. And they look like they would have given any era a "run" for their money if not outright dusted them...
You can really see how the game evolved from 1960 to the end of West's career. Yet, West was a dominant player throughout his career and adapted to the changes in the pro game. Thanks for putting these classic clips together!
Evolved? Individual skillsets have evolved but THE GAME has devolved. Did you hear the Coach say, "When one guy has the ball the other 4 are moving"? Haven't seen that happen in 20 years.
@Aaron D. Digby, Sr. I haven't watched an NBA game since 2014. Modern basketball sucks thanks to Stern, NCAA and AAU.
One big difference: it used to be against the rules to carry the ball.
Oscar and Jerry in the backcourt, with Walt Bellamy and Jerry Lucas on the front line -- and as fine a team chemistry between them as has even been. That's perfection.
The 1968 team would've been the 2nd all-amateur dream team ever assembled for USA after this one with Pete Maravich, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Calvin Murphy and Bob Lanier.
Lou Alcindor (AKA Kareem) refused the Olympics.
He WAS asked.
ruclips.net/video/3fTXOqcExMY/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/TG4wVhQ7hX8/видео.html
I wish all the youngsters could see this. Basketball in the 60's wasn't the slow-moving thing they think it was, is it?
For it's time, I think their passing and teamwork formation were miles ahead
This is a very fun team to watch. And the practice footage is a rare treat. Thank you, WCA.
Amazing found footage!!!!
These guys are REALLY good at basketball. Was not expecting the insane creativity in how they play
6:11 Lane with the behind the back dime
The people in the stands were probably mesmerized... I'm a guy from Spain that was a kid in the 80s and back in the day NBA was like a mythological land, we didn't have all the broadcasting we have today.
I imagine people in Italy in the 60s watching this amazingly talented college team playing like that, running the court fast, all that quick ball movement, the great defensive plays like blocking... european basketball was much more static, players were quite fundamentally sound but slower and less athletic. The difference was notorious.
The improvement for us started in the 70s I think. Some european coaches would travel to the US and watch games, specially college games. Our spaniard legend Antonio Diaz Miguel, who became friend with Dean Smith and later with Bobby Knight, would collect huge amounts of footage of college teams and tried to implement that style here into our national team.
College basketball was different back then, it produced a huge amount of talent over 20/30 years until the USSR defeated the US team in the 1988 Olympics semi-finals and it was quite clear that college players were no longer making the difference
The players on this team ruled basketball for the next fifteen years. And they didn’t get to travel and carry the ball like six year olds which you see all over the NBA now.
Actually, the players on the 1956 Olympic team did so - Bill Russell ALONE has more rings than all the players on THIS team combined - since Havlicek didn't make the team as such.
And if you count Havlicek, then I counter with the rings of KC Jones who was ALSO on the 1956 squad.
There is a reason the 1956 NBA Draft Class is called "The Draft of The Rings" - Russell 11(13), Heinsohm and KC Jones 8(10), Nallis 3, Baylor was originally drafter by both the NBA *AND* the Army in 1956 (arguably 1).
Havlicek was another 8, but none as coach (Satch Sanders was the 4'th winner of 8 rings, but didn't play in the Olympics at all).
This team was deeper, but the 1956 team had a bigger impact.
The first dream team.
They should make the 1960 Olympics into a movie...way too many story lines that should happen
This team is slept on damn they were really good fundamentally insane
Oscar, Jerry, Elgin, Russell, Wilt, the all 1960s team would trash every one
I'm inclined to agree.
The '92 dream team would be tough in the backcourt, but Wilt and Russell would dominate Ewing and Robinson.
80s magic mj Dr j Bird kareem
@@kylecook4206 No chance in hell
@@Cum007 yeah
Aren't those priceless.
Excellent job as always. Where did you kept those?
Wow….The first Dream Team.
Check out our Jerry Christmas 4 part podcast on THE Jerry West on our channel!
first ! and thank you for uploading this :)
Uploading was the easy part - searching for material then creating it into a presentable mini doc was the hard part! But I'm glad to do it.
Wilt Chamberlain Archive thanks man keep finding this gold
Wilt Chamberlain Archive you the real mvp
@@WiltChamberlainArchive I found it an informative treat. I see several others did as well. While the top to bottom of overall rosters have evolved as far as atheticism and perhaps versatility, this is the cream of the crop of yesteryear. And they would stack up quite well with any era.
The quickness and ball movement is impressive.
This was NOT the greatest US amateur Olympic team.
Scroll back 4 years, the 1956 team with Bill Russell as it's core averaged a HIGHER margin than any other Olympic team IN HISTORY - INCLUDING the 1992 "Dream Team" where pros first joined the mix (and that 1992 team is #2 on the list of "highest margin of victory" in the Olympics).
Not saying this team didn't have an impressive membership, just between West Robinson Lucas and Bellamy - then add in Havlicek and Wilkins AS BACKUPS?
Can't argue the deep part.
The margin would be 50+ pts if Wilt was in this team
If Wilt or Bill is here, that's a cherry on top. They already had Walt Bellamy, im not sure either of them would help so much more
Wilt out scores, passes and defends Walt.
Japan's tallest player was 6ft 5.
Then everyone else is 5ft 9 to 6ft 0 guys.
Japan out scored 3 teams shorter then them.
As it was, they had to take it easy on opponents in half the games.
@@o3_o3_28 1956.
Highest margin of victory Olympic history.
Care to guess who the center was?
And that was NOT as deep of a team.
Were did you get this film from
Did they take a boat to Italy?
No, they flew to Switzerland, played a game there, and then took a train through the Alps.
Trans-Atlantic airliners existed 20+ years before this.
Pan Am was flying trans-PACIFIC routes in the 1940s, and possibly the 1930s.
how could they leave out Hondo?
Havlicek was an excellent athlete but quite rough skill wise... Auerbach wanted him because he was fast and an extraordinary defender. He became a superstar later when he started to develop his offensive game, all about hard work and dedication.
In a way, the closest player to him nowadays is Kawahi, who also started as a deffensive dog and a bench player
@@JulioLeonFandinho superb comparison!
Seems unthinkable Hondo AND Lenny were both left off. They more than made up for it with their great NBA careers.
This team actually lost a game here in the US. They played a two-game exhibition series against the Cleveland Pipers, coached by John McLendon. McLendon was an advocate for fast-breaking basketball, and his AAU Pipers beat the Olympians 101-96 in overtime in the first game (before losing 91-69 in the second). The press buried the loss, which some attributed to racism since McLendon was black, but the "official" reason given was that the powers that be didn't want the Soviet Union to get even a hint that the team was beatable.
I just got the notification for this XD
R.I.P JERRY WEST …
6-12-24 .
watch the link video i sent you. You should use that on your next video. It was pretty informative
4 Russians disliked this video.
They are probably on Putin’s troll farm
The 1984 team was great too. So good, in fact, that Karl Malone and Charles Barkley didn't make it. I wonder what the whole story was there. I can't think those two Hall of Fame players got cut because they weren't good enough.
The players that made the team over them were more skilled, more mature and more disciplined as well as more accustomed to top level competition in their college opponents. They played for more highly regarded basketball programs. Good question though.
Jerry West before he broke bones. He was quicker.
Is it cool if I use some of this footage
Heavy
Why wasn't nate Thurmond or john havlichek on the team
🇵🇷The only team who got 2 victory over the USA 💪
kool
No Wilt, Russell, or Elgin?
Bill and Elgin were already in the NBA and US didn't allowed any NBA player participated until 1992. Bill Russell had played in olympic 1956 though, before he went to NBA
Elgin was also a professional.
Hando could’ve easily been on the team but I think it was cause of political views I’m not sure, but terry disinger wasn’t bad he turned out to be an 3x all star before heading to Vietnam tho. Walt was pretty good an all state receiver played ball was a great center he was what like 6’9 1/5 he’s a physical specimen, like wilt and russell pretty athletic, this team wouldn’t have needed those goats.💯
They were already in the NBA.
Bill was the core of the 1956 squad, delayed his NBA entry for THAT Olympics (Australia, which caused the Olympics to overlap with the first part of the NBA season).
Elgin was already in the NBA.
I think Wilt was already NBA, but he MIGHT have been in his year with the Globetrotters.
I think USA needs to go back to Young college Kids. To teach them the importance of representing the USA.
This is gonna blow up! 2nd btw
Mostly white guys. A sign of the bigoted times. Basketball was so much better without the 3-point shot.
yes now just as bigoted all black
Kobe would drop a 110 pt game in the 60s
greenmean1 But what does Kobe have if not for Michael Jordan, Magic or any of his inspirations that came before him?
No he wouldn't. One of Kobe's chief weapons was the three point shot, which didn't exist in the 1960s. If you look at his 81 point game, he got 21 points off of three pointers. He got several more off of faking the three to set up a midrange shot. Teams in the 60s wouldn't be worried about Bryant shooting from 25 feet like they were during his career because even with his range he was no more than a 40% shooter from that distance (his best three point shooting year was 36%). Without the threat of the three to open up driving lanes for him, it would have been more difficult for Kobe to get off enough good percentage shots to score 80, let alone 100 points.
Many of his dribbles would also have been called as violations back then since you weren't allowed to put your hand on the side of the ball (something Kobe did routinely). He would have to substantially alter his style of play to suit the way the game was called back then, as well as court conditions, vastly inferior shoes, lack of athletic training, and so forth.
Kobe would have been a great player in that era, just as he would be great today or at any other time. He was a terrific athlete, smart, extremely skilled, and had a tremendous work ethic. He would have undoubtedly been one of the premier scorers in the league, just like Jerry West was. But he wasn't scoring over 100 points, I'm sorry.
Kobe would not have been the Kobe you know if he played back than. He would have grown up before television, and watch espn, fox sports, and nbatv! His game would have looked like Jerry West mixed with Elgin Baylor. No 100 point games. That was only for Wilt!
And Kobe would get roughed up a lot but given how tough he was, he could still make a great career.
Kobe could not lead a team to a championship.