Hakeem Olajuwon certainly deserves consideration as an all-time great. But where does he fit in with centers such as Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? I'm interested in a vote. So, here are my canidates, starting with Hakeem: (1) Hakeem Olajuwon: Only player to get 200 steals and 200 blocks in a season, highlighting his superb all-around defense. Asked how he did it, Hakeem replied: "I had seen tapes of the big guys, and I could do all of that already. So, I began to watch tapes of guards and do what they do." Impressive to say the least. But Hakeem's most signifiacnt accomplishment was his championship in 1994. What was so amazing about it was that Hakeem had very little help. With no Drexler until next season, he was stuck with Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, Otis Thorpe, and Robert Horry in the starting lineup. Ouch. The only championship that depended more on one player was when Rick Barry won it for the Warriors in 1975. Who says one man can't do it alone? Lastly, he had some of the maddest spins and post moves EVER, plus he could shoot outside. Hakeem's best year: (88-89) 24.8 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 3.44 BPG, 2.6 SPG, 50.8 FG% (2) Wilt Chamberlain: He's my choice. He dominated like no other before or after. What most don't know is what a great athlete Chamberlain was: he was 7 foot 1 inch, had a vertical leap of 55 inches (higher that Jordan's 45 inches), could run a sub-10 second hundred meters (he outran James Brown), and was benching 450 pounds when he was 45 years old, 10 years after he retired. Some dismiss him as simply the Shaq of the 60s, but this could be no further from the truth. Although they both suffered free-throw woes, Chamberlain had a fadeaway out to 15 feet that he used far more than dunking. After all, who could block a guy who's 7'1", jumps 50 inches high on a shot, and fades away? In that respect, he was much like Karl Malone in the Mid-90s. When he decided to just shoot a high percentage later in his career, he ended up shooting 72.7% over an entire season. He holds records for PPG season (50.4), RPG season(27.2) and career (22.3), plus MPG in a season (48.5) and career (45). He is the only non-guard ever to lead the league in assists. And while blocks were not recorded, Earl Strom (the late referee) testified that "both Russell and Wilt were averaging about 8 a game for about five years each." People also argue that Wilt was just bigger than anybody else, but they forget about Walter Dukes (7'3") and Kareem (7'2"). This is like saying that Jordan played with guards like Mugsy Bogues (5'3"). 6'9" centers were never the norm when Chamberlain played. Lastly, his peers admitted that Chamberlain was abused by the referees because they wanted to equalize the game, which is the exact opposite of the star treatment today. Wilt's Career Years: (61-62) 50.4 PPG, 25.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 50.6 FG% (66-67) 24.1 PPG, 24.2 RPG, 7.8 APG, 68.3 FG% (3) Bill Russell: You can't argue with championships, and Russell had 11 in his 13-year career. He was never a great offensive player, but carried the Celtics' defense on his back. His defense was so dominating that the Celtics' offense devloped into a constant fast-break. "We ran a break off made free-throws" recalls Havlicek. While Wilt Chamberlain always won the individual matchup, Russell's team always won. One year they had 8 Hall of Famers on one roster. When Russell left, the Celtics dropped 14 games. Russell's Career Year: (61-62) 18.9 PPG, 23.6 RPG, 4.5 APG, 45.7 FG% (4) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: He possesed perhaps the most deadly go-to move ever: Kareem's sky-hook went in with astonishing regularity, and it was impossible to block. He has the most MVP awards, most career points, and 6 championships to his credit. He dominated at UCLA like no other, winning 3 MVPs and 3 championships in his 3 years. Kareem's Career Year: (71-72) 34.8 PPG, 16.6 RPG, 4.6 APG, 57.4 FG% (5) Moses Malone: Malone's game had few weaknesses, as he could shoot a mid-range jumper, block shots, run with any center, and rebound with the best. His '83 Sixers went 12-1 in the playoffs, only recently broken by the '01 Lakers, who went 15-1. It must be mentioned that he was sometimes guilty of padding his stats by intentionally missing then grabbing his own rebound. So while his reputation for being the best on the offensive glass is valid, he did add a little embellishment, and he was never a good passer. Malone's Career Year: (81-82) 31.1 PPG, 14.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.54 BPG, 0.94 SPG, 51.9 FG% (6) Shaquille O'Neal: While a good rebounder, shot-blocker, and scorer, Shaq's shooting range is about 5 feet, his passing was never like Chamberlain's, and he is generally allowed to elbow all opposition aside without reprisal. He is really a poor man's Chamberlain, as he is inferior in every way. Wilt was faster, more agile, stronger, played better defense, could jump higher, was a better passer, shooter... you name it. Shaq's Career Year: (99-00) 29.7 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 3.02 BPG, 0.45 SPG, 57.5 FG% (7) Dave Cowens: He managed to win two championships with the Celtics between Russell and Bird. His best claim to fame is that he is one of only two players (Pippen was the other) to lead his team in points, rebounds, blocks, steals, and assists in one year. He was also undersized at 6'9". Cowens' Career Year: (73-74) 19.0 PPG, 15.7 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.26 BPG, 1.18 SPG, 43.7 FG% (8) Bill Walton: Walton was injured his entire career. Even in his rookie season he only played 35 games. But the games he did play showed his brilliance well enough. He's more of a hypothetical best. He is considered one of the greatest passing big men ever to play, and excelled in all aspects of the game. Bill's Career Year: (*Remember, this was all done in limited minutes) (76-77) 18.6 PPG, 14.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 3.25 BPG, 1.01 SPG, 52.8 FG%.
Great analysis! A fun read, although I went With Dream, Wilt, Russell, Moses, and Jabbar as my order. I would give Walton an incomplete, and agree that Shaq, a great one as well, just absolutely gets away with murder. I left him off just for the hell of it (And Dream schooled him back in the day .)
Actually, I didn't mean for that to be my order in terms of best to worst (worst being VERY relative in this case of course). So here it is: 1: Chamberlain. Dominated in all aspects. A funny story illustrates his dominance very well: one day a teammate (Can't remember who) found Hot Rod Hundley bouncing a basketball off a wall over and over. When asked what he was doing, Hot Rod responded, "Practicing our offense; pass the ball to Wilt and then stand there." Actually, he was only joking, but the fact was that Wilt had a better chance triple teamed than anyone else had against single coverage. He was just that good, and everyone knew and accepted it. 2: Russell. I actually should have written more. This guy was truly bizzare. He was actually so good that he never blocked a ball out of bounds... he would tap the ball to a teammate instead and start a break. He was like Mutumbo today... only 3x worse, literally. 3: Kareem. He stayed too long. People who remember the bald-headed Kareem missed out on the best of him. At that point, the Lakers had to wait for him to get up the floor before they set up their offense. When Kareem was with the Bucks in the 70s, he ran AHEAD of everybody else... scary. 4: Olajuwon. Like I said, he won a championship on his own. And the '95 finals? Robinson was MVP regular season? Hakeem made Robinson look absolutely silly. 5: Walton. Again, if you take all his injuries into account, Walton wouldn't even get a second glance. But without those foot problems he's one of the all-time greats, period. 6: Cowens. Poor Dave Cowens. No one remembers him. He was the premier defensive force in the 70s. Kareem got more blocks, but that's because he was 5 inches taller. Cowens could guard the other team's best player, even if it was a guard. Once, during an all-star game, he stole the ball from Oscar Robertson at mid-court and outran him to the other end for a dunk. Wow. He's also one of three people that I've ever seen block Kareem's sky hook (Hakeem and Chamberlain are the others). 7: Malone. Fo' Fo' Fo'. 'Nuff said. 8: Shaq. I know I'm biased, but I really hate that guy. He has no skill at all... he just really huge and really athletic. Why didn't he just play football? Put him on the line somewhere... or tight end! Hmm... interesting concept. And as you say, he gets away with murder.
Don't know why I said it was your order, clearly you think Wilt is the best and I understand why. I'm partial to Dream and have read many arguments in his favor here, but it's hard to argue with your post. But it's hard to think that Hakeem wouldn't have made Kareem dizzy with his moves. Jabbar had a great team around him in L.A., so did Russell, of course. What Dream could have done on those teams boggles the mind!
I'm not a big Shaq fan, but he deserves some credit. He dishes out as much punishment as he recieves and as the years go by, he continues to get better at everything, except free throw shooting. He' become a better passer in the last 3 seasons and if he didn't have to defer to Kobe, he could easily lead the league in scoring. When it's all said and done, I think Shaq will be one of the top 5 centers of all time. Everybody b****es about him, but there isn't one single NBA fan who doesn't wish Shaq was on thier roster. Here's my list: 1. Wilt 2. Kareem 3. Russel 4. Olajuwon 5. Shaq
I hate to sound harsh, but its no way that any guy over 6'6 or 6'7 would have higher than a 40inch vertical. There are a few exceptions, but most are fish stories. I remember when they said Van Horn had a 40 inch at 6'10. If that was the case, he would kill the rim everytime he was even around the rim instead of laying it up. I'm 6'4 and at my peak college days i had a 36incs vert. My reach was up to 8ft so that means i could get 12 inches over the rim. Imagine a guy 6inches taller with longer arms with at least a 40. Please get real.
The 55 inch vertical is actually not just an educated guess. It is a legit number from a high-school track meet (Wilt won all events... surprise, surprise). There is no reason to believe this is not a reliable source of information. Admittedly, this number was from when Wilt was under 250 pounds, so in his prime his vertical was probably closer to 45 or so. There is no reason big guys can't have crazy verticals. Think of it this way: how many 6-3 guys are there in the world? Many. How many 7-footers are there? Very, very few. The problem is that there are just far, far fewer chances that there will be a 7-footer with phenomenal athletic gifts, especially considering that many 7-footers are only that tall because they have medical conditions that make them taller (hence their bodies don't function optimally). There are way more 6-3 guys with hops around because... well... there are more 6-3 guys around, period.
If Wilt was 7' 1 and had a 55 inch vertical, then his head would have been 20 inches over the rim. Even if his vertical was 45 inches his head still would have been 10 inches over the rim. Wilt's playing days were before my time but I don't remember seeing any footage of such a display. Also, I think the 450 pound bench press is a bit hard to believe too.
Do you guys know Joey Galloway? Wide Reciever for the Cowboys now? He was 5'11", 185 pounds, and he benched 415 pounds out of college. Larry Allen maxed on 700. Look it up. I admit that I don't know what Wilt benched when he was playing... I haven't found that yet. But when he was in the movie Conan the Destroyer (1984, 10 years after he retired, he was 45 years old or so) he worked out with Arnold, and Arnold will testify that Wilt was doing 450. He also did situps with 250 on his chest. As for the hops... buy Wilt's book, A View From Above, he has pictures to prove it. And besides, hasn't anyone here ever heard of Wilt grabbing things off the top of the backboard? There are plenty of people that can tell you that. Bob Lanier (300 pounds) said that his most vivid memory was when Wilt was posting up on him. Wilt was about to recieve a pass, and he reached behind, picked up Lanier with one hand and moved him a foot or two back. Hard to believe, but ask Bob Lanier. He said it.
Just to add,.... Wilt was a high jumper when athletes would jump the bar sideways, before the Fosbury Flop. I think he was a long-jumper, too. Wilt was truly a freak!
Didn't Wilt also claim in his book that he had slept with over 20,000 women. It appears that Wilt's feats tend to get exaggerated.
Like all of these guys, Wilt was truly an incredible athlete. For him, I guess beyond incredible would be more accurate. Like Dream, he didn't have the great team around him for years to rack up the rings!
Wilt (I agree with above sentiment--a graceful Shaq with finese) Kareem (most of us just remember a sliver of what he could do when he was sub30) Hakeem Shaq (sorry to say, closing in on Hakeem soon) Russell (Mo or Walton might be better at their peaks, but all those rings are hard to discount him from the top 5)
I have never heard of Wilt doing that, but have heard of Lew Alcindor(Later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) doing so. I can believe the 450 pound bench press, but the 55 inch vert sounds pretty hard to believe. Today there are only urban legends about 180-220 pound players doing that, I just don't see a guy his size doing so. Honestly, I wouldn't take everything written in Wilt's book seriously...A couple of years ago, Wilt said that at his current age(Around 60-61 at the time I believe), he would be able to average 40 to 50 points a game. He was an amazing player, but 20,000 women?... Wilt Chamberlain lived approximately 23, 000 days...That's pretty close to a woman a day! Not even taking in to consideration that he probably did not start as a child.
I don't claim to believe everything in Wilt's book. I don't actually remember him saying that he would average 40-50 points, but I DO recall him saying that he'd lead the league in rebounding (also an exaggeration, but honestly, he would have averaged close to ten rebounds even at age 50, if not more. The Lakers asked him to play for them in 1986!). Wilt WAS given to exaggeration. However, the 55 inches thing is true. It's a fact. The reason I say that you should look to his book for verification is not because he said it, but because he has a picture of it. Furthermore, I am certainly not claiming, as I said before, that he was doing that his whole career. When he entered the league, he was 240-275. By the end he was about 325-350. I'm sure those pounds didn't help. As for the 20,000 thing... Wilt has admitted that he was exaggerating. Wilt said a lot of crazy things, I don't know why people focus on this one... maybe because there was a hint of truth. In one of Kareem's books, Giant Steps, Kareem recalls going to Chamberlain's house and finding 6 half-clothed women... hmmm... The scary thing is that Wilt could have been a lot better. While Russell only concerned himself with winning, Wilt was consumed with his image. In those two years where he averaged over 7 assists, one of his teammates testifies that he usually only passed to guys who wouldn't dribble first, because if the guy dribbled, no assist. He was still a great passer, but those two years were somewhat artificial. In one of those two years where he was trying to get the assists crown (67-68), a writer (Jack Kiser, Sports Illustrated) kept harping on how Wilt couldn't score any more. So Wilt had four games of 68, 47, 53, and 52 points to show Kiser that he could still score. Does this sound like a guy who played his best game every night? The official Charley Eckman said of Wilt: "Wilt was the strongest man ever to play basketball, but he always took a fallaway jumper. It was the damnedest thing. He played basketball the hard way. For that reason alone, he couldn't carry Russell's jock. If Wilt had consistently driven to the basket, he'd have scored 200 in a game." Well, he wouldn't have scored 200, but you get the idea. But I digress. The reason Wilt exaggerated was because Wilt wanted people to think the best of him, because for some reason what he DIDN'T DO (like win more championships) is held up more that what he DID accomplish (Quite the opposite of one Michael Jordan). But here 55 inches isn't insecurity... it's just hard to believe. Get the book. Look at the picture. Then get back to me.
