I think Harden can finish 3rd on all 3 lists when it’s all said and done it should be noted that Harden didn’t have his 1st 50 point game until the 14-15 season, and he had only had 5 40 point games until that season so since the start of the 14-15 season, Harden has averaged 13 40+ point games per season including 3 50+ point games per season...he has 17 40 point games and 6 50 point games this season alone, and we still got 20 games left Harden in 5 years is about to surpass AI’s whole career when it comes to 40+ point games, and already did when it comes to 50+ points this dude is an all-time great
lol. I think Wilt was a 7'1" person playing in the NBA when the average player was 2" shorter than they are now. That being said..he's still easily one of the greatest of all time..if not THE greatest of all time.
Interesting. So, would Yao have similar numbers if he replaced "Wilt" in the 60s and 70s?? Fun speculation
Many do not understand basketball back then. Wilt was 4” taller than the next biggest center, and there was no 3 second violation, so he could stay in the paint the entire game, and just drop he ball in. Because there was also different rules with fouls, he could get whatever position he wanted at will. The rules of the game were changed in the waning years of Wilt to avoid this type of play going further.
I think Yao would have done even better on a per minute production basis. That being said, no way Yao, considering his health and stamina, could handle the workload of 40-48 minute per game seasons that Wilt averaged for a decades.
This is true. Still, what Wilt did is mind blowing my amazing. If you discount his stats just because the pace of the game was different, the competition was different and the rules of the league were different... How come other players in that era weren't at least coming close? If the pace and rules allowed so much scoring, why aren't there a handful of players from that era that are so high above everyone else (similar to steroid era in baseball, where there are a handful of players that have way more home runs per season than everyone else) If the competition was so weak, how come other players weren't taking advantage of it? George Mikan, Walt Bellamy, Bill Russell- I mean it's not like these centers were putting up crazy numbers and Wilt's were just more crazy. No, Wilt alone was able to do something so absolutely ridiculous. In all of his games going head to head against Bill Russell, who is considered one of the better defenders of all time, he averaged over 25 points per game and over 25 rebounds per game, and that includes years that past his prime. What Wilt did was insane. While things were so much different back then, that doesn't mean it should just be dismissed
Wilt was a demigod on earth. It's easy to dismiss him as the biggest guy in an era that had no solutions for him. Nope. The more I learn about Wilt, the more I'm convinced there's never been a guy built like him before or since. He played at 300 lbs, but he didn't look like a pudding like Shaq, but like a tall lean dude. Schwarzenegger is quoted as saying Wilt would lift 50% more than the power lifters Arnie worked out with. He would've pushed Shaq around like nothing. There's video of him basically effortlessly reaching the top of the backboard on what would now be considered a goaltend. He's quoted as saying he thinks in a matchup vs Hakeem, that Hakeem was probably "quicker" but he was "faster." He excelled in every single sport he played, and he played a lot of them including decades of professional volleyball after his NBA career was over. He's also in the Volleyball HoF. So, Wilt basically had both the body and aptitude to succeed at pretty much anything physical (except free throws). He would dominate in this era and any era. The only thing he didn't have was the team and the unquenchable bloodlust for victory that Bill Russell had or he'd have had more rings. The Wilt Chamberlain Archive on Youtube is the best place to see anything and everything that can be found about Wilt. And a lot of the other stars of that era. Oh, and a few weeks ago I came across a video pretty much confirming that Wilt was wrecking pro teams while playing under a fake name...when he was 16 and still in high school. He was real, but also basically a real life Hercules.
There are other ways to try to get perspective on Wilt. We can compare him to other players of the same era or look at some other stats. For example: usage. Wilt not in the top 250?? https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/usg_pct_season.html win shares https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ws_season.html
Everyone already deifies Wilt. That list reveals to me that Elgin Baylor the most criminally underrated player ever. Really want Harden to win a couple titles so he does suffer the same fate
Yes there are a lot of ways to try to look at what Wilt did rather than just dismissing it outright. But it is challenging to compare from different eras- case in point, the usage rates only go back to the 78 season. Wilt retired in 73 and that's why he's not in top 250.
Don’t underestimate the athleticism of Wilt Chamberlain. He was an absolute athletic freak. He ran a 10.9 one hundred yard dash in high school (over 60 years ago), he ran a 400 in 49 seconds. He won the high jump championship in college. He was an elite triple jumper and shot putter (undefeated in college in the shot put) He had Olympic qualifying performances in a number of sports (some he didn’t train for). He supposedly benched 500 lbs after he retired and began lifting. Wilt wasn’t a stiff.... he was extremely fast and very strong.... and there has never been another player with his combo of talents on a basketball court. He was also an exceptional passer.
pretty weird is that i dont see the overated Snake name anywhere? Thought he was the best offensive snake in the NBA?
