Wilt holds 56 NBA regular season records, including 55 rebounds in one game against the ultimate team player, the one with 11 rings......Bill Russell. Most points in a game: 100 4 highest scoring games: 100, 78, 73, 73 Most free throws made: 28 Most points by a rookie: 58 (twice) Most field goals in a game without a miss: 18 Highest fg% in a game (min: 15 attempts): 1.000 (3 times) Most rebounds: 55 Most rebounds by a rookie: 45 Most assists by a center: 21 Only player to post a triple-20 (20+ in 3 different categories--a double triple-double!) Season: Highest scoring average: 50.4 PPG 4 highest scoring averages: 50.4, 44.8, 38.4, 37.6 PPG Highest rookie scoring average: 37.6 PPG Most 50+ games in a season: 45 Most 40+ points in a season: 63 Highest fg% in a season: .727 Highest rebounding average: 27.2 rpg Seven highest rebounding seasons in history. Most rebounds by a rookie: 1,941 (27.0 rpg) Most assists by a center: 702 Only center to lead league in assists Most minutes played in a season: 3882 (48.5 mpg) Top 7 seasons for most minutes played Career: Second highest career scoring average: 30.1 Third most points scored: 31,419 Most consecutive seasons leading league in scoring: 7 Most consecutive games with 50+ points: 7 Most consecutive games with 40+ points: 14 Most consecutive games with 30+ points: 65 Most consecutive games with 20+ points: 126 Most games with 50+ points: 118 (Michael Jordan is 2nd with 29) Most games with 40+ points: 271 Most consecutive field goals made: 35 Only player to lead league in 3 categories Most complete games (every minute, every game): 79 Most seasons leading league in fg%: 9 Most Rebounds: 23,924 Taken from The NBA at 50. Highest Rebounding average: 22.9 Most seasons leading league in rebounding: 11 Most seasons 1000+ rebounds: 13 Highest career minutes per game: 45.8 Most seasons leading league in minutes: 8 Most consecutive complete games (every minute of every game): 47 Most minutes played without fouling out: 47,859 2nd most games played without fouling out:1,045 Only player to lead the league in 4 major categories.
#1. Michael Jordan #2. Magic Johnson You always hear the arguments about rules being put in place to stop Wilt...were they taken away after his retirement? No, the rules were put in place to allow the game to evolve into its present form, in which the players are bigger and more athletic. No jumping while shooting free throws? Plenty of guys could lay it up from the line today. Wider lane? Shaq would absolutely destroy a smaller lane. No Offensive Goaltending? Ben Wallace would be among the top 5 in scoring if it weren't for this rule. Rounding out the top 10(No particular order) - Oscar Roberston, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Russell, Jerry West, and Shaquille O'neal.
Darn that's a pretty weak argument. Just because they didn't change the rule back, Wilt is counted out... ? Yeah players get more athletic.... Still haven't heard another guy play 48 minutes a game for the whole season.... Especially for a center....
No not at all. I just think it's funny that many people point to that as the ultimate testiment to his greatness, and it's not. the 50.4 scoring average, 100 point game, etc.. are. I think someone in this thread even said something like, 'It's gotta be Wilt...they made rules to stop him.' The rules would have been made regardless. If not for Wilt, maybe for Willis Reed, Kareem, or Moses Malone.
OK I see. But it's like the other arguments.... If Edison did not invent the light bulb, somebody else will etc etc. It doesn't detriment his greatness because he is ahead of time. It probably shouldn't be used as the only criteria but still a valid point.
Here's an interesting take from Charlie Rosen in an article on Foxsports.com: (http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/3692678) "Chamberlain, even with his two rings, is a perfect example of a loser masquerading as a winner. Look what it took to get him to play the right way for Philadelphia in 1967, and then Los Angeles in 1972: In Philly, Wilt got with the program only after Alex Hannum, the team's no-nonsense 6-foot-7, 230-pound coach, shoved him up against a locker and threatened to beat the big fellow to a pulp. Five years later, Wilt's coach was Bill Sharman (a college teammate of Hannum's at USC), who used a much more subtle method to domesticate Chamberlain. Instead of ordering Wilt to do something, he'd pose questions, one after another, until Chamberlain came up with the correct answer to the correct question. Then Sharman would say, "That's brilliant, Wilt! The perfect strategy!" And since Wilt was convinced that the idea was his own, he went along with Sharman's game plan. Of course, Wilt's being intimidated by Willis Reed in Game 7 of the 1970 championship series proves him to be a loser. (To say nothing of Wilt's removing himself from Game 7 against the Celtics in 1969. Chamberlain complained of a tummy ache, but withdrew because he had five fouls and didn't want to foul out for the first and only time in his career.)"
Bill Russell. One of the basketball projects I was working on was a book explaining why. I don't have the time to go into detail at the moment, but later on I will give some reasons why...
so if you could draft any players NOW to play in today's NBA, you guys would actually pick Russell and wilt over MJ? Please!
Whoa, sorry I didn't reply for 10 days. I just kinda forgot about this topic. The book is "The Golden Boys" by Cameron Stauth. Very good read, as apparently he was one of the very few who actually followed them around everywhere and got eyewitness information. Oh, and just in case anyone somehow doesn't know my opinion on the topic at hand: Wilt's the Greatest!
Don't forget! Wilt, YES, without question! I'm biased with Jordan, but I would still take Russell before him mostly because it's easier to win BIG with a big. Jordan was always a dominating guard, but never a big winner until he got tons of help. A dominating center or power forward needs help too, but not nearly as much, see Moses, Hakeem, Duncan, Shaq, etc.
So you are saying that Russell didnt have alot of help? Wilt only won 2 championships, and Shaq had Kobe. Since when did MJ have alot of help? The Bulls were assembled of mainly role players. You can say he had Pippen, but looking at Pip when he was with the Rockets and Blazers, I can conclude he wasnt that GREAT. Other than Hakeem and Wilt every other center had major help. As great as Wilt was during his era, I have a hard time believing he would be more dominating than Shaq was in this era. Wilt is in NO way any more powerful or athletic than Shaq. Shaq is the modern day Wilt, and a better more powerful one IMHO. Russell was a great player but he wasnt a complete player. Defensively he was a beast, but how can you say he was the best player ever when he only dominated ONE end of the court. I know everyone will say he was the ultimate teammate, but if you dont surround him with great offensive players the Celtics wouldnt of won all those championships. Put Russell on the 93-94 Rockets, and there is no way we would of won the championship. MJ is the greatest ever because he was a complete player. He made his teammates better, was a great defender, and scorer. Jordan DOMINATED both ends of the court, and when the game was on the line he delivered. Put Jordan on ANY team during his prime years, and they would contend. It is difficult to compare players of different eras so you have to look at things realistically in IMO. As great as Russell and Wilt were during their eras, I dont think they would put up those godly type numbers in the NBA today.
I always say Kareem Abduljabbar is the greatest player ever. For whatever reason, he does not get the publicity he deserves I think. It is good to see there are people here that think the same.
You're making my head hurt. 1. You make 2 points here: Russell had a lot of help, and Wilt "only" won 2 titles. Well they played in the same era... did you consider that perhaps Wilt "only" won two titles because Russell had so much help? Making both those arguments at once is kind of self-defeating. 2. That's total BS. You're basing your opinion of Pip on his twilight years? How about using 1994-95, buddy? That year he became the second player in history (since blocks & steals have been recorded) to lead his team in ALL FIVE major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals). Dave Cowens was the other. And you're saying Pippen "wasn't great?" Get over yourself. And besides Pip, Jordan had an all-star power forward, either Horace Grant who could do everything, or Rodman who was one of the 5 best rebounders ever. And he always had great shooters around him, too. 3. I'm sorry, I'm trying not to be rude, but this is just pure ignorance on your part. Not more athletic than Shaq? You mean, besides being a track star? He ran far faster than Shaq. And he could jump way, way higher. Does Shaq have a vertical over 45 inches? Um, no. Wilt did. Consider the rule changes the NBA had to make to counteract Wilt's jumping ability: i) Wilt could take ONE step and dunk the ball from the free-throw line. Hence the rule that you can't jump while shooting free throws. ii) Wilt could jump and reach above the backboard, enabling him to shoot from behind the backboard. Hence, no shooting over the top of the backboard. iii) Offensive goaltending, but MORE STRICT THAN WE HAVE TODAY. How, you ask? If a player threw up the ball anywhere near the hoop and Wilt put it in, it was considered offensive interference. In other words, NO ALLEY-OOPS. Oh, and besides clearly being more athletic, there are other reasons to believe Wilt was superior to Shaq: i) Wilt was so dominant that they widened the lane to 16 feet. Today it's 12 feet. That means that if Shaq played with the same rules, his post position would have to be 2 feet farther out when he caught the ball. IMO, Shaq would have a far, far harder time scoring like that, since his range is basically zilch. ii) Speaking of range, Wilt's pet shot was the turnaround fadeaway from 15 feet. Shaq could never hit that shot. iii) Wilt led the league in assists. He is the only non-guard ever to do so. Really, IMO the numbers show that Wilt was a better scorer, rebounder, and passer. And if the referees who called Wilt's games are to be trusted at all, he was also a far better shotblocker. 4. I don't think Russell is the greatest, but that 1993-94 Rockets comparison is kinda unfair. That team was specifically designed to dump the ball in to the center every time down the floor... smallish guys who could shoot but were also generally on the slow side (Smith, Elie), plus Thorpe to guard the other team's best post scorer so Hakeem could play weakside defense. With Russell you'd want guys who could defend and run the floor like crazy, because Russell dominated so much on the defensive end that you could live on the break, like the 80s Lakers, but even more so. You wouldn't need as many great shooters as Hakeem had. So no, Russell probably would not have won with those Rockets, but there's no way any sane GM would have put those guys around Russell in the first place. V-Max and Horry would fit with Russell, but the others would need to be traded, not necessarily for more talented players, just different players. You don't think you could get a top scorer from trading Thorpe? Clyde Drexler, maybe? 5. Wilt DOMINATED both ends of the court as well, and I argue he did a better job of making his teammates better than Jordan did. For one, Wilt led the league in assists, and Jordan never came close. Second, the 1992-93 Bulls went 57-25. That was with Jordan. Then in 1993-94, Jordan was replaced in the starting lineup by Pete Myers, and Cartwright was replaced by Luc Longley (Cartwright was still on the team, just on the bench). There were no especially notable changes to the bench. So how much worse did the 1993-94 Bulls do? Well, they dropped a whopping 2 games. 55-27. Sure, they didn't win the title, but you should see my point. And just in case you wanna call foul on the 2-game drop, Wilt's Lakers dropped 13 when he left, Russell's Celtics dropped 14, Robertson's Bucks dropped 21, Bird's Celtics dropped 15, and Johnson's Lakers dropped 15. Additionally, the Jordan-less Bulls were eliminated in the 2nd round, while none of the aforementioned teams made it past the 1st. And, it should go without saying that ANY team could contend with Wilt in his prime, to answer your last point. And I'm going to disagree with you that Jordan could do the same. Put Jordan on today's Hawks and they would still suck. Jordan NEEDED Pippen. He never did jack anything without Pippen. 6. Really? Let's consider a few things. i) There were 10-12 teams back in the day. So yes, I think there were a few less great players, but since there were so few teams, there was probably more talent on any given team than there is today. Do remember that Wilt set his record of 55 rebounds against Russell. Wilt could dominate anybody. Think of how he would feast on the NBA today... how many legit centers do we have left? Like 5 or something? Shaq, Yao, Ilgauskaus... err... I guess you could call J. O'Neal a center... yeeeaaahhh... so that would mean he would be facing off against a top big guy what, 15% of the time? ii) As was mentioned in section 3, the NBA changed the rules to COMBAT Wilt. Plus, they let opposing players completely abuse Wilt with no call. Wayne Emby (HOF big guy) was quoted as saying that he "gave Wilt a karate chop every time he shot," and it was never called. Today, star treatment is all the rage. Jordan got the call when defenses breathed on him. Plus, the league essentially tossed the traveling rule out the window for him. And for Shaq, they added the hop-step. If Wilt got star treatment like that, it would be absolutely over, man. iii) There used to be little boxes next to players' lockers back in the day. Wanna know what they were for? Teeth. False teeth. They were more often needed than not, because there were no flagrant fouls. A foul was a foul, and that was that. So if some irritating guy was, say, dunking and sticking his tongue out at the defense, he would get taken out. Badly. Sometimes sent to the hospital. Often minus a few teeth. You think Jordan would've been the same without protection from hard fouls? I don't.
You are being disingenious, DOD. Complaining about Russell's offense is like griping about Magic's defense. It didn't matter when as a center you did every thing else better than anybody. Bill Russell was the best defensive player of his era, made superior outlet passes and ran the break about as well as any big man ever. Here's the main reason you are being unfair to his memory: Bill Russell was the fiercest competitor *ever* and was a true leader of men. That's why Wilt, for all of his talent (averaged over 10 assists one year!), is not on Bill's level. My list: 1) Michael Jordan 2) Magic Johnson 3) Bill Russell 4) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 5) Wilt Chamberlin 6) Larry Bird 7) Hakeem Olajuwon 8) Oscar Robinson 9) Jerry West 10) Moses Malone
I don't get why people are going so far to rationalize their subjectivity. bball is such a diverse and complex sport, there is no "greatest" player, because everyone has a different opinion and different criteria in how they determine "greatness," especially in a game that has individual as well as team elements. Might as well try to have an argument on what the best color is.
Im not going to write a whole eassy, but let me point some things. Sure Russell had alot of help, but Wilt did play with some great players. If he made his teammates better than why did he only win 2 championships? Pippen was a very good player, and probably the best complimentary player to Jordan. Other than the 94-95 year, he hasnt shown anything else. You cant say he was great because he had ONE good year. We will never be able to know how good he was. Sure they made rules changes because of Wilt, but if you put Shaq in his era he would eat everyone up alive. Narrow lanes or not. Its tough to argue and debate players from different eras, but if you look at things realistically, most players during the Wilt and Russell era were physically inferior to players today. Do you really believe that Russell and Wilt would up those godly type numbers in the NBA today? I HIGHLY doubt they would.
Shaq does play with the same rules. If you have ever seen an nba court you would notice on most courts there is a colored stripe running down both sides of the lane each stripe is 2 feet wide and the lane inbetween is 12 feet wide. nba.com
