#13 Wilt Chamberlain is the GOAT

[KingTaharqa]

#13 Wilt Chamberlain

14 NBA seasons
30.1 PPG
22.9 RPG
4.4 APG
??? BPG
??? SPG
45.8 MPG


1 FINALS MVP ('72)
4 MVPS ('60,'66,'67,'68)
1960 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
2x NBA CHAMPION ('67,'72)
4x NBA FINALIST ('64,'68,'70,'73)
13x NBA ALL-STAR ('60-'69, '71-'73)
7x ALL-NBA ('60-'62,'64,'65-'68)
2x ALL-DEFENSIVE ('72,'73)
1 of NBA's 50 GREATEST PLAYERS
7 SCORING TITLES ('60,'61,'62,'63,'64,'65,'66)
11 REBOUNDING TITLES ('60-'63,'66-'69,'71-'73)
9x, LED LEAGUE IN FG% ('61,'63,'65,'66,'67,'68,'69,'72,'73)
9x, LED LEAGUE IN MINUTES ('60,'61,'62,'63,'64,'66,'67,'68,'69)
1x, LED LEAGUE IN ASSISTS ('68)
LOS ANGELES LAKERS #13 RETIRED
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS #13 RETIRED
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS #13 RETIRED
HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS #13 RETIRED

31.8 highest single season PER ('63)
100 points (3/2/1962 vs. Knicks)
5 70-point games (Elgin 1, Kobe 1, David Robinson 1, David Thompson 1)
32 60-point games (Kobe Bryant 5, MJ 5)
118 50-point games (MJ 34)
271 40-point games (MJ 173)

7 consecutive 50-point games (12/16/61-12/29/61)
14 consecutive 40-point games TWICE (12/8/61-12/30/61, 1/11/62-2/1/62)
65 consecutive 30-point games (11/4/61-2/22/62)
126 consecutive 20-point games (10/19/61-1/19/63)

37.6 points, 27.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game as a rookie
58 points as a rookie (1/25/60, also had 42 rebounds)
45 rebounds as a rookie (2/6/60)

8 career 40 point 40 rebound games
132 career 30 point 30 rebound games (Russell 7, Bellamy 3, Thurmond 3)
590 career 20 point 20 rebound games (Elgin Baylor has 118)

227 consecutive double-doubles from 64-67 (also holds the 2nd and 3rd spots)
9 consecutive triple doubles (3/8/68-3/20/68)

3 highest "perfect" games in NBA history
18-18 from the field (2/24/67)
16-16 from the field (3/19/67)
15-15 from the field (1/20/67)

Some of Wilt's best regular season games
11/16/1962 San Francisco Warriors at New York Knicks, MSG
Wilt goes for 73 points, 29 rebounds
Highest scoring output in New York City history, MSG history

1/21/1962 San Francisco Warriors vs. Chicago Packers
Wilt goes for 56 points, 45 rebounds

2/2/1968 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Detroit Pistons
Wilt goes for 22 points, 25 rebounds, 21 assists
the first double-triple-double in league history (Westbrook 2019 was the 2nd)

3/18/1968 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Wilt goes for 53 points, 32 rebounds, 14 assists (unofficially has 24 blocks, 11 steals)
Led the league in assists that season but had the 4 highest scoring games (68,53,53,52)

12/25/1968 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns (nationally televised Christmas Day Game)
Wilt has 15 points, 23 blocks
blocks were not an official statistic at this point but (23) would shatter Elmore Smith's record of 17.

2/9/1969 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns
Wilt scores 66 points (29-35, 82.9 FG%)
It was 1 of his 4 games of over 60+ points on .700+ shooting
3rd highest Laker point total behind Kobe's 81, Elgin's 71
Most points scored by any player in '69 season
2nd oldest player in NBA history (32 years old) to go for 60+ (Kobe 37, 2016)

Some of Wilt's best postseason games
1960 Philadelphia Warriors vs. Syracuse Nationals
1st round EC playoffs
53 points
most by a rookie in the playoffs

1962 Philadelphia Warriors vs. Syracuse Nationals
1st round EC playoffs
56 points (22-48), 35 rebounds
3rd highest point total in the playoffs behind MJ's 63, and Elgin's 61

1964 San Francisco Warriors vs. St. Louis Hawks
1st round EC playoffs
50 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists
Also held Pettit to 19 points, 45-15-5 on 65% FG, wasnt duplicated again til LeBron in 2012 Game 5 vs. Celtics

1967 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston celtics (game 1)
2nd round EC playoffs
24 points, 32 rebounds, 13 assists, 12 blocks
unofficial quadruple double, since blocks & steals were not counted

1967 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics (game 3)
2nd round EC playoffs
20 points, 41 rebounds
Also held Russell to 10 points, most rebounds in a playoff game ever

1970 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns (game 7)
1st round WC Playoffs
30 points, 27 rebounds, 11 blocks
unofficial triple double, since blocks & steals were not counted

1970 Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks (game 6)
NBA Finals
45 points (20-27), 27 rebounds
Wilt is the only player to average 20-20 in the Finals (7 games)
23.2 PPG, 24.1 RPG, on 62.5% shooting in 1970

1972 Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks (game 5)
NBA Finals
24 points (10-14), 29 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 blocks​

 

[KingTaharqa]

 

[KingTaharqa]

 

[KingTaharqa]

Wilt vs. 2020 Los Angeles Lakers front court....

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[KingTaharqa]

 

[KingTaharqa]

Its not uncommon to see graphics and stats depicted on memes and national NBA broadcasts that go out of their way to exclude the GOAT to make it fair for other legends and make them seem closer to his dominance. Example:



Rule of thumb if it say some shit like "last 40 years" or "prior to 1965", etc you KNOW they talkin bout the GOAT.

 

[KingTaharqa]

WILT'S COMPETITION AT CENTER IN HIS ERA

Bill Russell (Oakland, CA)





Lew Alcindor (Manhattan, NY)




Willis Reed (Lillie, LA)




Walt Bellamy (New Bern, NC)




Nate Thurmond (Akron, OH)




Wes Unseld (Louisville, KY)




Elvin Hayes (Rayville, LA)




Bob Lanier (Buffalo, NY)




Dave Cowens (Newport, KY)




Zelmo Beaty(Woodville, TX)



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[KingTaharqa]

 

[KingTaharqa]

Imagine being the all time NBA scoring champ by your 7th season. Scoring would become boring to you too.

 

[KingTaharqa]

from Who's Running The Asylum?
"My life has never been in jeopardy because of things I did, but they did try to stop me in other ways. There were even headlines proclaiming that was the possible ruination of basketball. Out of fear this could happen, they took out of the game some of the things that I was able to do best, and rules were put in place to keep me from doing the things that were in my power to do.

Changes were inevitable from the time I first started playing college ball, and started right after the first three games of my sophomore year. (Freshman were not allowed to play varsity ball.) The University of Kansas, my team, won easily. It was then that the opposition knew they could not contain or control what was in my power to do. I averaged nearly 50 points in those first three games, and completely demoralized the opposition by grabbing balls out of the air on defense, a move that was rather like blocking a shot and rebounding at the same time. They (the powers that be in basketball) knew that unless something was done, for the other teams, basketball would be no fun-and they started their legislation against yours truly. To keep me away from the ball, they tried it all; but the boring results was a constant stall.

Here are a few of the goodies that were initiated of a period of years in order to put clamps on my abilities. First, the "widening of the lane" rule. No, the lane wasn't always 18 feet wide; it used to be about half that size. (As a matter of fact, they've changed its dimension twice.) They thought the wider lane would keep me farther from the basket and prevent my being such a prolific scorer. But the majority of my scoring was not being done close to the basket. So, after I had scored 38 points a game during my second year as a pro, the NBA widened the lane a second time, this time to 18 feet. They though that might be the answer to their problem, but they were doomed to disappointment. I went from 38 points to 50 points a game. And if that doesn't tell you something, nothing will.

The year before the second lane-width change, they took away offensive goal tending. For those of you who don't quite understand what that term means, let me explain. When a player tosses a ball in the direction of the basket in order for Shaquille O'Neal to go up and dunk it, that's called a lob-pass. In my day, we used a similar move. My teammates used to actually shoot the ball so that I could go up and get it. That way we had two chances to score: either the first player made the shot, or I grabbed the ball, myself, and put it in.

This was a move which required both jumping ability and timing. Since I excelled in using it, the maneuver was outlawed. No longer, except in international basketball can one offensively goal tend or touch the ball on the rim.

A year earlier, back in my college days, when my teammates took the ball out of bounds from behind the basket, they would throw it over the backboard. I would jump 50 inches or so off the ground to guide the ball in the basket or dunk it as it came over the backboard. No one else could come close to touching the ball. You-know-who (the powers that be) knew that something had to be done about that play, so they outlawed "passing the ball over the backboard." No longer could a player pass the ball from behind the backboard before throwing the ball inbound. He had to first move to one side of the backboard or the other. The backboard could not be used as a shield, and Wilt Chamberlain could no longer jump up and have the ball all to himself.

Another rule change deprived me of using of my other skills. They disallowed dunking from the foul line, a maneuver that required not only a great deal of agility, but considerable jumping ability. I sometimes laugh about this one today, but in another senses, I still feel angry about it. In college, I was a world class high jumper and triple jumper, and, as a result, I had a unique way of shooting free throws. I was able, from within the half-circle and behind the foul line (which is 15 feet from the basket), to jump-glide through the air and put the ball into the basket before my feet touched the floor. That was considered a legal play as long as the ball went through the hoop before the player's feet touched the floor.

When it became known during my freshman year that I was able to dunk the ball from behind the foul line, they knew that something had to be done or I would be able to make 99.9 percent of my free throws. So, they outlawed dunking the basketball from the foul line when shooting free throws. As no one else had been able to dunk the basketball from inside the half-circle, it was fairly clear that this rule change was a direct jab at my own personal chin.

I would have thought that almost everyone would enjoy watching a young, skinny, seven-foot college player perform this feat, simply as an exhibition of athleticism. The pros at that time were drooling to have me join them to do just that. Instead, I went to the Globetrotters where I had fun dunking the ball from wherever I pleased.

Strangely enough, it was a non rule-the no-clock rule-that gave me the most problems. Under this regulation (since there was no clock) the teams that faced me were allowed to hold the ball forever, and ever, and ever, and ever-amen. As a result, many times during my sophomore and junior years in college, game scores were in the '30s and '40s. The opposing teams knew, and they were right, that the only way they could possibly win was to hold the ball. In their place, I would have done the same thing. But this was no longer basketball for me. All I could do was play "go find the ball." I did just that, and even under those conditions, we won a great many games.

I had other problems, as well. When they weren't holding the ball from me on offense, they were using three and four people to guard me on defense. Even so, I was able to average 32 points a game, standing second in the nation one year and third the other. I led my team, the Jayhawks, to a one-point triple-overtime defeat of the number-one team in the nation, North Carolina, even though that team, like all the rest, held the ball as much as they able and used four men to guard me the entire game.

When I came into the NBA, there was a rule allowing a player to waive the foul-to choose to shoot it or not. (Logically enough, this was called the "waive-foul rule.") It was put in place to discourage the fouling which had become excessive in the latter part of many games. Knowing, as you do, that in the pros I was not renowned as a foul shooter, you've probably guessed by now what happened. They did away with the waive-foul rule."

-Wilt Chamberlain from Who's Running The Asylum?

 

[KingTaharqa]

Wilt vs Shaq










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[KingTaharqa]

Wilt vs. Russell













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[KingTaharqa]

@M.H.C.











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[KingTaharqa]

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[KingTaharqa]

from WILT: Just like any other 7-foot black millionaire who lives next door
"When we went to Dallas for the Western regionals, we stayed in a motel in Grand Prairie, about 30 miles away. The coach said he did it to keep us together in a quiet spot, away from the big city, and we believed him...until someone burned a cross in the vacant lot across from our motel. Then we realized Dallas had made the decision, not Coach Harp; they just weren't about to let any blacks in their fancy downtown hotels. In fact, when I tried to go to a drive-in movie, in my own car, they wouldn't even let me do that!

The crowd at the game that night was plenty hostile, too. They booed and jeered and called me "******" and "jigaboo" and "spook" and a lot of other things that weren't nearly that nice. I tried not to let it bother me too much; I figured I'd answer them on the basketball court.

Thats exactly what I did. We played Southern Methodist in the first round, and they hadn't ever been beaten in the first 36 games in their new fieldhouse. We beat them, 73-65, in overtime. I got 36 points and 22 rebounds, and held their all-American center, Jim Krebs, to 18 points and six rebounds before he fouled out.

The next night we played Oklahoma City for the regional championship and flattened them. 81-61. I got some racial abuse in that game, too-and not just from the stands. One of the Oklahoma players kept calling me a "******" and a "black son-of-a-bitch," and he jabbed me and tried to trip me every time he went by. But one of his teammates, Hub Reed, who was also white, came over and apologized to me for him and the fans several times, and that more than offset all the abuse. Of course, the fact that we won and that I had a good night also helped make me feel better. With all the roughing-up that one guy gave me, I wound up going to the free-throw line 22 times. I hit 14 of them, and wound up with 30 points. I figured I was better off shoving the ball through the basket than shoving my fist down the cat's throat-tempting though that may have been.

The next week, we played the University of San Francisco in the NCAA semi-finals. We won easily, 80-56, on 8-0 and 16-0 bursts early in the second half.

The same night, North Carolina, the No. 1 rated team in the country, beat Michigan in a triple overtime. North Carolina was undefeated, but Michigan should've won. Johnny Green, who later became a star in the NBA, blew two free throws late in the game to give North Carolina the victory; Frank McGuire, the North Carolina coach, always said he was sure his team was fated to win the championship after that game.

So it was No. 1 North Carolina, 31-0, against No. 2 Kansas, 24-2, for the 1957 NCAA championship. McGuire, a shrewd strategist and psychologist, had his smallest player, 5 foot 11 Tommy Kearns, jump center against me for the opening tipoff. Tommy and I have snice become such good friends that we always try to have dinner together at least once anytime I'm in New York, but we didn't know each other at all then, and a lot of people said McGuire made the surprise move to confuse me and throw me and my teammates off stride, wondering what the hell he was up to. But that was only part of it. Coach McGuire knew he didn't have anyone who could outjump me, so why waste a tall guy in the jump? Why not stick a little guy in there, and have all your tall guys outside the center circle where they could grab the tip when I hit it? We got the tip, but North Carolina immediately put their 6-9 center Joe Quigg in front of me and damn near everyone else on their team behind me and alongside me. Coach McGuire, who later coached me on the Warriors, said he told his team, "We're playing Wilt, not Kansas; just stop him and don't worry about those other guys on his team; they're not all that good."

I didn't get many shots off against that kind of defense, and I did'nt hit my field goal until above five minutes into the game. By that time, North Carolina was ahead, 9-2. They hit their first nine shots, and jumped ahead 19-7 before we knew what hit us. It seemed like everything they threw up there went in. They didn't miss a shot for the first ten minutes of the game!

My teammates, meanwhile, coudn't put a pea in the ocean. With North Caroilna surrounding me, they were all wide open, but they just couldn't buy a basket. At halftime, North Carolina was hitting 64.5 percent from the field, and we were hitting 27.3 percent.

North Carolina stalled in the second half, but we came back and actually went ahead, 40-37, with about ten minutes left in the game. Then we stalled. With 1:43 left, we were ahead 46-43-and North Carolina's big star, Lennie Rosenbluth, commited his fifth foul. It looked like we had the championship in the bag. This was in Kansas City, and I remember looking up in the stands at some friends and thinking how groovy it was going to be to celebrate with them later. I mean, one of our best free-throwers, Gene Elstun, was at the line, and if he made it, we'd be ahead by four points; even if they scored again, we'd get the ball back with a two-point lead and less than a minute to go. I was sure we could stall the game out.

Well, Elstun misses the free throw, and the ball bounces damn near all the way to midcourt where they have a guy standing. They get a layup, and a few seconds later one of our other guys blows an in-bounds play and they get a free throw, and the game goes into overtime.

The first overtime is scoreless. We each get a basket in the second overtime. Now it's 48-all, and we're going into triple overtime.

We go ahead, 53-52, with just a few seconds left when their center hist a jump shot from the corner to put them ahead, 54-53. We call time, and Coach Harp gives us the obvious play: "Pass it in high to Wilt right under the basket, and let him dunk it."

Good idea-except that the guy who takes the ball out, Ron Loneski, hands while I'm standing there under the basket, completely helpless, and we lose the national championship.

I've always been more bitter about that loss than almost any other single game in my whole college and professional career. I guess it's because that's the game that started the whole "Wilt's a loser" thing that's been thrown at me for more than (56) years now.

For most of those years, people have been writing that Kansas was the preseason favorite to win everything my sophomore year-and my junior year, as well-and taht we, I, blew it both times. That just isn't true. But people only remember what Phog Allen said when I enrolled at Kansas. He told everyone:

'Wilt Chamberlain's the greatest basketball player I ever saw. With him, we'll never lose a game; we could win the national championship with Wilt, two sorority girls and two Phi Beta Kappas.'

That was ridiculous, of course, but it gave the public an image of me that has endured to this day-the image of Wilt Chamberlain as Superman, a guy who should never lose. So when my team does lose, it must be my fault right? I'm not performing up to expectations. Or I'm choking. Or I'm blowing free throws. Or I'm letting Bill Russell psyche me out. Or I'm being selfish. You certainly can't blame my teammates. After all, Phog Allen said I didn't really need teammates.

Anyway, the myth is that Kansas was supposed to win the national championship that year, and I lost it for us. Never mind that I got 23 points against North Carolina-high for that game. Never mind that I was named most valuable player in the tournament. Never mind that I had three or four men guarding me all night. Never mind that the rest of the team couldn't hit when they were left wide open. Never mind that Ron Loneski threw that pass away in the third overtime. Never mind that North Carolina-No.1, undefeated, with a great coach and great players-was actually favored going into the championship game. The people who were there know what happened, but by the time I'd been a pro a few years, and we'd lost to Boston a few times, everyone was pointing back to that North Carolina game as proof that I was a loser.

Bullshit!"

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[KingTaharqa]

I already knew Wilt the Stilt was an FBA, but did not know Kareem was half FBA. He's usually associated with his Trini heritage only. @xfactor

 

[KingTaharqa]

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[KingTaharqa]

For the "basketball was soft, easy, with no competition in Wilt's era" crowd. 2 Top 50 HOFers goin at it....

 

[KingTaharqa]

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[KingTaharqa]

from WILT: Just like any other 7-foot black millionaire who lives next door
"I wasn't the only one who benefited from my decision to go to Kansas. I always thought that my high school coach, Cecil Mosenson, came away with a little more than the satisfaction of seeing one of his boys make good. Of course, most schools dangled some bait in front of Coach Mosenson. Usually it was a job-in some cases, even the chance to be a head basketball coach if he could bring me with him. With Phog Allen around, Kansas wasn't about to make that offer, of course, but they "helped" him out in other ways.

Kansas did one other thing for Coach Mosenson. Like I said earlier, we had several damn good players on my team at Overbrook, particularly my friends Vince Miller and Marty Hughes. Either of them could easily have made the team at Kansas. But Kansas wouldn't take them. Instead, they took another one of my teammates-Doug Leamon. Doug was a nice guy and a fairly decent ballplayer, but he couldn't carry Vince's jock.

He was white, though, and Vince and Marty were black.

I honestly don't remember if I realized it back then, but that was my first real lesson in one of those reprehensible but immutable truths about American society-a black man has to be twice as good as a white man just to get an even break. A superstar like me might not have trouble, but match any black beneath superstar status with a white guy of equal or even inferior ability, and the white guy will get the job every time. This is less often true now than it was then, I know, but it's still standard operating procedure in many areas of life, including sports and entertainment, where blacks are supposed to have made the greatest progress. (Hell, I think Glen Campbell, for example, has less talent than dozens of black comics and singers I could name. He has about as much voice and personality as one of my dogs. But he makes millions of dollars. A black man would have to be a combination Sammy Davis/Flip Wilson/Lou Rawls to make anywhere near that much.)

I suppose Kansas recruitment of Doug, instead of Vince or Marty, should have tipped me off that I might run into the same prejudice in Lawrence that helped convince me to eliminate Dayton and Indiana and the whole South. But, like I say, I was pretty naive about those things-until the day I actually came to Kansas to start school.

Doug and I drove out from Philly together, planning to share the driving time. He told me he was a good driver, but after about the first four miles, he ran the car off the highway into a ditch, and I had to take over. So I drove 1,154 miles all by myself, and we got into Kansas City, about 35 miles from the campus in Lawrence, late one evening, and we decided to stop for dinner. It seemed everyone in the restaurant knew me. They'd been reading about Kansas recruiting me and all, and we talked about basketball or a few minutes. Then the waitress came over, kind of mumbling and stumbling, and told me she couldn't serve me at the table. I thought maybe she meant it was reserved or someone else, so Doug and I got up and moved to another table.

'We can't serve you there either' she said.

I was pretty groggy from having driven 16 to 17 straight hours, so I still didn't know what she meant. I started to move again. She told me to come back in the kitchen, and she would give me whatever I wanted. The owner came out then, too, and he said the same thing; They'd serve me in the kitchen, but not in the restaurant proper.

Fortunately, Doug realized what the problem was before I did. He grabbed my arm, and said, 'Let's go, Dip. We can get a bite somewhere else.'

I don't know if it's just because I was so tired or because I had been so sold on Kansas, but I didn't understand what the hell was going on until we got outside and Doug explained it to me. Then I really got pissed. I jumped back in my car and I must've driven to Lawrence in record time. I drove right up to Dr. Forrest C. Allen's house. It was about midnight by then, but I went storming up to his front door, and started banging on it so hard, I almost knocked the damn thing down. When he answered, I said, 'Do you know what the hell just happened to me?' Then I told him.

He said:
'Aw, just forget about those people. Come on in here and go to sleep. You can stay with us tonight.'

I told him I wasn't interested in no sleep. I was hungry. He said he'd call the Chi Omega fraternity house, and have someone go down to to the local greasy spoon and get me some hamburgers. I asked him to tell me where the greasy spoon was, 'and I'll go myself,' but he came on real solicitous about how tired I probably was and how it was the least they could do for me and all. Well, I found out later why he was so eager to have someone else get the hamburgers for me; even the greasy spoon was segregated, and he knew if I found that out, I'd probably say, 'Fuck Kansas,' and head back to Philadelphia before the first day of classes.

Well, it took me about a week to realize the whole area around Lawrence, except for one black section in Kansas City, was infested with segregation. I called on a few of the alums who had recruited me, and I told them in no uncertain terms what they could do with Kansas if things didn't get straightened out in a hurry. A couple of them told me, 'Look, Wilt, you just go wherever you want. You sit down in those restaurants and don't leave until they serve you.'

That's exactly what I did. It took me about two months, but I went into every damn place within 40 miles of Lawrence, even places I didn't want to go into. I'd just sit there and glower and wait. Finally, they'd serve me. I never got turned down or badmouthed or anything, and when I got through, other blacks would follow me. I singlehandedly integrated that whole area, and I guess that's one reason I get so angry now when some of the young militant blacks call me an "Uncle Tom"-like when I backed Richard Nixon for President in 1968, and a lot of my friends, people like Harry Belafonte and Elgin Baylor and Walt Hazzard (now Abdul Rahman), really jumped on me for 'letting your race down.'

I guess the black whose antipathy hurts me the most is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Back when he was Lew Alcindor, in high school, he came over to my apartment in New York all the time. We never played much basketball together, but we played a lot of cards, and I'd take him down to Greenwich Village to a lot of jazz spots. I was able to get him into a few places he was actually too young for-including a couple we went to with dates when I took him out on the town as a kind of high school graduation present. I took him up to Kutsher's with me, too, and on a few other upstate trips. I could see he was getting the same kind of recruiting pressure I'd gotten, probably more, and he just needed a sympathetic friend and a sanctuary where he could visit with people who understood and wouldn't hassle him. But when he got to UCLA and then turned pro and got so heavily into the black pride/black power thing, he started to snub me. He seems to think that because I haven't changed my name and still have a lot of white friends I've abandoned the black man. Hell, he hardly even talks to me anymore. He won't even look at me when the Lakers play the Bucks and we jump center.

But I'm just as aware of the injustices done to the black man as anyone. I just don't believe you help things by running around, saying how evil Whitey is. I figure I've done my share-the restaurants I integrated in Kansas, the busloads of black kids I used to take to summer camp from Harlem, the contributions I make, in name and money, to various black causes and programs. Just because I don't call a press conference every time I do something like that doesn't mean I'm insensitive to the black man's plight.

But I realize that's not the way things are done in America. There are certain priorities and certain stereotypes, and they are adhered to, no matter who gets hurt.

Stereotypes? Try being a black athlete traded to a new team. The first thing everyone wants to know is whether you plan to help the black underprivileged kids in that city. I got asked that question every time I was traded or my team moved-in San Francisco, in Philadelphia, and in Los Angeles. What do you want to bet that no white player gets asked if he plans to work with the underprivileged white kids? Do you think anyone asked Pete Maravich that when he got drafted by Atlanta? Or Steve Carlton when he got traded to the Philadelphia Phillies? Or Fran Tarkenton when the Giants traded him back to Minnesota? You bet your ass they didn't!"

Big Wilt with Young Lew Alcindor out on the town in New York City circa 1964​

 

[KingTaharqa]

Just a few weeks ago after Kobe's death....

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[KingTaharqa]

Wilt is not only the greatest rookie in NBA history, he's the greatest 2nd year player in history as well....

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[KingTaharqa]

 

[KingTaharqa]

1967 NBA Eastern Conference Final Game 4 in Boston Garden, Boston, MA
April 9, 1967

Boston Celtics HOFers
#6 Bill Russell
#17 John Havlicek
#24 Sam Jones
#25 K.C. Jones
#19 Don Nelson (Coach)

Philadelphia 76ers HOFers
#13 Wilt Chamberlain
#15 Hal Greer
#32 Billy Cunningham
#25 Chet Walker
Alex Hannum (Coach)




Final Score
Boston Celtics (1-3) 121 - Philadelphia 76ers (3-1) 117

Boston Celtics
#17 John Havlicek 31 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists
#24 Sam Jones 32 points, 7 rebounds
#6 Bill Russell 9 points, 28 rebounds, 5 assists
#20 Larry Siegfried 18 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds

Philadelphia 76ers
#13 Wilt Chamberlain 20 points, 22 rebounds, 10 assists
#54 Luke Jackson 29 points, 18 rebounds
#15 Hal Greer 28 rebounds, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
#25 Chet Walker 18 points, 6 rebounds


1967 NBA Regular Season
League's Best Record - Philadelphia 76ers (68-13)
League MVP - Wilt Chamberlain 24.1 points (68.3 FG%), 24.2 rebounds, 7.8 assists
Rookie Of The Year - Dave Bing 20.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists
Scoring Champion - Rick Barry (35.0 points)
Rebounding Champion - Wilt Chamberlain (24.2 rebounds)
Assist Leader - Guy Rodgers (11.2 assists)
Field Goal % Leader - Wilt Chamberlain (68.3%)
Win Shares Leader - Wilt Chamberlain (21.9)
PER Leader - Wilt Chamberlain (26.5)

1967 NBA Playoffs
League Champion - Philadelphia 76ers (11-4) over San Francisco Warriors (9-6) in 6 games (4-2).
*NBA Finals MVP wasnt created til 1969
#13 Wilt Chamberlain in the Playoffs - 21.7 points (57.9 FG%), 29.1 rebounds, 9.0 assists (7 triple doubles)
#13 Wilt Chamberlain in the Finals - 17.7 points (56.0 FG%), 28.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists (2 triple doubles)
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[KingTaharqa]

Wilt is STILL the Golden State Warriors all time leading scorer.

 

[KingTaharqa]

WILT VS. JORDAN







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from Who's Running The Asylum?
"I would never say that Michael Jordan thinks of himself as a god, but in his followers' eyes he has become the Exalted One. Commercials that focus on his ability to fly and walk on water have done nothing to dispel this perception, and the media have played right along. In an interview, MJ was asked to whom he was going to bequeath his mantle when he retired. He calmly replied, 'Anfernee Hardaway seems to be the most worthy prospect.'

It is taken for granted that MJ has an exclusive patent on greatness. No one questions the assumption that the mantle of superiority belongs to him alone-to keep or to pass on as he sees fit.

Team sports, by definition, involve teamwork. Players do different things, but each makes their special contribution to their team. All are working towards one common goal. How anyone decides to value a player's importance to the team is a subjective matter.

Can we agree that Jordan plays a position in a team game? He wouldn't qualify as the greatest center, nor is he the greatest ball handler, or the greatest at many of the other things he does on the court. Going one-on-one against other top players, I don't see him consistently coming out on top.

Jordan is obviously forgetting that he is a guard, and if he had to guard some of the guys who play the center position, he could be in trouble. Think back to what happened to Dr. J, for example. He wore the 'greatest' laurels in his time just as MJ does today, yet Kareem completely annihilated him in a one-on-one match. (So what does that make Kareem?) It's my belief that the same thing would happen if MJ were to go one-on-one against certain of today's quality players. He could be destroyed.

Every contemporary game is recorded and stored on a master tape in some television studio, and probably on video tape in thousands of homes, as well. Unfortunately, we earlier players were not recorded in this way, and consequently we are not able to show today's young whippersnappers what we were capable of doing.

We have never really had a chance to let people see just how great some of us were during our prime. It could be that the 'ooh's' and 'aah's' given to Michael each time he makes one of his electrifying plays would pale in comparison if today's fans could see the great Elgin Baylor do his thing, or watch Connie Hawkins in one of his miracle drives (and I could go on, of course).

It's all relative, in any case, and 'great' is only a relative term. A player can look different when he is playing with (or against) different teams. Michael, for example, looked far from the greatest when he played on the 1992 Olympic team. At that juncture, everyone thought Charles Barkley was by far the best. Playing with today's Chicago team, MJ may be the greatest, but he might not appear to be so great if he were playing with the Sacramento Kings. And wha tif he had been drafted by Boston, and had to play in the shadow of the already-established Larry Bird? Under those circumstances, would he still have become the great MJ we know and love?

Anyone who follows sports is aware of the advantage of having a superstar on your team. Those benefits become increasingly crucial in the later moments of a game when everything is so very important. It's the nature of the game that if the ball is given to your superstar, any calls that are made are apt to go his way. Everybody wants to go to heaven-even the referees (who are well aware of where their interests lie). So, if your superstar is looked upon as the Divine One-almost as a second coming-you have a superstar player who is even more intimidating, and harder yet to make a call against.

I recently watched Jordan get away with flagrantly dressing down another official, an offense which every one-even the chicken-shit announcers-agreed should have resulted in a technical. But this technical would have put him out of the game: so, of course, it was not called. This man is the the man!

My object in talking about Michael's becoming so god-like is not to bring him down. I just want to point out that when someone has that type of power and produces that kind of effect during a game, the result can turn out to be a minus for basketball instead of a plus. Michael's ability to get the better end of every call diminishes teams sports in general. This is not Michael's fault; he is doing his thing, and is not responsible for the actions of others-or is he? Has he, or has he not, earned the right to those respectful calls?

We have heard many times that Wayne Gretzky was protected by WhA teams: he was not thrown up against the boards as much, nor did he receive the kind of treatment that Gordie Howe and other big stars had to endure during their careers. Is there a parallel between the way Gretzky's treated and the Michael Jordan Treatment Syndrome?

I don't believe that it is good for any sport if one player is placed above the rest, not in what he is able to do, but in the treatment he receives. Michael has proved that is able to do almost anything he sets his mind to. Adding gifts of fire to his already burning flame is not only unnecessary, it's a rotten shame.

Respect for Michael's awe inspiring talent (which is hyped by unbelievable media attention) has placed him in an exalted position that produces a kind of fear response in his opponents. You see, even basketball players know that it's improper (even blasphemous) to take the Lord's name in vain; so you, as a player, damn sure don't want to be the one knock Him on his Royal Ass. And just in case you are not buying what I am preaching, tell me when you last saw anyone take MJ down when he drove the lane?

So, how would you play the great MJ, Wiltie? I'd play him like Moses did with our real God: I'd meet him at the summit.

You have to meet Michael at the summit. When he comes gliding and sliding through the basket for one of his famous dunks, you have to put somebody on him. Even my favorite, Sir Charles, who has almost more heart than the real God Himself, let's Michael slide through. As for other players, I can't account for their reluctance. They surely can't be afraid that they are going to get hurt physically, since Michael weighs far less than most players who guard him in the paint.

The influence of fear factor might be understandable if it were Shaq they were meeting head-on, time after time. Shaq weighs about 330 pounds, but six-foot-seven Jordan weighs only about 197. He is actually rather skinny compared with soe of the big boys who are supposed to be covering the middle. So, why don't they hit him-perhaps even risking a flagrant foul? An occasional confrontation would cause Michael to think before driving to the basket next time.

I remember Magic Johnson's second game after coming back from his self-imposed retirement. He was playing against the Bulls in the Los Angeles Forum, and in his first drive down the middle, Rodman clothes-lined him, almost taking his head off.

That kind of thing never seems to happen to MJ. There almost seems to be unwritten hands-off rule for him. We all know, of course, that Rodman is a little bit crazy, but you can't be timid out there on the court! And no could deny that Rodman plays the game with the right kind of verve.

A defensive player actually has an advantage when guarding Michael, for two reasons: (1) the basket doesn't move, so you know where Michael is going; and (2) you know for certain that the last thing (the very last thing) that Michael wants to do is pass the ball. You know he's going to shoot it. With those two bits of data tucked away in your memory bank, the advantage is all yours-or least it should be.

In the good old days, I had to carry two and three guys to the basket with me. (They were always looking for a free ride.) But, all kidding aside, my opponents were not going to let me go in there unopposed. Even Shaq, big as he is, gets hammered pretty hard as he goes to the basket. That's the price that all the stars have to pay for doing their thing against the opposition.

You can't just let the superstars do it their own way, standing there smiling and waving at them as they go by. MJ gets enough respect and cheers as it is-and from both directions. The way the fans on both sides cheer for him makes every game a home game for Michael, no matter what arena he is in.

For the opposing team to hear more cheers for MJ than they get does not help to bring out their best. It is one thing to show respect for athletes you admire, but when they are on the opposing team, and you cheer for them, more than you cheer for your own side, that is really hard on the home team, and ego-deflating to say the least.

After the Bulls' seventy first win of the season, reporters who were surrounding Michael Jordan asked him not to be bashful, but to tell him who he thought was the best basketball player of all time. Quite seriously, he replied, "I think it's me." Now, all of us have a right to at least one vote, and, understandably, he chose to use that vote for himself. But on the other hand, he might have said, "I can speak only about the players I have actually played against, of course, and, of those players, I think I'm the best." That would have been a fairer statement, since there were a number of legendary players he never faced on the court. (And who knows what the outcome would have been in a one-on-one contest between MJ and a non-guard.)

An athlete's stature has always been established by the caliber of opponents he or she has faced. I learned the truth of his statement as I watched the great boxers who have fought during my lifetime. It holds true in basketball as well as boxing (or in any other sport, for that matter).

I would give a lot to have seen MJ play against Walt Frazier or KC Jones of the Celtics, two of the greatest defensive players of my time-or against Jerry West, a guy who could do it at both ends. And how would MJ have handled Oscar Robertson, the Big O? No one I know could have done it! If we were considering only three players of this era, Michael would fall behind two or three: Magic Johnson, or course, and my favorites, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley. When you keep in mind that basketball is a team game, we'd have to conclude that those three guys have made a larger contribution."

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No NBA players fanbase has done more to erase pre-Civil Rights icons from sport than Jordan brand. You never hear or see Mikey promote the pioneers, only his era which has led the most to writing off Wilt's era. This was not the case prior to the commercialization of the NBA in the 80s (Stern) and the introduction of the "post racial" NBA athlete (Jordan).

 

[KingTaharqa]

 

[KingTaharqa]

PASSING THE GOAT ON THE ALL TIME SCORING LIST IS A BIG DEAL TO ALL NBA LEGENDS











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[KingTaharqa]