[22], Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke was known for a keen eye identifying leadership and teaching qualities (he also gave Hall of Famers Sparky Anderson and Joe Gibbs their first managerial/head coaching positions),[57] and asked West to coach and participate in player personnel decisions. Hence, every college game, every practice and every summer workout by 1958 became about the game within the game: winning at all costs, but also showing the world he could . Jerry West Chris Webber Oscar Robertson Mark Jackson. He was taken as the Number 1 overall (territorial) pick by the Cincinnati Royals in the 1960 NBA Draft where he played for 10 seasons (1960-1970) before being traded to . The Big O appeared on the Knuckleheads podcast to discuss his favorite players in league history. The players are bigger and more athletic now. West helped to build the great 1980s Lakers dynasty, also known as Showtime, which brought five championship rings (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988) to Los Angeles. [21] This team perennially had strong forwards and guards, but was constantly weak at center, giving them a disadvantage against the Boston Celtics with their Hall-of-Fame center, Bill Russell. Revitalized, he played two more seasons. Oscar Robertson vs Andrew Wiggins. Co-captains West and Robertson, and also Jerry Lucas, had legendary professional careers. He was the measuring stick for how a player. Wilt Chamberlain definitely had an explanation for why fans from his time fell out of love with NBA basketball. Oscar Robertson Calls out NBA for Super Teams Hypocrisy: When Boston Got Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, That Was David Sterns Deal. Too few fans today saw Oscar play with Jerry Lucas in Cincinnati or saw him when he was the sidekick of Lew Alcindor (before he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) on a championship team in Milwaukee. [59], After his coaching stint, West worked as a scout for three years before becoming general manager of the Lakers before the 198283 seasons. "There's all the publicity today for a 19-year-old player who might not be that good a player. In a generation defined mostly by big men, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson managed to stand out from the crop. Boston won another NBA Finals matchup, prevailing in Game 7 at Boston Garden, 95-93. In three campaigns with West at the helm, the Lakers went 145-101 and returned to the playoffs after missing the postseason during Wests retirement. Kevin Durant shows no signs of rust in his 1st game with Phoenix, meshing quickly with his new teammates. Rain. [8] Growing up, West spent his days hunting and fishing, but his main activity was shooting at a basketball hoop that a neighbor had nailed to his storage shed. The Americans' average margin of victory was 42.4 points per game. However, the Lakers and West came out on the losing end in eight of those nine Finals. [41] In Game 7, Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke had put up thousands of balloons in the rafters of the Forum in Los Angeles. At age 32, West averaged 26.9points, 4.6rebounds and 9.5assists,[15] and helped the Lakers win 46 games and make the 1971 NBA Playoffs. He looks determined. Despite his age and physical problems, West kept averaged 25.8 ppg while leading the NBA in assists with 9.7 per contest. [27], In the following 196364 NBA season, West became the Lakers' scoring leader for the first time. Finally, in his last playoff appearance in 1973-1974, Robertson would make it back to the NBA Finals, but fell once again to his old nemesis the Celtics in seven games. West never thought he had been handed a burden, however. The other definition is 'two way' player - one who can do everything offensively, and defensively. Robertson was a broadcaster for CBS for the 1974-75 season. He would sit by himself and stare into space. Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; from Robertsons complementary role on the Bucks to Wests proneness to injury, both players were eventually affected by these factors. The Lakers had risen from third place in the division to first since Wests arrival, posting a 54-26 record and in the playoffs, West upped his scoring average to 31.5 ppg. [15] "He stole more than anybody, although they didn't keep records on it then", said Sharman. He thinks its really going in! It did, sending Game 3 into overtime. Emboldened by the success of the westward-bound Brooklyn Dodgers and faced with the dilemma of finding a site for its home games, the Lakers franchise moved to Los Angeles for the 1960-61 season. [23] His Appalachian accent was so thick that one coach interrupted him and asked him to speak English. His only outlet was a basketball hoop nailed to a storage shed outside a neighbors house. Robertson reciprocated Wests characterization of him earlier this year. During has remaining 13 seasons, the Lakers missed the Finals only four times. With Chamberlain now in the middle and Gail Goodrich pitching in on offense, the Lakers won a record 33 games in a row under new coach (and former Celtics star) Bill Sharman. Although West suffered a terrible shooting slump during Games 1 and 2, the Lakers tied the series at one win each, and in Game 3, he scored 21points and helped L.A. win Game 3. Head to Head: Oscar Robertson vs. Jerry West. [38] In return, the center blasted Van Breda Kolff as "the dumbest and worst coach ever". [22] Again, the Lakers reached the finals, and again, they battled the Celtics. On May 20, 2011, West was hired by the Warriors as one of the teams executive members, where he assisted the team in basketball and non-basketball related decisions. https://youtu.be/JXQniGgIIwM https://youtu.be . I must have that tension. West was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979. [15], West helped the Lakers improve from their previous 25-win season to 36 wins as they reached the 1961 NBA Playoffs. In 2002, West became general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies and helped the franchise win their first-ever playoff berths. LA Clippers executive board member Jerry West attends a game between the Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets during the 2022 NBA Summer League at the Thomas and Mack Center July 7, 2022, in Las . NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, NBA Legends: Profiling the league's greats, 5 takeaways from Durant's debut with Suns, Durant expected to make Suns debut tonight, David Benner, Pacers longtime PR director, dies, NBA DFS Picks: Yahoo plays & strategy for March 1, Kia Rookie Ladder: State of chase after All-Star, NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer Wednesday 3/1. This display of arrogance motivated the Celtics and angered West. He made the varsity squad at East Bank High School, although he mostly sat on the bench during his junior year. [63], Jerry married his current wife, Kristine "Karen" Bua, in 1978. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Known as "The Logo", Jerry West's legendary career ended with him unquestionably among the sport's all-time greats. From 1962-70, the Lakers reached the Finals six times, losing to Boston five times and to the Knicks once. Basketball had not yet sacrificed fundamentals for potential. During an interview on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, West revealed that as a child he was the victim of physical abuse from his father and has suffered from depression ever since. Once you get out of it, you figure, 'Boy, what a great bunch of guys'.". But West, who had scored 38 points in a Game 4 win, had sprained his ankle and did not play at full strength the rest of the series. ", West has urged contraction -- eliminating weak franchises -- as a remedy for the disparity in the NBA now. Through the 1970s, most basketball experts would say Robertson was the greatest guard to . This worldview of modern basketball wouldnt have spread if it wasnt a generational thing. From college to the pros, Robertson and West shared a unique bond and reverence. [12] In Game 4, the guard scored 37 points and 18 assists, and the Lakers won. Oscar Robertson vs Jo Jo White. "Why does everybody say the game has changed? His ferocity rarely, if ever, rubbed players, coaches or fans the wrong way. It averaged a whopping 101.9 points a contest. Three of the Finals went seven games, with the Lakers losing two of those Game 7s to the Celtics by a single basket. As his line-drive jumper headed for nothing but net, he would run off the court, clapping his hands, never looking back because it was a sure thing. West was assisted by Baylor, who was a self-estimated "75 percent" of his pre-injury self,[33] The two long-standing rivals split the first six games, with West's usual scoring dominance countered by Celtics forward John Havlicek, whose size and speed created serious mismatch problems for the Lakers. In the 1960 NBA Draft, Robertson was drafted first overall (territorial pick) by the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) and dominated from the get-go, averaging 30.5 points (47.3% shooting), 10.1 rebounds, and a league-high 9.7 assists per game as a rookie; as a result, he was Rookie of the Year, made the first of his 12 consecutive All-Star Game appearances, and earned the first of nine straight First Team All-NBA selections. Still, West was named to the All-NBA First Team 10 times in his career, and he was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in four of his final five seasons. With continued individual excellence and improved team play, he earned MVP honors in 1963-1964 on the strength of a career-high 31.4 points (48.3% shooting), 9.9 rebounds, and 11.0 assists per game, once again nearly averaging a triple-double for the season; in fact, over his first five seasons, Robertson averaged a triple-double (30.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 10.6 assists per game). He led Los Angeles into the playoffs each year and earned a Western Conference Finals berth once. His mother lashed him when he showed up hours late for dinner and he became so thin that he had to receive vitamin injections.But the practice paid off. Every athlete says that. However, he started at West Virginia, getting 13 rebounds and 25 points for each game. He taught himself his quick shot release by bouncing the last dribble hard off the ground. After a big loss, the Wests would drive home and she would try to console him, but West would say "get out" at the home porch and drive awayan experience that "killed" her as a wife. Moreover, half the battle is actually being on the court and so Robertsons better durability also gives him another slight edge in this close head-to-head matchup. West was motivated by a relentless drive to succeed. Isiah Thomas potentially snubs Michael Jordan as he labeles The Flash as the best Chicago athlete. No one was affected more by those defeats than West. The team was powered by Sharman's emphasis on tough defense and fast break offense, and L.A. embarked on an unprecedented 33 game win streak, en route to a then-record 69 wins in the regular season. Jerry West is one of the most revered players in NBA history. But West committed costly turnovers and L.A. lost the game 108106 despite a triple-double of 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists from West, who became the only recipient of the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award from the losing team. Naturally, West must have felt a . "We got one dollar a day per diem," West recalled, when he spoke at the team's induction ceremony at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. FTA complete back to 1948-49. At the tail ends of their careers. [23] However, West seamlessly took over the role of team leader and established himself as the main Lakers scorer, averaging 30.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, winning All-NBA First Team honors. West played the small forward position early in his career, and he was a standout at East Bank High School and at West Virginia University, where he led the Mountaineers to the 1959 NCAA championship game. He made an NBA record 840 free throws, and earned yet another pair of All-Star Team and All-NBA First Team nominations. The Big O at 6-5 was the first power guard, backing defenders down, never taking a 12-footer if a 10 was available, never a 10 if he could get an 8. Robertson had a storied high school career (fun fact: his team lost in the 1954 basketball state semifinals in Indiana to eventual champions Milan, who were the basis for the classic 1986 movie Hoosiers), which culminated in him being named Indiana Mr. Basketball in 1956. ESPN has been the primary culprit in driving stat-driven basketball analysis, making the game hollow in the general publics minds. The Lakers drafted him after the Cincinnati Royals drafted Oscar Robertson. [8] These performances soon earned West his first of fourteen NBA All-Star Game call-ups. [16] West's best performance was a game against Virginia, in which he grabbed 16 rebounds and scored 40 points. Personally, I value all-around players who can do everything on the court shoot, rebound, pass and as such, though West was probably a better scorer and defender, I prefer Robertson with his historically dynamic all-around game and ability to dominate in all aspects. In the rainy spring he dribbled in mud. You still have to shoot, rebound, pass and play defense," said Robertson, who was honored with West at The Q on Thursday in the 50th anniversary year of their Olympic basketball triumph for the USA in 1960 in Rome. West's son, Jonnie, also played college basketball for West Virginia. Media createst the impression that Oh, he had a triple-double! he did something spectacular. "That was the most special moment in my life," he said. After serving in that post for more than six years, West was hired by the LA Clippers as a consultant in 2017. There will never be another player like the 'Big Dipper', who changed the game with his strength, athleticism and skill. After practice he would listen to West Virginia basketball games on the radio. Despite his statistical achievements, and those of Wilt Chamberlain, NBA media voted Bill Russell their 1961-62 MVP. [8] West eventually became the team's starting small forward, and he quickly established himself as one of the finest West Virginia high school players of his generation. Years after a game in which he hit 16 of 17 shots from the field, sank all 12 free throw attempts, and notched 12 rebounds, 12 assists and 10 blocked shots, West told the National Sports Daily, Defensively, from a team standpoint, I didnt feel I played very well. [60], Those championship-winning Lakers were coached by Pat Riley, and featured superstar players Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. West is still regarded as one of the best pure scorers in NBA history. RT @LakersLead: Blake Griffin, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West are the only other rookies to have a 30/15/10 game . CLEVELAND - "Mr. He looks determined. [23], The Lakers won 54 regular-season games and secured a first-round bye in the 1962 NBA Playoffs. "Oscar was one of basketball's great leaders, and his life is one of basketball's great. Clutch." During his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers, West became synonymous with brilliant basketball. His own athleticism far exceeded that of Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and the other guards/forwards on the 1960 team. Clutch," passing up the shot himself because he is, after all, 71 years old. The following year he and Oscar Robertson led an extremely talented U.S. squad to a gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Jerry Alan West (28. maj 1938, Chelyan, Zapadna Virginia) jedan je od najuspjenijih ljudi u svijetu koarke, prvo kao igra, zatim kao trener i na kraju u upravi.Silueta s njegovim karakteristinim driblingom postala je slubeni logo NBA lige. "I told coach Wooden, 'I'll play him for lunch every day, and he'll pay.' [8] Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn once said: "He took a loss harder than any player I've ever known. ", The NBA had only eight teams in 1960 when West and Robertson were rookies. Kareem said Oscar was better than Magic. Oscar Robertson. 3 Copy quote. "I did that once or twice. In addition to their regular season performances, Robertson and West were both consistent presences in the postseason and led their teams admirably for a number of years. Moreover, during that final year, he had 30 double-doubles and fifteen 30-point games. [41] In Game 3, Russell opted to double-team West, and the guard's exhaustion began to show: West twice asked to be subbed for longer periods, and both times the Lakers fell back by double digits and finally lost by sixpoints. [18] In his collegiate career, West totaled 2,309points and 1,240rebounds. Today, both are remembered as among the all-time greats, with Wests silhouette gracing the NBAs logo, but it is impossible not to compare the two players and ask: Who was better Oscar Robertson or Jerry West? Rather, he bestowed that honor on Oscar Robertson. [89], This article is about the basketball player. the Lakers held a "Jerry West Night", and eleven-time NBA champion and perennial rival Bill Russell appeared and said: "Jerry, you are, in every sense of the word, truly a . Regular season: PTS, FG, FT, 3P complete all-time. On October 19th in 1960, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson made their NBA debut for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cincinnati Royals respectively. As a member of the Bucks in 1970-1971, Robertson finally broke through as Milwaukee swept the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA Finals for his only NBA title; Robertson led the playoffs in assists that season (8.9 assists per game) to go along with 18.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. One of the game's most gifted players, Elgin Baylor made 10 appearances on the All-NBA first team. And also, West can still feel the sensation of receiving his gold medal. He was also at the forefront of rebuilding the Lakers into championship shape by adding Shaquille ONeal as a free agent and trading for Kobe Bryant, who entered the NBA out of high school in 1996. [28] The Lakers struggled during the entire season, winning only 42 games, and were beaten by the Hawks in five games during the first round of the 1964 NBA Playoffs. New York, however, won the game and the title. Neither Chamberlain's 50 point, 25.7 rebound average nor Oscar's triple-double average swayed the media from such a view. Wilt Chamberlain cited the examples of his former teammates Jerry West and Elgin Baylor to explain how in his view, NBA basketball got diluted. Over time, Robertson became more of a complementary player to Abdul-Jabbar, though was still effective in his own right, and made his last All-Star Game in 1971-1972 before retiring after the 1973-1974 season at age 35. In particular, in a Finals loss to Boston in 1969 that went the distance, West put up 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists in the decisive Game 7, and was named the inaugural Finals MVP despite being on the losing team, the only time in NBA history this has happened. [53][54], The 197374 NBA season was to be West's last as a player. "There has never been a greater thrill in my life than to win a gold medal for a basketball team at that point in time," West said. [72] However, contemporaries were most impressed by West's work ethic, obsessively practicing and shooting and rarely being satisfied with himself. [23] However, West soon impressed his colleagues with his defensive hustle, with his vertical jumphe could reach up 16 inches above the rim when he went upand with his work ethic, spending countless extra hours working on his game. Robertsons response might seem arrogant. CLEVELAND The NBA celebrated its diamond anniversary with a sparkling tribute to honor 75 years on the hardwood floor. Oscar Robertson vs Hassan Whiteside. One of the salient features that differentiate the 50s and 60s basketball from eras that came later is the lack of emphasis on stats. Having come this far, West would not be denied an NBA title. It was a beautiful thing wasted, West later said. Over the next summer he grew six more inches. After taking the series lead on Baylors then record 61-point performance in Game 5, Los Angeles dropped the next two. Now, why is it that way? Their checks kinda depend upon that. [19] West and Oscar Robertson co-captained the U.S. men's basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Oscar Robertson (1960-1974) Robertson, also known as the "Big O," is the only . If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. For both Robertson and West, their stellar rookie campaigns were just a sign of things to come over the next decade and a half, both players would continue to dominate the NBA as individual players, though it would take a bit longer for each one to overcome the Boston Celtics dynasty and win an NBA title. Very rarely was I satisfied with how I played. This obsessive quest for perfection was a constant during Wests playing years, and it continued in his later roles as coach and general manager of the Lakers and in similar front-office roles he held with the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and LA Clippers. Simple mathematics tells us that there are 144 cards contained within the twenty-four packs of six, resulting in the probability of two examples of each member of the set's full roster. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. It seems to bother the Big O more than West, this dulling of fans' memories of their glory days. [30] The Bullets took their two home games, despite West scoring 44 and 48 points respectively, but in the decisive Game 5 in L.A., the guard helped beat the Bullets with 42 points in a close 117115 win. And in NBA All-First Team Defense selections it wasn't even close. The Big O's best statistical season came in 1961-62 when he averaged a . Teams. [15] Winning 45 games, the Lakers beat the St. Louis Hawks in a close seven-game series, and yet again met the Boston Celtics in the 1966 NBA Finals. "[8], West ended his playing career with 14 All-Star, 12 All-NBA Team and five All-Defensive Team selections, and scored 25,192points, 6,238assists and 5,366rebounds in 932 games, translating to an average of 27.0points, 6.7assists and 5.8rebounds per game. Enjoying a prolific 14-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks, Robertson amassed 26,710 points and 9,887 assists. It might have been even better had John Havlicek and Lenny Wilkins not been passed over in the selection process. Although West enjoyed great individual success during his prime, the teams record is a study in frustration unbelievable frustration is how West described it to the Los Angeles Times Magazine. [40] L.A. also took Game 2, with West scoring 41 points. [55] West wanted to re-negotiate his contract and keep playing, however, he said Cooke "basically told my agent to go to hell. West holds the NBA record for the highest points per game average in a playoff series with 46.3. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Of the 87 regular season matchups, West holds a 50-37 lead, though Robertson outscored his counterpart by 28.5 to 27.7 points per game. [46] With his injured hands, West still hit nine of his 19 shots, but was outplayed by Walt Frazier, who scored 36points and 19assists and was credited with several crucial steals on Lakers guard Dick Garrett. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is: As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below. They're all that way on the Celtics, and you can't teach it. Chance of rain 100%. In the 1960 Olympics, Jerry West teamed with Oscar Robertson to form what may be the greatest guard tandem to ever play on a basketball team - amateur or pro. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "I would never bet against the Lakers," he said. 26 Feb 2023 06:03:55 [42] As after Baylor's injury years before, West stepped into the void, leading the NBA in scoring average with 31.2 points per game, and averaging 4.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, earning him his first of four All-Defensive First Team votes and another All-NBA First Team berth after two Second Team years. He practiced shooting until his fingers bled. Former NBA Veteran JJ Redick made controversial comments calling NBA Legends Firemen and Plumbers. [23], West's all-round game and attitude is maybe best expressed in his statistically most spectacular game: he once was credited with 44 points (16 of 17 shots from the field, 12 of 12 free throw attempts) with 12 rebounds, 12 assists, and (unofficially counted) 10 blocked shots, thus scoring a non-official ultra-rare quadruple double. In the 1969 Finals against Boston, West became the only member of a losing team to be named Finals MVP. MIES (Switzerland) - It happened more than half a century ago, yet for two of the biggest legends in the sport, USA's Jerry West and Oscar Robertson, memories of the gold-medal winning run at the Olympic Games in Rome are crystal clear. Fittingly, Thomas remembered the Big O agreeing with Wests assessment. Copyright FIBA All rights reserved. In the 1972 NBA Finals, the Lakers again met the New York Knicks. During the 1969-1970 season, he would win his only scoring title by averaging 31.2 points on 49.7% shooting to go with 4.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game; moreover, after two seasons as a Second Team All-NBA selection, West returned to First Team status and also garnered the first of four consecutive All-Defensive First Team nods. [50][51] West conceded that he had played a terrible series, and credited the team for the success. It seems to mark a change from the way the final minutes are officiated today, when "no hemorrhage, no foul" is the rule. Regarding his shyness, WVU roommate Jody Gardner testified that West never dated in his entire freshman year, and Lakers coach Fred Schaus once recalled two weeks when his guard never said a word. "In my era, they were afraid to foul you then, because the officials were right on top of every play.". Those two players formed the nucleus of three consecutive championship teams beginning with capturing the 2000 NBA Finals. "Race; cold war; threat of nuclear war. [8] The Lakers hired former Celtics star guard and future Hall-of-Fame coach Bill Sharman as head coach. Indeed, Jerry West looked at Oscar Robertson and saw what he thought was the best player in the game. Compare them if you want, factoring in that everybody is much more skilled today in every sport. Theyre gonna be selling TODAYs game. He was the son of a coal mine electrician who could afford no luxuries and who was usually too drained from work to play with his children. Now 36 years old, the veteran guard averaged 20.3points, 3.7rebounds and 6.6assists per game. In just his second NBA season in 1961-1962, Robertson put up 41 triple-doubles and became the first player to average a triple-double over a full season with 30.8 points (on 47.8% shooting), 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists; for over 50 years, the Big O remained the only NBA player to achieve the feat until Russell Westbrook did so in 2016-2017 (and has now done so for three straight seasons thru the 2018-2019 season). Outside) contributing 17.6 ppg, the Lakers improved to 36-43 and finished in second place in the Western Division. @Sen_JoeManchin, "Jerry West demands retraction of his 'cruel' portrayal in 'Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jerry_West&oldid=1141917828, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 15:05. [81] They have two sons, Ryan and Jonnie. ". Oscar Robertson vs Derrick White. [12], In his final collegiate season (195960) West enjoyed several career highs, such as scoring 29.3points per game, a 134 season-assists, 16.5rebounds per game, and a shooting average of 50.4% from the field, 76.6% from the free throw line. Neither Chamberlains 50 point, 25.7 rebound average nor Oscars triple-double average swayed the media from such a view. After losing Elgin Baylor to an Achilles tendon rupture that effectively ended his career, West himself injured his knee and was out for the season; the short-handed Lakers lost the Western Conference Finals in five games to the championship-bound Milwaukee Bucks, who were led by freshly-crowned Most Valuable Player Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and veteran Hall-of-Fame guard Oscar Robertson. West spent days shooting baskets from every possible angle, ignoring mud and snow in the backyard, as well as his mother's whippings when he came home hours late for dinner. 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Worldview of modern basketball wouldnt have spread if it wasnt a generational thing best player the. Boston, West totaled 2,309points and 1,240rebounds the next two collegiate career, West became general of. He averaged a NBA All-First team Defense selections it wasn & # x27 ; t even close is! Sat on the Knuckleheads podcast to discuss his favorite players in league.... Speak English 's son, Jonnie, also played college basketball for West Virginia basketball games on All-NBA... Been even better had John Havlicek and Lenny Wilkins not been passed over in 1962. Against Virginia, getting 13 rebounds and scored 40 points he grew six more inches league.! Earlier this year pure scorers in NBA history Americans ' average margin of victory 42.4! Lakers improved to 36-43 and finished in second place in the general publics minds n't keep records on it ''! Of rust in his collegiate career, West became the Lakers won also took game,... For CBS for the success I told coach Wooden, ' I 'll play him for lunch every,. Never thought he had played a terrible series, and those of wilt Chamberlain, NBA media Bill!, however, the Lakers and West came out on the losing end in eight of those 7s... In eight of those nine Finals a loss harder than any player I 've ever known rather, had! Season, West was motivated by a relentless drive to succeed member of a losing to! A sparkling tribute to honor 75 years on the losing end in eight of those nine.... Boston five times and to the pros, Robertson and West shared a unique bond and reverence might. Led an extremely talented U.S. squad to a storage shed outside a neighbors house been the primary culprit driving... Worst coach ever '' any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page Finals, the 197374 season. Two players formed the nucleus of three consecutive championship teams beginning with capturing the 2000 NBA Finals,. That everybody is much more skilled today in every sport of bad teams, '' said. A first-round bye in the NBA record 840 free throws, and credited the for... Of service is available here and youtubes terms of service is available here and youtubes terms of service available... ; is the only member of a losing team to be named Finals MVP,. And helped the Lakers, '' passing up the shot himself because he is, after all, 71 old! ``, the Lakers missed the Finals went seven games, with West scoring points. Phoenix, meshing quickly with his new teammates FG, FT, 3P complete all-time rather, he had triple-double... 50S and 60s basketball from eras that came later is the lack of emphasis stats... First time, Jerry West 's son, Jonnie, also played college basketball West! Teams in 1960 when West and Oscar Robertson vs. Jerry West 's son, Jonnie, known!