Fans' memories have dimmed of Oscar Robertson and Jerry West. "That was a unique period of time in this world," he said. Kevin Durant shows no signs of rust in his 1st game with Phoenix, meshing quickly with his new teammates. [40] L.A. also took Game 2, with West scoring 41 points. But his all-around excellence was unprecedented for a guard. [50][51] West conceded that he had played a terrible series, and credited the team for the success. Now, why is it that way? Both entered the league via the 1960 NBA Draft - Robertson was the No. But he would drive, almost always to his right, and give the ball an extra-hard bounce on his last dribble, so he could catch it on the rise as he leaped into his shot. He is a. man for the ages." Jerry West. High 49F. Tackling the Biggest Head-to-Head Sports Debates. Oscar Robertson vs Jo Jo White. West said to Robertson. From an individual scoring perspective, Wests peak came in the mid-1960s, as he averaged back-to-back seasons of 30+ points per game in 1964-1965 and 1965-1966: Though his scoring average would decline in three consecutive seasons thereafter, West did shoot a career-best 51.4% in 1967-1968 to the tune of 26.3 points per game, and remained an all-around scoring threat, rebounder, and playmaker for the Lakers. From the perspective of advanced metrics, Robertson also holds the edge in both Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and Wins-Shares. 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. They accomplished their mission of beating the USSR, too, winning 81-57. @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. The other definition is 'two way' player - one who can do everything offensively, and defensively. Enjoying a prolific 14-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks, Robertson amassed 26,710 points and 9,887 assists. West was born into a poor household in Chelyan, West Virginia. And in NBA All-First Team Defense selections it wasn't even close. West ganhou notoriedade por ter servido de inspirao para o desenho do logotipo da NBA, o qual baseado na imagem de uma jogada de Jerry West. [38] In return, the center blasted Van Breda Kolff as "the dumbest and worst coach ever". [37] Coach Van Breda Kolff was concerned about the drain at the guard positions after losing Clark, and especially after losing Goodrich in the expansion draft to the Phoenix Suns. Wests statistical record only begins to tell his story. Fourteen seasons, 25,192 points, 6,238 assists and 5,366 rebounds later, he had become one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Happy Birthday Jerry! His ferocity rarely, if ever, rubbed players, coaches or fans the wrong way. [8] He led the Lakers in scoring in seven seasons,[20] and only Jordan had a higher career scoring average in the playoffs (33.5 versus 29.1). It seems to bother the Big O more than West, this dulling of fans' memories of their glory days. 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). Height: 6-2 (188cm) Weight: 185 (84kg) Theres a reason the leagues logo is the Los Angeles Lakers legends silhouette. [18] In his collegiate career, West totaled 2,309points and 1,240rebounds. On October 19th in 1960, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson made their NBA debut for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cincinnati Royals respectively. [74] As a coach, West led the Lakers into three consecutive playoff campaigns, and then went on to win seven NBA championships as a general manager, building the 1980s Lakers dynasty under coach Pat Riley and players Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy and the 2000s under coach Phil Jackson and players Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. He took a loss harder than any player Ive ever known, said longtime Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn in the National Sports Daily. Unexpectedly, most of the coaches changed direction as suddenly as a team that just had the ball stolen at midcourt. Oscar Palmer Robertson (pron. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. [85], Early in his career, West's West Virginian roots made him a target for some mild jeering. However, it became clearer later that NBA media got lazy, complacent and became more of a sales force for the league itself. [15], West helped the Lakers improve from their previous 25-win season to 36 wins as they reached the 1961 NBA Playoffs. NEW: Sample Searches for learning more about the power and flexibility of Stathead. No one was affected more by those defeats than West. Rain. When the chips were down, West, with his lightning-quick release, was the guy the Lakers turned to for the big basket. Beginning his career as a sportswriter, Benner then served with the Pacers for 28 years, retiring last season. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. He was the third player in league history to reach 25,000 points (after Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). Oscar Robertson weighs in as Russell Westbrook attempts to join the Big O's one-man club. [8], West made himself available for the 1960 NBA draft, and he was drafted with the second overall pick by the Minneapolis Lakers, shortly before the team relocated to Los Angeles. When you think about iconic NBA players of the 1960s and 1970s, a few players come to mind the great Russell vs. Chamberlain rivalry (and the great Celtics teams and players in general), Oscar Robertson and his triple-double season, Jerry West gracing the NBA logo with his silhouette, just to name a few. The team had posted a 25-50 record in its last season in Minneapolis. 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. 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. His only outlet was a basketball hoop nailed to a storage shed outside a neighbors house. . [59], After his coaching stint, West worked as a scout for three years before becoming general manager of the Lakers before the 198283 seasons. TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unclesmokeking?_t=8XgGb5ev7yo&_r=1--All clips are property of the NBA. [8] Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn once said: "He took a loss harder than any player I've ever known. [15] These performances earned him a multitude of honors, among them an All-American Third Team call-up, First Team All-Southern Conference, Southern Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player Award and First Team honors, Chuck TaylorConverse Second-team All-American honors, and Associated Press and United Press International Third-team All-American honors. Oscar Robertson vs Jamaal Wilkes. [22] Again, the Lakers reached the finals, and again, they battled the Celtics. 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. [22], In the 196566 NBA season, West averaged a career-best 31.3points, along with 7.1rebounds and 6.1assists per game. Despite a level of intensity so high it could melt lead, West was one of the NBAs most admired and well-liked figures. Clippers coach, Doc Rivers, floated the idea of West joining the organization during the 2016 season. But I could've, and I knew I could've. Moreover, the duo had two playoff matchups first, in the 1972 Western Conference Finals, the Lakers beat the Bucks 4-2 behind Wests 21.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game; Robertson was very much a complementary player at that point, only averaging 9.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game during the six-game series. 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. [17], During his junior year (195859), West scored 26.6 points per game and grabbed 12.3 rebounds per game. Head to Head: Oscar Robertson vs. Jerry West. 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 . [77] Finally, the NBA logo itself is modeled after West's silhouette. Key 1961-62 Fleer Basketball Cards: Wilt Chamberlain RC #8; Jerry West RC #43; Oscar Robertson RC #36; Bill Russell #38; Wilt Chamberlain #47 IA Clutch" didn't taunt, at least by the strict interpretation of the term. Answer (1 of 13): Big O * 65, 225 lbs, 69 wingspan, * was ball dominant and precise with his playmaking in his era like CP3 or Stockton, * shielded the ball from smaller guards with his backside like Magic, * had a high post game like Dirk with underrated pump fakes and footwork, * was . It was a beautiful thing wasted, West later said. [8][10] He was so small, frail, and weak that he needed many vitamin injections from his doctor and was kept apart from children's sports, to prevent him from getting seriously injured. Jerry West and Oscar Robertson defined the guard position for over a decade. All videos are . They beat the Pistons four games to two to advance to the 1962 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Those two players formed the nucleus of three consecutive championship teams beginning with capturing the 2000 NBA Finals. Local de nasc. 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. And in the 1970 NBA Finals against New York, West launched the famous bomb that, at least briefly, resuscitated the Lakers. Having come this far, West would not be denied an NBA title. 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