"[8] West incredibly connected, and this basket was later called one of the greatest moments ever by the NBA. First up is Oscar Robertson's 1961 Fleer rookie card which is one of the keys to the iconic set and one of the most valuable basketball cards in general.. David Astramskas 32,332 November 24, 2015 No Comments oscar robertson. TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unclesmokeking?_t=8XgGb5ev7yo&_r=1--All clips are property of the NBA. [76] On February 17, 2011, a statue of West was unveiled outside Staples Center at the Star Plaza in Los Angeles, California. Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). [50] After winning Game 4 due to a superb outing from Wilt Chamberlain, West scored 23 points and dished out 9 assists in Game 5, helping the Lakers to win the game and the NBA championship. No one was affected more by those defeats than West. Former NBA Veteran JJ Redick made controversial comments calling NBA Legends Firemen and Plumbers. And it was a mission that we had to beat the Russian team. 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. The USA had been the only country to win the gold medal since basketball was introduced at the Summer Games in Berlin, in 1936. Neither Chamberlain's 50 point, 25.7 rebound average nor Oscar's triple-double average swayed the media from such a view. [18] In his collegiate career, West totaled 2,309points and 1,240rebounds. @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. 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. . To hear Jerry West and to see Jerry West talk about Oscar Robertson Ill never forget it. Neither Chamberlains 50 point, 25.7 rebound average nor Oscars triple-double average swayed the media from such a view. 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. 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 . [65][66] This role also came with an undisclosed minority ownership stake in the team. "There are a lot of bad teams," he said. Damian Lillard became the 4th player in NBA history with 200 points and 60 assists in a playoff series, joining LeBron James, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson. The same road is shared on the south end of Morgantown with Don Knotts Boulevard, in honor of another WVU alumnus. /VCG. You pass them on, but nobody can understand you. 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. [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. Paolo Banchero leads the way as the Kia Rookie of the Year chase begins to head for the finish line. After being employed by the Lakers for over 40 years, West retired but soon became the president of basketball operations of the Memphis Grizzlies on April 30, 2002. But the experience itself was the most gratifying of all," he recalled. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Instead, there's only admiration between the two all-time greats. Its only fitting he returned the favor. His high-pitched voice earned him the nickname "Tweety Bird", and he spoke with such a thick Appalachian accent that his teammates also referred to him as "Zeke from Cabin Creek" (his nickname acknowledged his country roots, and his accent was so thick that he squeaked his nickname sheepishly "Zeek from Cab'n Creek"). Jerry West is a legendary Lakers guard. LeBron James. Unfortunately for West, individual success could not prevent. Working as a player-scout for three years, West was named general manager of the Lakers before the 198283 NBA season. 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. Oscar Robertson. By Oscar Robertson Aug. 7, 2010 Let me tell you about the original Dream Team, the 1960 United States Olympic gold medalist basketball team coached by Pete Newell, with Jerry West and me as the co . Overall, both Robertson and West played 14 NBA seasons from 1960-1974, with Robertson having a 100+ games played advantage due to better health. Luckily, both legends got their just due. Although both ranked among the top four leading scorers in history when they retired, neither man ever won an MVP. [12] In Game 4, the guard scored 37 points and 18 assists, and the Lakers won. Choosing to stay local, he played college basketball at West Virginia University, where he was a 2x First Team All-American, 2x Southern Conference Player of the Year, and NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1959 as the Mountaineers narrowly lost to Cal in the finals by a 71-70 score. [12], West graduated from East Bank High School in 1956, and more than 60 universities showed interest in him. 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. [85], Early in his career, West's West Virginian roots made him a target for some mild jeering. He died aged 67. [13] In his freshman year (195657), West was a member of the WVU freshman squad that achieved a perfect record of 17 wins without a loss over the course of the season;[13] other team members included Jay Jacobs and Willie Akers. The NBA described West as "obsessive perfectionism, unabashed confidence, and an uncompromising will to win a level of intensity so high it could melt lead". Oscar Robertson vs Coby White. [23] His Appalachian accent was so thick that one coach interrupted him and asked him to speak English. That was our goal.". [8] Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn once said: "He took a loss harder than any player I've ever known. Having come this far, West would not be denied an NBA title. The game, which was the Lakers' first home game of . I think I should make every shot.. Jerry West and the Lakers won Game 3 of the 1962 NBA Finals at the buzzer. He moved up and he was like, I know Im The Logo and everything else, but in my era, there was no better basketball player than Oscar Robertson.'. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The Big O's best statistical season came in 1961-62 when he averaged a . [8] He had a jump shot with a release the NBA lauded as "lightning quick", and was known for making baskets late in the game, earning him the nickname "Mr. But it is less a function of disrespect than of youth. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Oscar Robertson vs Hassan Whiteside. Overall, Robertson visited the postseason 10 times in his career (six times in his decade with Cincinnati, and all four years in Milwaukee), where he lead the NBA in playoff assists 7x, including four straight years from 1962 to 1965; other individual postseason accomplishments included averaging a triple-double for the 1962 playoffs and leading the playoffs in minutes played for three straight years (including an astounding 48.8 minutes per game in 1964-1965). [8] He was the fifth of six children of Cecil Sue West, a housewife, and Howard Stewart West, a coal mine electrician. 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. We got one dollar a day as a per diem. His 28.7 points per game eclipsed the 25.4 by Baylor, who stated that he suffered from knee problems. He was named All-State from 1953 to 1956, then All-American in 1956 when he was West Virginia Player of the Year, becoming the state's first high-school player to score more than 900 points in a season, with an average of 32.2 points per game. And also, West can still feel the sensation of receiving his gold medal. Could you live on that?" Before he was "The Logo" -- the model for the silhouette on every NBA player's jersey -- he was "Mr. During that time, West was the better scorer (27.0 to 25.7), but Robertson grabbed more rebounds (7.5 to 5.8) and averaged more assists (9.5 to 6.7) and also had slightly better shooting percentages. [41] After the loss West was seen as the ultimate tragic hero: after the game, Bill Russell held his hand, and John Havlicek said: "I love you, Jerry". [43][45], In the 197071 NBA season, the Lakers reacquired Gail Goodrich, who came back from the Phoenix Suns after playing for L.A. until 1968. [8] These performances soon earned West his first of fourteen NBA All-Star Game call-ups. He would sit by himself and stare into space. Oscar Robertson vs Lenny Wilkens. They were 39-3 at midseason and finished at 69-13, the best single-season record in NBA history until the 1995-96 Bulls (72-10) bested it.. Additionally, Robertson also remains #1 all-time in career triple-doubles with 181; the only other players in NBA history with more than 100 career triple-doubles are Russell Westbrook (138, as of the end of the 2018-2019 season), Magic Johnson (138), and Jason Kidd (107). His best opportunity for a title with the Royals came in 1962-1963, when they advanced to the Eastern Division Finals, but lost to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in seven games despite the Big Os 31.8 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game in the postseason. [29], In the following 196465 NBA season, West averaged 31.0 points (at the time, a career-high), only surpassed by perennial scoring champion Wilt Chamberlain. They edged the Detroit Pistons in the division semifinals but then lost to the St. Louis Hawks in the division finals. Disrespect than of youth West was named general manager of the greatest moments ever by NBA! 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