Wilt almost certainly DID average a triple double over multiple seasons, if you count blocked shots, which weren't an official stat during his time. During Oscar Robertson's famous season of averaging a triple-double--the 61-62 season---Wilt averaged 50 ppg and 25 rebs per game, and there are three games in the season where his blocks were (unofficially) tallied in the "notes": Wilt had 9 blocks in one game that year, 20 blocks in another, and 12 blocks in another, for an average of 13.7 blocks/game over those three. For his entire career, there are only 112 games for which blocks are recorded in the notes. In those, he averaged 8.8 blocks/game. Surely, in his best seasons, he would've been over 10 blocks/game, making for multiple years of averaging a triple-double. Wilt had a lot of quadruple doubles in those games for which blocks were recorded. For those saying the competition wasn't good enough in Wilt's time for making comparisons to today's players: just to take an example, in 1970, toward the end of Wilt's career---when he'd agreed to stop shooting as much---he posted a stat line of 28 points, 23 rebounds, and 10 blocks, and 6 of the blocks were of shots by Abdul-Jabbar. For those who say that the NBA was only comprised of 8 teams during some of Wilt's time, and thus it was an inferior league, ask yourself this: was the 8-team ACC during Michael Jordan's time an "inferior" conference, compared to today's "Power-5" conferences? Here's a very PARTIAL list of who was in the 8--team ACC during the '80's Michael Jordan (Naismith National Player of the Year); James Worthy; Sam Perkins; 7'4'' Ralph Sampson (3-time Naismith National Player of the Year); Johnny Dawkins (Naismith Player of the Year); Danny Ferry (Naismith National Player of the Year, scored 58 points in one game vs Miami); Len Bias (Larry Bird says that, had Bias lived, Bird would've mentored him for a year, and then retired--he was that good); Mark Price (4-time NBA All-Star); and a special entry from the 70's, David Thompson (Naismith Player of the Year, 44'' vertical, scored 73 points in one game in the NBA). It goes on, but the point is, an 8-team league, such as the old ACC---or the old NBA, like what Wilt played against---can be STACKED with talent...Wilt did what he did playing man-to-man against Russell and Kareem, and against teams that included Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, John Havlicek, the incredible Elgin Baylor, Connie Hawkins, and A LOT of other great players. Wilt is the unquestionable GOAT. But the reason he has been forgotten may be that he was also by far the most despised player of his time---comparable in today's terms only to, say, the feeding-frenzy around a great Duke player with European ancestors. It seems Wilt---who was actually a gentle giant, who didn't like to commit fouls and never fouled out in his career---was somewhat blacklisted. Quite possibly, for his political beliefs. Certainly this was Abdul-Jabbar's attitude toward Wilt, who called him "Wilt Chumperlane" and a "quitter, a crybaby, and a loser." Why? Perhaps because Wilt was an outspoken, unapologetic Republican who had no racial bitterness--- he called such bitterness "malarkey": "I believe strongly that being conservative is the way to go" he said to Roy Firestone, "I believe in love." Which he certainly did, times 20,000.
Just to go in the same direction. In the 1962-1963 season, he averaged 44.8 points and 24.3 rbds (and no one knows how many blocks in this era he was making... way above 10 is certain... but how much... only God knows). The argument of the other era that was way too easy for Wilt has been used ever since. So in this poor era that was too easy for Wilt how bad were those interiors? Let's have a look: -Bill Russell of the Celtics? obvious counter example, so the eother must have been really bad. -Bevo Nordmann 6-10 / 225 of the Knicks (still averaging 11pts /9 rbd a game) , and his colleague Johnny Green a nice athletic PF 6-5/200 averaging (20.4 pts /13.6 rbd ) and a 4 time all star. -Red Kerr 6-9/230 of the Syracuse Nationals (15.7 pts / 13 rbd ). 1955 champ, and 3 time all stall -Walt Bellamy 6-11/225 of the Chicago Zephyrs , 27.9 pts / 16.4 rbds , Hall of Fame, 4 time all star and quite a guy in the paintt. -Ray Scott 6-9 / 215 of the Detroit Pistons, 16.2 pts /10.2 rbds , -Elgin Baylor and Rudy Larusso of the lakers one is one of the 50 geatest , the other one a five time all star. 34.0 pts /14 .3 rbds for the first, 12.3 /10.0 rbds for the second that year. Those guys were his daily lunch in the paint, against those guys was he averaging a 45 points and 24 rbds season. How bad did Russell, Bellamy, Larusso, Red Kerr... sucked at this game?
@@Aleximusprime2 so your saying he would not have if stats of today's standards had of been kept in his time? It's no doubt he would have that many blocks in the record books it should be embarrassing to today's players
@@Lebron612 Jordan isn't better than wilt he isn't better than Kareem he isn't better than Russell isn't better than Oscar Robinson or Jerry west or nate Thurmond or Larry bird or magic Johnson the list is long of players better than Jordan
he is 1A. the greatest athlete of all time was jim Thorpe. wilt was close in a lot of things and just actaully the strongest eperid, however jim was teh best athlete at the most sports by far
@@robertoamarillas IKR? Just imagine an entire team of Wilt clones. How the fuck would you beat that? It would be so damn hard to even get your shots off. A team of Jabbar clones would be the only team which would actually be able to be competitive and win some of the time... maybe... Wilt was able to do pretty well against Jabbar when Wilt was PAST his prime. A prime Wilt vs. a prime Jabbar might not be quite so close anymore. Wilt would definitely have the advantage in rebounding and speed, and Wilt was actually a very good shooter, even at long range. God knows why he was so crappy at free throws, but even with that flaw, he was still the best.
His level of opposition outside of the Celtics will always haunt him, and that's sad, because there was nothing he could do about that but go out and play. He was truly a legend.
Michael Jordan is one of the flashiest players of all time, has one of the largest egos, and played in an era where media attention was peaking. Chamberlain was unstoppable in his prime, was booed quite frequently because of just how good he was. Early in his career he made only $30,000/season. The league was nowhere as popular and had nowhere near the media attention in Chamberlain's prime. People viewed it as unfair just how good he was. He holds more records than any other player. Rules were changed to work against him. He scored more points in one game than many teams score in a game. He is the GOAT. But it's a hard road to be a big man. And to be so darn good. It's so hard to believe someone could be that good, so many people don't.
"Rules were changed to work against him." This happened time and time again. Against the Celtics, it always gets pointed out that he was going head-to-head with Bill Russell, and yet, in one interview, Wilt gave a comment that the pictures show him being guarded by Celtics. "Where's Bill Russell?" he asked. The attitude toward a balanced league is also important to consider. The NBA considered the game stacked in Wilt's favor, hence there was a bias against him in the officiating. Hence, he was forced to play safe. He knew that if he played at full strength, he could injure somebody. He once injured a player when he blocked a shot and the player did not let go of the ball. That player fell down and was taken out of the game on a stretcher. Today's game favors the stars. They are given a lot of leeway. These allowances or freedoms in officiating were not given to Wilt because of his inherent advantage.
Wilt does not get enough recognition because if you dig deep enough you will have to admit that he was the best. And it is not in anybody's best interest. I never watched him play but we always MUST compare players against their contemporaries and in the first half of his career the difference between his personal stats and the next best ones tell you all you need to know. And by the numbers why would Russel be the best defensive player of all time? Wilt was. And he was the best offensive player of all time as well. Books do not lie.
The conversation should be about who is the second greatest NBA player. They had to change the rules of the game to make him less dominant. Fast as Lebron, stronger than Shaq, hops better than Westbrook, rebounded better than Rodman. He got 55 boards in a game against Russell . People talk about how he could not beat Russell, his team could not beat the Celtics. He had weak competition. There were like 8 or 9 teams, how many of those teams had hall of fame centers? He probably did average a triple double for his career, only it would be points, rebounds and blocks per game. Too bad they did not keep track of blocks and steals back then.
Regarding what Harden was doing compared to Wilt. I remember something similar happened when Kevin Love had his double double streak. Everyone was freaking out over what Kevin Love was doing and Wilt didn't even get a whisper even though he had the record which was over 200 consecutive games. That was 4 times better than Love. No respect at all.
It's like there was some un-written rule that it would be too boring to give it to Wilt for every year, so they'd only give it to him some of the time.
@@toystv1271 since when can 1 man win a championship by himself? And considering all the great teams of the 60’s never beat the Celtics except for Wilt that tells you everything, the only reason bill Russell didn’t win 11 in a row was because Wilt finally had a team and destroyed the Celtics 4-1. The very next year his team was injured badly and still took the Celtics to 7 games
I really enjoyed this show on the radio and and as a result I've been watching old videos and highlight reels of Wilt this week. No question he is the greatest of all-time and now I'm convinced he's the best ATHLETE of all-time. Wilt was physically capable of things no professional athlete in history could with regards to strength, stamina and speed for someone his height. He would have run laps around today's big men. At the end of his career he would physically dominate a much younger 7'2" Kareem and could even block his sky hook mid-air. Think about the physics of that. They didn't officially track blocked shots until the year after Wilt retired but it's claimed he had 17 in his first NBA game and a record of 26 in another game. According to Larry Brown, Wilt dominated Magic in a pickup game in the 80's blocking every one of his layup attempts after Wilt got mad and Wilt was well into his 40's. There's videos of him literally catching shots mid-air 12 ft up. Bill Russell gets considered the best defensive player (great leaping and running ability) but Wilt had more rebounds and blocks and physically dominated Russell. He had a record 55 rebounds in a game against Bill Russell.
It's nonsense that Chamberlain didn't play against big, tough centers: Zelmo Beatty, Walt Bellamy, Tom Boerwinkle, Dave Cowens, Wayne Embry, Kareem Jabbar, Bob Lanier, Willis Reed, Bill Russel, Elmore Smith, Maurice Stokes, Nate Thurmond, Wes Unseld, plus an array of slighter but very skilled centers -- Alvan Adams, Bob McAdoo, Jerry Lucas, Bob Pettit, Bob Rule, Walt Wesley, and also, in ABA-NBA exhibition games, Mel Daniels and Artis Gilmore. (I'm sure I'm forgetting several.) And it was the era in which they could use their strength to play defense. Hard to imagine, by the way, Shaquille O'Neal's one move (turn into defender, shove, elbow him in the face) doing much beyond irritating Chamberlain.
I used to watch artis gilmore early nba at cobo hall years, he was limited offensive shot very closed to the basket but artis gilmore developed a very effective lefty hook shot of this own, if wilt was alot younger * played later 1970s wilt would of expand his offensive game too ,, wilt would block Shaquille o'neal hook and jump shot, wilt was legendary shot blocker,, early 1960s wilt put Shaquille o'neal in the basket 🧺
When Michael Jordan played in the 80's he was recognized as the best player but didn't play on the best teams and didn't win titles until after Bird hurt his back and Kareem retired. How is that any different to what Wilt went through against Bill Russell and the immortal Celtic dynasty? Jordan didn't have a rival in the 90's or the competition that he had in the 80's. Wilt had Russell. Bird had Magic. Jordan played on a Bulls team that was ahead of everyone in the 90s, not just the players but coaching staff too. Wilt never played on a team that was best in the NBA.
Foobas Jordan wasn’t recognized as the consensus best player in the league until the early ‘90s. In the ‘80s, Larry and Magic were recognized as the best, among others. By ‘98, Jordan was the consensus best player ever.
@@syncmonism If Wilt, Elgin and Jerry West all played together in their primes then I would call them a super team. It's like Hakeem, Drexler and Barkley at the Rockets.
Wilt is the GOAT and it's not even close. I was fortunate to have seen "Dip" and he was amazing, so dominant. We have to remember that he was putting up crazy numbers against big, athletic, African American centers who were measured barefoot (all players were measured barefoot before '73 and in shoes after) like Bill Russell, Nate Thurmond, Walt Bellamy, etc... No player in NBA history has averaged 30 ppg and 20+ rebounds per game in a single season, except Wilt. Wilt averaged 30 and 20 for his CAREER.
Wilt told a story on himself about his free throw shooting problem. He said he went to a psychologist for help. At the end of the sessions the psychologist could shoot free throws better than he could.
Refs changed the rules to make it harder for Wilt to score - they changed the rules to make it easier for shaq and jordan to score - you couldn't carry the ball in the 60's - you couldn't hold the ball over your head and club other players with your elbows and have fouls called on the other guy...
Preach..shaq wouldn't be shaq. He would've fouled out every game with the 60s rules implemented. People don't take into account the rules during a player's time period. The 60s made it tough..i wish they enforced the rules today like they did then. Alot of these supposed superstars wouldn't last
Your sooo right ! I think Wilt's #'s were just so cartoonish , hard to get it into our heads. I been trying to keep up his legacy by reminding people of just how astonishing his career really was!
When people wanna argue Lebron & Jordan are the best ever and act like it's not close...I always bring up WILT. And it should be noted, WILT intentionally stopped scoring on purpose after 7yrs. THUMBS UP!!!!
Thats so true. .they even dont have 67 sixers which is considered one of the greatest nba teams and has Wilt in his prime. They only have him in 71 Lakers which is after his knee injury and past his prime
Another missing part of the equation is that blocks were not counted by the NBA during his playing days. However, they WERE officially counted by the Philadelphia 76'ers. He averaged a mind-boggling 8.8 BPG during the 112-odd games he played for that organization. He also had 26 blocks in a "test" game the year before the rule was implemented [no doubt he was showing off]. If he were actually listed as the leading shotblocker of all time [in addition to leading rebounder], it might shake some of the concrete loose from some heads.
In today’s game and today’s world with SM and the internet …Wilt would be not only the best ever but also filthy rich ! For me he is the greatest ever just because his nrs are insane ! Jordan is not even close !
Wilt had 21 assists in a game and 19 assists in playoff game and led the league in assists one year and finished 3rd another year. He made 35 shots from the field in a row.
If anybody's interested, I've just written a book that makes the case that Wilt deserves a lot more credit than he gets and is truly the Babe Ruth of basketball. It's called "Wilt the Winner" and is available on Amazon as a paperback and kindle book. Includes full game logs and stats. Did you know...That in an average year, Wilt had more success in the playoffs than Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Byrant, or Lebron James? That the average NBA center was slightly taller and the average player only 1/2 inch or less shorter in Wilt’s heyday (1961-62) than in the 2017-18 season? That Chamberlain was the only center ever to lead the league in total assists for an entire season? That Wilt dramatically and voluntarily reduced his scoring after completing the first half of his 14 year career - and yet still wound up with the same career average as Michael Jordan (30.1 ppg)? That Wilt was the first NBA player to hit 50%, 60%, and then 70% of his shots for a full season?
That's a sensible top 4 list. I definitely think that you have to have Jabbar and Jordan in the top 4. Russell's abilities were similar to Jordan's. He had that same insane explosive speed and jumping ability, but Jordan was a much better shooter. On the other hand, Russell had more height and reach, and was better at blocking and rebounding.
I knew Wilt when he lived in Hawaii. We were best friends. We told me the story of his 100 point game. The game was in Hershey Pa.and wasn’t aired. Prior to the game the players were playing pin ball with team members and gambling in a small way. Wilt was hot !!! We was burying everyone at pin ball. He told all his teammates that this was going to be a big night and to feed him and they did and that’s how he scored 100 In one game. Nobody knows this story. Lee Sands
Wilt was an incredible athlete in the same sense as Bo Jackson is. It was almost Paul Bunyan like, the rumors and the stories, like folk-lore. When he was in the movie Conan with Arnold Schwarzenegger (who was in his prime), he was the only person on the planet who could make Arnold look small, like if the two got into a real-life scrap, and you were there with people from Vegas, I think Vegas would put the line at 2 points favoring Wilt because he's nearly a foot taller than Arnold. The matchups between Wilt and Kareem were legendary, too. By that time, Wilt was past his prime, but still those two got into each other's heads. Kareem will tell you, Wilt, no question is the GOAT... Not Bird, not Magic, not Jordan, and not LBJ. Who takes Shaq over Wilt? No chance. Over the course of a game, Wilt wins that match up. If he averaged 30 on Russell, and 28 rebounds... Dude... If I am playing backyard pick up basketball, and I have everyone who ever played to choose from, and I have first pick... I'm taking Wilt.
Wilt Chamberlain was not only the most dominant player in NBA history, but his level of competition at his position was FAR greater than Jordan's competition at the guard position. It's clear that neither Dan nor Chris has any idea that the greatest concentration of HOF centers in NBA history took place in 1965. Yup, 1965. Wilt had to face HOF centers Zelmo Beaty, Walt Bellamy, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed, and Bill Russell 8 times each during the 65-66 season. In that season, Chamberlain led the league in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage. He was named the league MVP and during the playoffs, he became the only player to average 30 points and 30 rebounds (e.g., 30.1 points, 31.4 rebounds) in a playoff series. That series was against Bill Russell and the heavily favored Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Chamberlain's dominant play was the main reason why the series went 7 games and he scored the last 6 points in Game 7 to bring the 76ers within 1 point of the Celtics. Unfortunately, Havlicek stole the ball and the rest is history.
Using the KISS philosophy, Wilt Chamberlain has the highest regular season AND post-season TPA (e.g., Total Production Average) in NBA history. The TPA is a combination of points, rebounds, and assists. The Big Dipper is the only player to have a regular and post-season TPA of 50 or more. Wilt's regular season TPA is 57.4 and his post-season TPA is 51.2. In terms of team accomplishments, one could argue that Wilt's 2 title teams are 2 of the top 5 teams in NBA history. His 1966-67 Sixers squad was 46-4 in their first 50 games, set a then record regular season mark of 68-13, and was 11-4 in the playoffs. His 1971-72 Lakers squad set a professional sports record with 33 consecutive wins, set a then record regular season mark of 69-13, and was 12-3 in the playoffs. Wilt Chamberlain is the GOAT.
wilt had 118 50 point games, next closest is jordan with 31...and wilt was considered the best defender in the league aswell next to bill russell....wilt is the GOAT
Most records- Wilt. Most titles- Russell. Russell rated Wilt as the best player and himself as the best winner. Wilt is the GOAT. The argument should be about who is second best of all time.
When it comes to discussing Wilt Chamberlain, the discussion quickly turns to "team" success. Why? We are talking about "individual" success here. But then when discussing Bill Russell, it's about "team" success. Bill Russell was NOT an offensive threat, he never out-rebounded Wilt, never blocked more shots, and never had more assists. In 1967 Wilt led the league with 8.4 assists per game for the SEASON! As it is said, Wilt averaged 30 pts and 28 rebounds against the Celtics. 99% of ALL NBA players never did that (30 and 28) against any team IN HISTORY, much less against the world champion Celtics.
I really think Wilt at the peak of his career could win with two other guys. They would have play a diamond zone and I really think they would win quite a few games. Now the other two would have to be decent defenders at least.
Huge fan of Wilt and while I’m sure he would have, we cannot say he led the league in blocked shots because they never kept those stats. Regarding centers there were many great, hall of fame centers he played against besides Russell like Thurmond, Bellamy, Reed, Lucas, Unseld, Beatty etc and remember in a non watered down league, with less teams he would be facing those great centers many more times than the twice a year of today with east and west coast team. For me Wilt was the greatest individual NBA player of all time.
If they had kept blocked shots when Wilt played, He wooda had more trip-dbl's than anyone...by far ! Blocked shot records...Wilt wooda had the most per game , most total..on & on.
There is a significant factor in how Wilt Chamberlain (and to a lesser extent, Bill Russell) is viewed that is so telling that it wasn't even mentioned in this 9 minute segment on the show: blocks and steals were officially recorded starting the year *after* Wilt's career ended. Extrapolating the information we do have, I think he probably averaged 8-12 blocks / gm with a career total around 10,000 blocks. Hakeem leads the official list just under 4000. Triple-doubles were mentioned in the segment, but if Wilt's games with 10 blocks are included, he may top the triple-double list. Another factor is the "Stats Since YYYY year" factor, whether official or unofficial, spoken of as "Leader in NBA History". For example, lists of the best blockers will often say that Hakeem has the most blocks in NBA history, when there is close to zero chance that he tops *both* Wilt and Russell. The original stats page says at the top, "Since 1973-74", but that turns into an asterisk when an article is written on it and it gets dropped entirely when there is commentary based on the article. So people believe that Hakeem has the most blocks in NBA history, and Wilt is overlooked. Another example, the double-double list. If someone is working off the StatMuse article, they say below the table, "StatMuse has season-level data for double-doubles going back to the 1984-85 season." [ www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/nba-career-double-double-leaders ], and Duncan tops the list at 841. But looking at a slightly more complete list, Fadeaway World includes Kareem, Elvin Hayes, Moses, and Wilt ahead of Tim [ fadeawayworld.com/more-than-points/ranking-the-top-15-players-with-the-most-double-doubles-in-nba-history ]. They say Wilt had 968 out of 1045 regular seasons games, so he had a double-double in 92% of his games. If we had these three stats since the 1950s: 1. Blocks 2. Steals 3. Offensive rebounds I think the perception of Wilt would change. Conservatively, Wilt's career line might be 30-23-9-4-2, very close to a *career triple double*. Wilt and Bill have two numbers on their caps: 100 and 11. The problem seems to be that those two numbers along are insufficient, yet they also tend to end the analysis on both players.
Wilt was not only the greatest basketball player but also the greatest volleyball player. He toured the country with a three man team, himself and two other players. They played against the best indoor teams in the country all of which consisted of six man teams. That’s right 3 against 6 !!!!!! I dont think they ever lost a game. I watched them play Outrigger Canoe Club an undefeated team in Hawaii who had won something like 60 straight games in 6 man indoor. Wilts three man team won!!!! Lee Sands
Maybe one reason Wilt is disrespected is probably because of his life outside of basketball. He wasn't involved in the civil rights movement like Jim Brown, Ali and others. He also voted for Nixon who was a republican, which didn't sit well with other staunch African American democrats.
I hate all the triple double record talk lately. They only kept official records on blocked shots the year after Wilt left the Lakers. If they had kept these records earlier, Wilt would dominate the record book even more: early in his career he had many, many games with 10 or more blocked shots, thus he would be the triple double leader!
Wilt WAS a winner. Here are some facts that nobody seems to know: Wilt took THREE different franchises to the NBA finals, winning twice. Wilt took 6 teams to the finals. Wilt took 12 teams to the NBA FINAL FOUR. His teams set the league record for best record of all-time on two occasions. Wilt is the ONLY player to have eliminated both Russell and Kareem from the playoffs. Wilt, as a rookie, led the Warriors to their most wins in franchise history. In Wilt's first full year with the 76ers he led them to their most wins in franchise history. Wilt, in his first year with the Lakers led them to their most wins in franchise history. Wilt won as many championships as Reed, Cowens, Walton, Olajuwon and Robinson who are all considered winners. Wilt won more championships than Moses, Thurmond, Gilmore, Lanier, Unseld, Ewing, Mourning, Mutombo, Big Ben, Howard, Cousins, Deandre, Nowitzki, Garnett, Ming, Bellamy, and many others.
Only 1% of Wilt's games are in footage that today's generation doesn't appreciate the 72 official records he made. Most also don't know that Wilt was a track&field (sprints, high jump, shotput) champ and Harlem Globetrotter before NBA. His height, ran faster, jumped higher and strength made him dominate.
I think there’s an assumption that because he was 7-1 and most opposing centers were 6-10 or so. But he was just an amazing athlete overall: track and beach volleyball.
This idea that Chambelain isn't considered one of the greats is itself becoming pretty overrated. If you ask retired players, they will likely put Chamberlain in top 5 of all time, and almost nobody would not put him in a top 10 list. Moreover, a lot of people will list him as the best. Wilt had the highest ever scoring average AND the highest ever rebounding average in his ROOKIE SEASON, and nobody has ever beaten EITHER of those records even in their best seasons, except for Wilt himself. If they had actually been recording blocked shots back then, Russell would be #2 all time, and Wilt would be #1. Wilt was the best defensive center (and player) ever, but he was also the best offensive PLAYER ever at the same time. I mean, Jabbar and Jordan are very close in terms of offense, but nobody has ever been so good at both ends of the court. He was a monster.
Important comment: blocked shots were not counted back in Wilt's day, if they had been, Wilt would probably be much higher than 6th all time in triple doubles, maybe 2nd or 3rd or even 1st due to all the games he blocked more than 10 shots in!
They didn't count blocked shots, that statistic alone would have really give a solid pespective about WILT difference between him and any other player ever. A blocked shot causes a lot of fast break opportunities
If that dude did any research at all he would know that wilt didn't just shoot over tiny guys, there were a lot of really big centers in the 1960's. Here is a list of the players who played in Wilt's NBA who were 6-11 or taller... Ray Felix 6-11 65 Chuck Share 6-11 Walter Dukes 7-0 Swede Halbrook 7-3 Walt Bellamy 6-11 Nate Thurmond 6-11 Reggie Harding 7-0 Mel Counts 7-0 Walt Wesley 6-11 Hank Finkel 7-0 Craig Spitzer 7-0 Craig Raymond 6-11 Otto Moore 6-11 Rich Niemann 7-0 Tom Boerwinkle 7-0 265 Dave Newmark 7-0 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7-2 Greg Fillmore 7-1 240 George Johnson 6-11 245 Bob Lanier 6-11 250 Elmore Smith 7-0 250 Tom Payne 7-2 240 Vic Bartolome 7-0 230 Jim McDaniels 6-11 William Smith 7-0 George Johnson 6-11 (yes another G. Johnson) LaRue Martin 6-11
WILT was in a black and white era that's one of the many reasons he's was not looked at as the top player and as he stated Wilt was a loner and did what he wanted to that era didn't like that! R.I.P. The Big Dipper.
Feels like Babe Ruth gets that love mostly because of just how popular baseball was in the early to late 20th century. Baseball stats used to matter. Basketball stats have never been as well regarded and the popularity of basketball did not really kick off until the 80s. Whenever people bring up greats in basketball I always at least mention Wilt. For anyone who thinks Russel was better just ask the question if you had a pickup game of basketball who would you choose?
2nd best player of all time after MJ. Wilt was the single greatest in many categories, best scorer ever, best rebounder ever, best big man passer ever, best blocker ever, strongest player ever, most endurance, etc. He had a couple of major weaknesses, his free throw shooting and not a great team player. While MJ was maybe not the greatest in any one thing, he was great at everything, no weakness in his game. And these two players are head and shoulders above everyone else, IMO.
Ruth's sport dominated the sports entertainment market during his heyday through the 60s. The popularity of professional basketball was not as widespread during Wilt's time. Nothing to do with talent.
I dont know what Dan Patrick is talking about. Many people consider Wilt the greatest. Almost anyone who doesn't say Jordan or LeBron is numer 1, will say Wilt is. I believe it is Wilt and Jordan is a distant second.
Looking at Wilt's competition at the center position alone: 6'10'' Bill Russell; 7'2'' Kareem Abdul Jabbar; 6'11'' Nate Thurmond (who recorded a quadruple-double in an NBA game, had 42 rebounds in an NBA game, and is listed as one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time); 6'11'' Walt Bellamy (30 points and 37 rebounds in one NBA game, one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time, as a rookie averaged 31 points per game and 19 rebounds per game); 6'9'' Elvin Hayes; 6'9'' Willis Reed; etc.
do some research and you would answer your own foolish statement. lmao.....Chamberlain in the GOAT on an individual statistical basis. He still holds 72 NBA records to this day!
The human mind can not comprehend Wilt Chamberlain. Therefore, he is dismissed.
"Nobody roots for goliath"
Sports fans should respect Sports pioneers, babe rutb, ty cobb, gorde howe, jim brown etc etc
Yep, pretty much this is the best explanation.
Jerry West said it
If Wilt Chamberlain played against todays centers, they will be embarrased
@@robertoamarillas it would certainly be embarrassing.
Wilt had 65 in a row. Didn’t get 30. Then immediately after had 31 in a row.
Similar to Dimaggio's streak. After the 56, he had a 16 game streak. So, 72 out of 73 games.
"He averaged more rebounds per game than Tim Duncan averaged points per game". That's insane!
Wilt Chamberlain the most underrated player ever! Another award for him.
Lol, another one of his records. Good one.
@@alfredodistefanolaulhe2212 wilt has the record for having the most records. by far
@@Johnadams20760 Lol.
Wilt almost certainly DID average a triple double over multiple seasons, if you count blocked shots, which weren't an official stat during his time. During Oscar Robertson's famous season of averaging a triple-double--the 61-62 season---Wilt averaged 50 ppg and 25 rebs per game, and there are three games in the season where his blocks were (unofficially) tallied in the "notes": Wilt had 9 blocks in one game that year, 20 blocks in another, and 12 blocks in another, for an average of 13.7 blocks/game over those three. For his entire career, there are only 112 games for which blocks are recorded in the notes. In those, he averaged 8.8 blocks/game. Surely, in his best seasons, he would've been over 10 blocks/game, making for multiple years of averaging a triple-double. Wilt had a lot of quadruple doubles in those games for which blocks were recorded.
For those saying the competition wasn't good enough in Wilt's time for making comparisons to today's players: just to take an example, in 1970, toward the end of Wilt's career---when he'd agreed to stop shooting as much---he posted a stat line of 28 points, 23 rebounds, and 10 blocks, and 6 of the blocks were of shots by Abdul-Jabbar. For those who say that the NBA was only comprised of 8 teams during some of Wilt's time, and thus it was an inferior league, ask yourself this: was the 8-team ACC during Michael Jordan's time an "inferior" conference, compared to today's "Power-5" conferences? Here's a very PARTIAL list of who was in the 8--team ACC during the '80's Michael Jordan (Naismith National Player of the Year); James Worthy; Sam Perkins; 7'4'' Ralph Sampson (3-time Naismith National Player of the Year); Johnny Dawkins (Naismith Player of the Year); Danny Ferry (Naismith National Player of the Year, scored 58 points in one game vs Miami); Len Bias (Larry Bird says that, had Bias lived, Bird would've mentored him for a year, and then retired--he was that good); Mark Price (4-time NBA All-Star); and a special entry from the 70's, David Thompson (Naismith Player of the Year, 44'' vertical, scored 73 points in one game in the NBA). It goes on, but the point is, an 8-team league, such as the old ACC---or the old NBA, like what Wilt played against---can be STACKED with talent...Wilt did what he did playing man-to-man against Russell and Kareem, and against teams that included Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, John Havlicek, the incredible Elgin Baylor, Connie Hawkins, and A LOT of other great players.
Wilt is the unquestionable GOAT. But the reason he has been forgotten may be that he was also by far the most despised player of his time---comparable in today's terms only to, say, the feeding-frenzy around a great Duke player with European ancestors. It seems Wilt---who was actually a gentle giant, who didn't like to commit fouls and never fouled out in his career---was somewhat blacklisted. Quite possibly, for his political beliefs. Certainly this was Abdul-Jabbar's attitude toward Wilt, who called him "Wilt Chumperlane" and a "quitter, a crybaby, and a loser." Why? Perhaps because Wilt was an outspoken, unapologetic Republican who had no racial bitterness--- he called such bitterness "malarkey": "I believe strongly that being conservative is the way to go" he said to Roy Firestone, "I believe in love." Which he certainly did, times 20,000.
Excellent!!!!!
Just to go in the same direction.
In the 1962-1963 season, he averaged 44.8 points and 24.3 rbds (and no one knows how many blocks in this era he was making... way above 10 is certain... but how much... only God knows).
The argument of the other era that was way too easy for Wilt has been used ever since.
So in this poor era that was too easy for Wilt how bad were those interiors? Let's have a look:
-Bill Russell of the Celtics?
obvious counter example, so the eother must have been really bad.
-Bevo Nordmann 6-10 / 225 of the Knicks (still averaging 11pts /9 rbd a game) ,
and his colleague Johnny Green a nice athletic PF 6-5/200 averaging (20.4 pts /13.6 rbd ) and a 4 time all star.
-Red Kerr 6-9/230 of the Syracuse Nationals (15.7 pts / 13 rbd ). 1955 champ, and 3 time all stall
-Walt Bellamy 6-11/225 of the Chicago Zephyrs , 27.9 pts / 16.4 rbds , Hall of Fame, 4 time all star and quite a guy in the paintt.
-Ray Scott 6-9 / 215 of the Detroit Pistons, 16.2 pts /10.2 rbds ,
-Elgin Baylor and Rudy Larusso of the lakers
one is one of the 50 geatest , the other one a five time all star.
34.0 pts /14 .3 rbds for the first, 12.3 /10.0 rbds for the second that year.
Those guys were his daily lunch in the paint, against those guys was he averaging a 45 points and 24 rbds season.
How bad did Russell, Bellamy, Larusso, Red Kerr... sucked at this game?
Why are you saying he DID average one when you are telling me he COULD of. Wtf?
@@Aleximusprime2 so your saying he would not have if stats of today's standards had of been kept in his time? It's no doubt he would have that many blocks in the record books it should be embarrassing to today's players
damn straight
I’m starting to believe Wilt is the greatest ever
don't start. Wilt is the GOAT!
Trust me, he was, i think there is a concerted effort by the NBA to dismiss him, cause they know there will never be another athlete like him
same...I always had.MJ first and lebron second...but im putting wilt first
Wilt is the goat period nobody close
@@Lebron612 Jordan isn't better than wilt he isn't better than Kareem he isn't better than Russell isn't better than Oscar Robinson or Jerry west or nate Thurmond or Larry bird or magic Johnson the list is long of players better than Jordan
Wilt Chamberlain was the greatest natural athlete of the last 100+ years.
Satchel Paige was pretty great too - played pro even in his 60s, and beat the best of them
he is 1A. the greatest athlete of all time was jim Thorpe. wilt was close in a lot of things and just actaully the strongest eperid, however jim was teh best athlete at the most sports by far
Wilt is the GOAT.
Nobody could have ever beat Wilt on a 1 vs 1 Game, i know it's a team Game, but, to be the Best athlete ever helps a lot
@@robertoamarillas IKR? Just imagine an entire team of Wilt clones. How the fuck would you beat that? It would be so damn hard to even get your shots off. A team of Jabbar clones would be the only team which would actually be able to be competitive and win some of the time... maybe... Wilt was able to do pretty well against Jabbar when Wilt was PAST his prime. A prime Wilt vs. a prime Jabbar might not be quite so close anymore. Wilt would definitely have the advantage in rebounding and speed, and Wilt was actually a very good shooter, even at long range. God knows why he was so crappy at free throws, but even with that flaw, he was still the best.
Finally, a guy that's got it right! I have argued for years that WC is the greatest of all time!
They act like the league didn't exist before Jordan
WTF did argue to?
Wilt is the greatest of all time.
Armondo Ortiz AMEN
Agreed
His level of opposition outside of the Celtics will always haunt him, and that's sad, because there was nothing he could do about that but go out and play. He was truly a legend.
We all know it now!
Michael Jordan is one of the flashiest players of all time, has one of the largest egos, and played in an era where media attention was peaking. Chamberlain was unstoppable in his prime, was booed quite frequently because of just how good he was. Early in his career he made only $30,000/season. The league was nowhere as popular and had nowhere near the media attention in Chamberlain's prime. People viewed it as unfair just how good he was. He holds more records than any other player. Rules were changed to work against him. He scored more points in one game than many teams score in a game. He is the GOAT. But it's a hard road to be a big man. And to be so darn good. It's so hard to believe someone could be that good, so many people don't.
"Rules were changed to work against him." This happened time and time again. Against the Celtics, it always gets pointed out that he was going head-to-head with Bill Russell, and yet, in one interview, Wilt gave a comment that the pictures show him being guarded by Celtics. "Where's Bill Russell?" he asked.
The attitude toward a balanced league is also important to consider. The NBA considered the game stacked in Wilt's favor, hence there was a bias against him in the officiating. Hence, he was forced to play safe. He knew that if he played at full strength, he could injure somebody. He once injured a player when he blocked a shot and the player did not let go of the ball. That player fell down and was taken out of the game on a stretcher.
Today's game favors the stars. They are given a lot of leeway. These allowances or freedoms in officiating were not given to Wilt because of his inherent advantage.
Wilt does not get enough recognition because if you dig deep enough you will have to admit that he was the best. And it is not in anybody's best interest. I never watched him play but we always MUST compare players against their contemporaries and in the first half of his career the difference between his personal stats and the next best ones tell you all you need to know. And by the numbers why would Russel be the best defensive player of all time? Wilt was. And he was the best offensive player of all time as well. Books do not lie.
Wilt is the greatest. The numbers are insane. Other greats from the 1960's that could play today: Willis Reed, and Wes Unseld.
You don't think Bill and Nate and Elgin would dominate today's game as well?
@@johnxina358 Two of those guys were mentioned in the video. I was adding those not already mentioned.
@@eggsngritstn I mean... All the greats can play in any area...
More than just those two, I think.
@@johnxina358 Nate The Great would be amazing today.
There is a story that Wilt played under a fake name in small pro circuits against grownmen while he was in highschool and dominated then too.
George Marcus. Teenager that averaged over 70 points per game against grown men in the playoffs in a semi-pro League.
The NBA record for rebounds is 55 by Wilt Chamberlain was against Bill Russell, Bill wasn't a huge problem for Wilt the Celtics were.
💯💯💯 FACTS.
100%
Never had a game with less than 10 rebounds
Really, wilt was legendary rebounder, shot blocker, and prolific scoring points
I think people find it very hard to believe that anybody could do the things that Wilt did.
Wilt is the best basketball player ever to play the game!
The conversation should be about who is the second greatest NBA player. They had to change the rules of the game to make him less dominant.
Fast as Lebron, stronger than Shaq, hops better than Westbrook, rebounded better than Rodman. He got 55 boards in a game against Russell . People talk about how he could not beat Russell, his team could not beat the Celtics. He had weak competition. There were like 8 or 9 teams, how many of those teams had hall of fame centers? He probably did average a triple double for his career, only it would be points, rebounds and blocks per game. Too bad they did not keep track of blocks and steals back then.
The man isn't the GOAT that title is too small for him - he is the God of Basketball
Regarding what Harden was doing compared to Wilt. I remember something similar happened when Kevin Love had his double double streak. Everyone was freaking out over what Kevin Love was doing and Wilt didn't even get a whisper even though he had the record which was over 200 consecutive games. That was 4 times better than Love. No respect at all.
They don't want the real GOAT showing up
In his famous 50PPG & 25 Rebounds 1962 season.. he did NOT win MVP...what do ya have to do??
yeah Bill Russell won the MVP. That is ridiculous!
It's like there was some un-written rule that it would be too boring to give it to Wilt for every year, so they'd only give it to him some of the time.
The players used to vote for mvp in the 60’s so the players voted for russell that season
If Wilt is really that great as some is saying why in 14 seasons he played in the NBA he only got 2 championship?
@@toystv1271 since when can 1 man win a championship by himself? And considering all the great teams of the 60’s never beat the Celtics except for Wilt that tells you everything, the only reason bill Russell didn’t win 11 in a row was because Wilt finally had a team and destroyed the Celtics 4-1. The very next year his team was injured badly and still took the Celtics to 7 games
IF they would have counted blocks Wilt did average a triple double and would have had 73 quadruple doubles.
And several Quintuple doubles since he had 1 game 53,32,14,24, and 11
I really enjoyed this show on the radio and and as a result I've been watching old videos and highlight reels of Wilt this week. No question he is the greatest of all-time and now I'm convinced he's the best ATHLETE of all-time. Wilt was physically capable of things no professional athlete in history could with regards to strength, stamina and speed for someone his height. He would have run laps around today's big men. At the end of his career he would physically dominate a much younger 7'2" Kareem and could even block his sky hook mid-air. Think about the physics of that. They didn't officially track blocked shots until the year after Wilt retired but it's claimed he had 17 in his first NBA game and a record of 26 in another game. According to Larry Brown, Wilt dominated Magic in a pickup game in the 80's blocking every one of his layup attempts after Wilt got mad and Wilt was well into his 40's. There's videos of him literally catching shots mid-air 12 ft up. Bill Russell gets considered the best defensive player (great leaping and running ability) but Wilt had more rebounds and blocks and physically dominated Russell. He had a record 55 rebounds in a game against Bill Russell.
I think I heard Russell say that Wilt was the greatest that he ever played against.
It's nonsense that Chamberlain didn't play against big, tough centers: Zelmo Beatty, Walt Bellamy, Tom Boerwinkle, Dave Cowens, Wayne Embry, Kareem Jabbar, Bob Lanier, Willis Reed, Bill Russel, Elmore Smith, Maurice Stokes, Nate Thurmond, Wes Unseld, plus an array of slighter but very skilled centers -- Alvan Adams, Bob McAdoo, Jerry Lucas, Bob Pettit, Bob Rule, Walt Wesley, and also, in ABA-NBA exhibition games, Mel Daniels and Artis Gilmore. (I'm sure I'm forgetting several.) And it was the era in which they could use their strength to play defense. Hard to imagine, by the way, Shaquille O'Neal's one move (turn into defender, shove, elbow him in the face) doing much beyond irritating Chamberlain.
Early 1960s Wilt used to chew up willis reed for lunch before knee surgery
I used to watch artis gilmore early nba at cobo hall years, he was limited offensive shot very closed to the basket but artis gilmore developed a very effective lefty hook shot of this own, if wilt was alot younger * played later 1970s wilt would of expand his offensive game too ,, wilt would block Shaquille o'neal hook and jump shot, wilt was legendary shot blocker,, early 1960s wilt put Shaquille o'neal in the basket 🧺
Nate Thurmond man. That guy was a monster, and one of the best ever to play against Wilt (Wilt publicly confirmed this opinion himself).
He was getting offers in his 40s
25 blocks in a game
When Michael Jordan played in the 80's he was recognized as the best player but didn't play on the best teams and didn't win titles until after Bird hurt his back and Kareem retired. How is that any different to what Wilt went through against Bill Russell and the immortal Celtic dynasty?
Jordan didn't have a rival in the 90's or the competition that he had in the 80's. Wilt had Russell. Bird had Magic.
Jordan played on a Bulls team that was ahead of everyone in the 90s, not just the players but coaching staff too. Wilt never played on a team that was best in the NBA.
Foobas Studio except 1967. Greatest team of all time.
@@GodzillaFreak Good point. They would have won 1968 too if it weren't for the injuries.
Foobas Jordan wasn’t recognized as the consensus best player in the league until the early ‘90s. In the ‘80s, Larry and Magic were recognized as the best, among others. By ‘98, Jordan was the consensus best player ever.
That's mostly true, but Wilt did end up on a totally stacked Lakers team in the end of his career.
@@syncmonism If Wilt, Elgin and Jerry West all played together in their primes then I would call them a super team. It's like Hakeem, Drexler and Barkley at the Rockets.
Wilt is the GOAT and it's not even close. I was fortunate to have seen "Dip" and he was amazing, so dominant. We have to remember that he was putting up crazy numbers against big, athletic, African American centers who were measured barefoot (all players were measured barefoot before '73 and in shoes after) like Bill Russell, Nate Thurmond, Walt Bellamy, etc... No player in NBA history has averaged 30 ppg and 20+ rebounds per game in a single season, except Wilt. Wilt averaged 30 and 20 for his CAREER.
Wilt told a story on himself about his free throw shooting problem. He said he went to a psychologist for help. At the end of the sessions the psychologist could shoot free throws better than he could.
Wilt is the greatest big man and top 5 all time !
Wilt is the GOAT and 4 others follow! LOL
Top 5? LOL
Refs changed the rules to make it harder for Wilt to score - they changed the rules to make it easier for shaq and jordan to score - you couldn't carry the ball in the 60's - you couldn't hold the ball over your head and club other players with your elbows and have fouls called on the other guy...
Preach..shaq wouldn't be shaq. He would've fouled out every game with the 60s rules implemented. People don't take into account the rules during a player's time period. The 60s made it tough..i wish they enforced the rules today like they did then. Alot of these supposed superstars wouldn't last
Your sooo right ! I think Wilt's #'s were just so cartoonish , hard to get it into our heads. I been trying to keep up his legacy by reminding people of just how astonishing his career really was!
When people wanna argue Lebron & Jordan are the best ever and act like it's not close...I always bring up WILT. And it should be noted, WILT intentionally stopped scoring on purpose after 7yrs. THUMBS UP!!!!
Man even 2k doesn’t give wilt the proper respect smh
Thats so true. .they even dont have 67 sixers which is considered one of the greatest nba teams and has Wilt in his prime. They only have him in 71 Lakers which is after his knee injury and past his prime
Another missing part of the equation is that blocks were not counted by the NBA during his playing days. However, they WERE officially counted by the Philadelphia 76'ers. He averaged a mind-boggling 8.8 BPG during the 112-odd games he played for that organization. He also had 26 blocks in a "test" game the year before the rule was implemented [no doubt he was showing off]. If he were actually listed as the leading shotblocker of all time [in addition to leading rebounder], it might shake some of the concrete loose from some heads.
In today’s game and today’s world with SM and the internet …Wilt would be not only the best ever but also filthy rich ! For me he is the greatest ever just because his nrs are insane !
Jordan is not even close !
Wilt had 21 assists in a game and 19 assists in playoff game and led the league in assists one year and finished 3rd another year. He made 35 shots from the field in a row.
If anybody's interested, I've just written a book that makes the case that Wilt deserves a lot more credit than he gets and is truly the Babe Ruth of basketball. It's called "Wilt the Winner" and is available on Amazon as a paperback and kindle book. Includes full game logs and stats.
Did you know...That in an average year, Wilt had more success in the playoffs than Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Byrant, or Lebron James?
That the average NBA center was slightly taller and the average player only 1/2 inch or less shorter in Wilt’s heyday (1961-62) than in the 2017-18 season?
That Chamberlain was the only center ever to lead the league in total assists for an entire season?
That Wilt dramatically and voluntarily reduced his scoring after completing the first half of his 14 year career - and yet still wound up with the same career average as Michael Jordan (30.1 ppg)?
That Wilt was the first NBA player to hit 50%, 60%, and then 70% of his shots for a full season?
Wilt is top 5 all-time on the court, undisputed GOAT off the court.
Top 5? With Russell Jordan and Kareem? Maybe Top 4.
Wilt, along with Kareem, Michael, and Bi11 are the only players that can claim the GOAT title.
Agreed-those four are alone.
That's a sensible top 4 list. I definitely think that you have to have Jabbar and Jordan in the top 4. Russell's abilities were similar to Jordan's. He had that same insane explosive speed and jumping ability, but Jordan was a much better shooter. On the other hand, Russell had more height and reach, and was better at blocking and rebounding.
He is the best nba player.
I knew Wilt when he lived in Hawaii. We were best friends. We told me the story of his 100 point game.
The game was in Hershey Pa.and wasn’t aired. Prior to the game the players were playing pin ball with team members and gambling in a small way. Wilt was hot !!! We was burying everyone at pin ball. He told all his teammates that this was going to be a big night and to feed him and they did and that’s how he scored 100
In one game. Nobody knows this story.
Lee Sands
Do you know how unbelievable that sounds ?
Wilt was an incredible athlete in the same sense as Bo Jackson is. It was almost Paul Bunyan like, the rumors and the stories, like folk-lore. When he was in the movie Conan with Arnold Schwarzenegger (who was in his prime), he was the only person on the planet who could make Arnold look small, like if the two got into a real-life scrap, and you were there with people from Vegas, I think Vegas would put the line at 2 points favoring Wilt because he's nearly a foot taller than Arnold. The matchups between Wilt and Kareem were legendary, too. By that time, Wilt was past his prime, but still those two got into each other's heads. Kareem will tell you, Wilt, no question is the GOAT... Not Bird, not Magic, not Jordan, and not LBJ. Who takes Shaq over Wilt? No chance. Over the course of a game, Wilt wins that match up. If he averaged 30 on Russell, and 28 rebounds... Dude... If I am playing backyard pick up basketball, and I have everyone who ever played to choose from, and I have first pick... I'm taking Wilt.
Don't forget, during this 65 game streak, he also averaged 25.1 rebounds per game.
Wilt Chamberlain was not only the most dominant player in NBA history, but his level of competition at his position was FAR greater than Jordan's competition at the guard position. It's clear that neither Dan nor Chris has any idea that the greatest concentration of HOF centers in NBA history took place in 1965. Yup, 1965. Wilt had to face HOF centers Zelmo Beaty, Walt Bellamy, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed, and Bill Russell 8 times each during the 65-66 season. In that season, Chamberlain led the league in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage. He was named the league MVP and during the playoffs, he became the only player to average 30 points and 30 rebounds (e.g., 30.1 points, 31.4 rebounds) in a playoff series. That series was against Bill Russell and the heavily favored Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Chamberlain's dominant play was the main reason why the series went 7 games and he scored the last 6 points in Game 7 to bring the 76ers within 1 point of the Celtics. Unfortunately, Havlicek stole the ball and the rest is history.
Wilt is number 1
Thank you for bringing this up. The way Wilt is dismissed by today's basketball fans is the biggest crime in the game.
If they counted blocks back then, he possibly could have averaged 12 bpg for his entire career.
Using the KISS philosophy, Wilt Chamberlain has the highest regular season AND post-season TPA (e.g., Total Production Average) in NBA history. The TPA is a combination of points, rebounds, and assists. The Big Dipper is the only player to have a regular and post-season TPA of 50 or more. Wilt's regular season TPA is 57.4 and his post-season TPA is 51.2. In terms of team accomplishments, one could argue that Wilt's 2 title teams are 2 of the top 5 teams in NBA history. His 1966-67 Sixers squad was 46-4 in their first 50 games, set a then record regular season mark of 68-13, and was 11-4 in the playoffs. His 1971-72 Lakers squad set a professional sports record with 33 consecutive wins, set a then record regular season mark of 69-13, and was 12-3 in the playoffs. Wilt Chamberlain is the GOAT.
I agree!
wilt had 118 50 point games, next closest is jordan with 31...and wilt was considered the best defender in the league aswell next to bill russell....wilt is the GOAT
The older i get the more that i never under esitmate the stupidity of people.
The human mine just can't process what Wilt did. There are all these greatest players of all time on one side, and then there's Wilt.
Wilt's the GOAT and it's not even close.
Most records- Wilt. Most titles- Russell. Russell rated Wilt as the best player and himself as the best winner. Wilt is the GOAT. The argument should be about who is second best of all time.
No other scoring champion ever lead the league in assists for a season
When it comes to discussing Wilt Chamberlain, the discussion quickly turns to "team" success. Why? We are talking about "individual" success here. But then when discussing Bill Russell, it's about "team" success. Bill Russell was NOT an offensive threat, he never out-rebounded Wilt, never blocked more shots, and never had more assists. In 1967 Wilt led the league with 8.4 assists per game for the SEASON! As it is said, Wilt averaged 30 pts and 28 rebounds against the Celtics. 99% of ALL NBA players never did that (30 and 28) against any team IN HISTORY, much less against the world champion Celtics.
I really think Wilt at the peak of his career could win with two other guys. They would have play a diamond zone and I really think they would win quite a few games. Now the other two would have to be decent defenders at least.
Wilt Chamberlain owns 92 NBA records. I don't care what era he played in that's impressive.
Huge fan of Wilt and while I’m sure he would have, we cannot say he led the league in blocked shots because they never kept those stats. Regarding centers there were many great, hall of fame centers he played against besides Russell like Thurmond, Bellamy, Reed, Lucas, Unseld, Beatty etc and remember in a non watered down league, with less teams he would be facing those great centers many more times than the twice a year of today with east and west coast team. For me Wilt was the greatest individual NBA player of all time.
Much better centers in the 60's and 70's then than now
If they had kept blocked shots when Wilt played, He wooda had more trip-dbl's than anyone...by far ! Blocked shot records...Wilt wooda had the most per game , most total..on & on.
There is a significant factor in how Wilt Chamberlain (and to a lesser extent, Bill Russell) is viewed that is so telling that it wasn't even mentioned in this 9 minute segment on the show: blocks and steals were officially recorded starting the year *after* Wilt's career ended.
Extrapolating the information we do have, I think he probably averaged 8-12 blocks / gm with a career total around 10,000 blocks. Hakeem leads the official list just under 4000. Triple-doubles were mentioned in the segment, but if Wilt's games with 10 blocks are included, he may top the triple-double list.
Another factor is the "Stats Since YYYY year" factor, whether official or unofficial, spoken of as "Leader in NBA History". For example, lists of the best blockers will often say that Hakeem has the most blocks in NBA history, when there is close to zero chance that he tops *both* Wilt and Russell. The original stats page says at the top, "Since 1973-74", but that turns into an asterisk when an article is written on it and it gets dropped entirely when there is commentary based on the article. So people believe that Hakeem has the most blocks in NBA history, and Wilt is overlooked.
Another example, the double-double list. If someone is working off the StatMuse article, they say below the table, "StatMuse has season-level data for double-doubles going back to the 1984-85 season."
[ www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/nba-career-double-double-leaders ],
and Duncan tops the list at 841. But looking at a slightly more complete list, Fadeaway World includes Kareem, Elvin Hayes, Moses, and Wilt ahead of Tim
[ fadeawayworld.com/more-than-points/ranking-the-top-15-players-with-the-most-double-doubles-in-nba-history ].
They say Wilt had 968 out of 1045 regular seasons games, so he had a double-double in 92% of his games.
If we had these three stats since the 1950s:
1. Blocks
2. Steals
3. Offensive rebounds
I think the perception of Wilt would change. Conservatively, Wilt's career line might be 30-23-9-4-2, very close to a *career triple double*.
Wilt and Bill have two numbers on their caps: 100 and 11. The problem seems to be that those two numbers along are insufficient, yet they also tend to end the analysis on both players.
Wilt was not only the greatest basketball player but also the greatest volleyball player.
He toured the country with a three man team, himself and two other players. They played against the best indoor teams in the country all of which consisted of six man teams. That’s right 3 against 6 !!!!!! I dont think they ever lost a game. I watched them play Outrigger Canoe Club an undefeated team in Hawaii who had won something like 60 straight games in 6 man indoor. Wilts three man team won!!!!
Lee Sands
Maybe one reason Wilt is disrespected is probably because of his life outside of basketball. He wasn't involved in the civil rights movement like Jim Brown, Ali and others. He also voted for Nixon who was a republican, which didn't sit well with other staunch African American democrats.
Dan, stop saying "it feels like." STOP IT!
I have been maintainig this for years
I hate all the triple double record talk lately. They only kept official records on blocked shots the year after Wilt left the Lakers. If they had kept these records earlier, Wilt would dominate the record book even more: early in his career he had many, many games with 10 or more blocked shots, thus he would be the triple double leader!
Wilt WAS a winner. Here are some facts that nobody seems to know:
Wilt took THREE different franchises to the NBA finals, winning twice. Wilt took 6
teams to the finals. Wilt took 12 teams to the NBA FINAL FOUR. His teams set
the league record for best record of all-time on two occasions. Wilt is the
ONLY player to have eliminated both Russell and Kareem from the playoffs. Wilt,
as a rookie, led the Warriors to their most wins in franchise history. In
Wilt's first full year with the 76ers he led them to their most wins in
franchise history. Wilt, in his first year with the Lakers led them to their
most wins in franchise history. Wilt won as many championships as Reed, Cowens,
Walton, Olajuwon and Robinson who are all considered winners. Wilt won more
championships than Moses, Thurmond, Gilmore, Lanier, Unseld, Ewing, Mourning,
Mutombo, Big Ben, Howard, Cousins, Deandre, Nowitzki, Garnett, Ming, Bellamy,
and many others.
Only a fool who knows nil about basketball would forget about Wilt. Chamberlain is the GOAT with out question!
Only 1% of Wilt's games are in footage that today's generation doesn't appreciate the 72 official records he made. Most also don't know that Wilt was a track&field (sprints, high jump, shotput) champ and Harlem Globetrotter before NBA. His height, ran faster, jumped higher and strength made him dominate.
I think there’s an assumption that because he was 7-1 and most opposing centers were 6-10 or so. But he was just an amazing athlete overall: track and beach volleyball.
Oscar is not over wilt
This idea that Chambelain isn't considered one of the greats is itself becoming pretty overrated. If you ask retired players, they will likely put Chamberlain in top 5 of all time, and almost nobody would not put him in a top 10 list. Moreover, a lot of people will list him as the best. Wilt had the highest ever scoring average AND the highest ever rebounding average in his ROOKIE SEASON, and nobody has ever beaten EITHER of those records even in their best seasons, except for Wilt himself. If they had actually been recording blocked shots back then, Russell would be #2 all time, and Wilt would be #1. Wilt was the best defensive center (and player) ever, but he was also the best offensive PLAYER ever at the same time. I mean, Jabbar and Jordan are very close in terms of offense, but nobody has ever been so good at both ends of the court. He was a monster.
Chamberlain stands alone he is The GOAT. Chamberlain his 30 points & 28 rebounds average is absolutely insane.
Important comment: blocked shots were not counted back in Wilt's day, if they had been, Wilt would probably be much higher than 6th all time in triple doubles, maybe 2nd or 3rd or even 1st due to all the games he blocked more than 10 shots in!
Because bill Russell won them chips.. why ppl don't mention wilt too much
Wilt chamberlain is number 2 in my opinion
Wilt is number one in my opinion and the individual statistics prove it! Wilt holds 72 NBA records to this day!
Maybe it was the 20K women
“If you have to debate if wilt got his just due; he didn’t”!……Jimmy brown
They didn't count blocked shots, that statistic alone would have really give a solid pespective about WILT difference between him and any other player ever.
A blocked shot causes a lot of fast break opportunities
Who the heck doesn't have Wilt in their top 10 players ever?
If that dude did any research at all he would know that wilt didn't just shoot over tiny guys, there were a lot of really big centers in the 1960's. Here is a list of the players who played in Wilt's NBA who were 6-11 or taller...
Ray Felix 6-11 65
Chuck Share 6-11
Walter Dukes 7-0
Swede Halbrook 7-3
Walt Bellamy 6-11
Nate Thurmond 6-11
Reggie Harding 7-0
Mel Counts 7-0
Walt Wesley 6-11
Hank Finkel 7-0
Craig Spitzer 7-0
Craig Raymond 6-11
Otto Moore 6-11
Rich Niemann 7-0
Tom Boerwinkle 7-0 265
Dave Newmark 7-0
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7-2
Greg Fillmore 7-1 240
George Johnson 6-11 245
Bob Lanier 6-11 250
Elmore Smith 7-0 250
Tom Payne 7-2 240
Vic Bartolome 7-0 230
Jim McDaniels 6-11
William Smith 7-0
George Johnson 6-11 (yes another G. Johnson)
LaRue Martin 6-11
Duncan wouldn't even get a shot off against Wilt...
Much Respect Dan...
Definitely agree
Wilt was the Best athlete ever, and its not even close.
At second i have a close second between Bo Jackson and LBJ.
if u wana mentions his free throws why dont u mention his 10000 blocks that would easily counteract that
Same as why ppl don't put Kareem as goat.. .
WILT was in a black and white era that's one of the many reasons he's was not looked at as the top player and as he stated Wilt was a loner and did what he wanted to that era didn't like that! R.I.P. The Big Dipper.
Wilt is the GOAT without question. The NBA stats book proves it!
Feels like Babe Ruth gets that love mostly because of just how popular baseball was in the early to late 20th century. Baseball stats used to matter. Basketball stats have never been as well regarded and the popularity of basketball did not really kick off until the 80s. Whenever people bring up greats in basketball I always at least mention Wilt. For anyone who thinks Russel was better just ask the question if you had a pickup game of basketball who would you choose?
He also lead the league in assists.
2nd best player of all time after MJ. Wilt was the single greatest in many categories, best scorer ever, best rebounder ever, best big man passer ever, best blocker ever, strongest player ever, most endurance, etc. He had a couple of major weaknesses, his free throw shooting and not a great team player. While MJ was maybe not the greatest in any one thing, he was great at everything, no weakness in his game. And these two players are head and shoulders above everyone else, IMO.
Harden and everyone else in today's game benefits from the three points shot.
IF YOU ADD IN STEALS & BLOCKS ??? WILTS RECORDS WOULD BE MORE CRAZY !!!
Deep down everyone knows Wilt is the GOAT
Ruth's sport dominated the sports entertainment market during his heyday through the 60s. The popularity of professional basketball was not as widespread during Wilt's time. Nothing to do with talent.
Actually he doesnt need dat list he is above dat list he has his own category...he is the king
I dont know what Dan Patrick is talking about. Many people consider Wilt the greatest. Almost anyone who doesn't say Jordan or LeBron is numer 1, will say Wilt is. I believe it is Wilt and Jordan is a distant second.
Wilt Chamberlain is the most disrespected player in NBA history
1. Kareem 2. MJ 3. Wilt 4. LeBron 5. Magic 6. Dr J 7. Russell 8. Shaq 9. Bird 10. Kobe
Look at his competition lmao
Looking at Wilt's competition at the center position alone: 6'10'' Bill Russell; 7'2'' Kareem Abdul Jabbar; 6'11'' Nate Thurmond (who recorded a quadruple-double in an NBA game, had 42 rebounds in an NBA game, and is listed as one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time); 6'11'' Walt Bellamy (30 points and 37 rebounds in one NBA game, one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time, as a rookie averaged 31 points per game and 19 rebounds per game); 6'9'' Elvin Hayes; 6'9'' Willis Reed; etc.
do some research and you would answer your own foolish statement. lmao.....Chamberlain in the GOAT on an individual statistical basis. He still holds 72 NBA records to this day!
Who guarded Wilt on game66
#1 ALL TIME WILT CHAMBERLAIN !!!!