His 31.2 ppg in 1969-70 (at age 31) is the highest average ever for a player over 30. 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. "Fans believe what people tell them.". https://youtu.be/JXQniGgIIwM https://youtu.be . [40] A limping West scored 26 points in Game 6, but the Celtics won 9990 with a strong Bill Russell, who held Chamberlain to only eight points in the entire game. "Race; cold war; threat of nuclear war. As the NBA celebrates it's 75th Anniversary Season, get to know dozens of star players who helped make the NBA what it is today. [8] These performances soon earned West his first of fourteen NBA All-Star Game call-ups. West said, turning to a chuckling Robertson. Regular season: PTS, FG, FT, 3P complete all-time. Having come this far, West would not be denied an NBA title. While his famous triple-double season would come a year later, Robertson got off to a fast start right out of the gate during his 1960-61 rookie season in which he . Revitalized, he played two more seasons. For the children's author, see, In the summer of 1996, West traded for shooting guard. His mother lashed him when he showed up hours late for dinner and he became so thin that he had to receive vitamin injections.But the practice paid off. It was a beautiful thing wasted, West later said. I felt I was deceived. [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. "There are a lot of bad teams," he said. During their overlapping careers, Robertson and West faced off head-to-head on 94 occasions. Today, both are remembered as among the all-time greats, with Wests silhouette gracing the NBAs logo, but it is impossible not to compare the two players and ask: Who was better Oscar Robertson or Jerry West? Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; from Robertsons complementary role on the Bucks to Wests proneness to injury, both players were eventually affected by these factors. [53][54], The 197374 NBA season was to be West's last as a player. The team reached the NCAA championship game in 1959 but lost to the University of California. [28] The Lakers struggled during the entire season, winning only 42 games, and were beaten by the Hawks in five games during the first round of the 1964 NBA Playoffs. [67] In 2015, the Warriors won their first championship in 40 years; the championship was the seventh earned by West while serving as a team executive. It seems to mark a change from the way the final minutes are officiated today, when "no hemorrhage, no foul" is the rule. Oscar Robertson vs Dominique Wilkins [8] The Lakers were captained by Hall-of-Fame forward Elgin Baylor, who was complemented by centers Jim Krebs and Ray Felix; forwards Rudy LaRusso and Tom Hawkins; and guards Rod Hundley (from West Virginia, like West), Frank Selvy, and Bobby Leonard. In the 197273 NBA season, the main scoring role was taken by Goodrich, and West was now a playmaker instead of a scorer. He was an All-Star every year of his career and led Los Angeles to the NBA Finals nine times. [43] In Game 3, DeBusschere hit a mid-range jump shot with three seconds left to put the Knicks ahead 102100, and the Lakers had no time-outs left. 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. Estimated PSA 8 Value: $3,500. When the chips were down, West, with his lightning-quick release, was the guy the Lakers turned to for the big basket. For the rest of his illustrious career, West would average at least 20 points per game each year, including 25+ points per game for the next decade with four seasons above 30 points per game. West is undoubtedly one of the all-time greats, but he has one blemish: his NBA Finals record. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. However, due to the dynastic dominance of the Boston Celtics, who won 10 NBA titles between 1959 and 1969, including eight straight from 1959 to 1966, both players would fall short of a ring time after time again until finally reaching the NBA pinnacle in the early 1970s. Oscar was sitting right there. The championship was West's first-ever NBA title. [33], The 196667 NBA season saw West playing only 66 regular-season games due to injury;[22] his averages fell slightly to 28.0points, 5.9rebounds and 6.8assists per game. In Game 2, Baltimore was unable to stop the Lakers guard, who scored 52 points, nearly half of L.A.'s total, in the 118115 win. West was named Most Outstanding Player of that year's Final Four. Could you live on that?" 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. Finally, in his last playoff appearance in 1973-1974, Robertson would make it back to the NBA Finals, but fell once again to his old nemesis the Celtics in seven games. It averaged a whopping 101.9 points a contest. Particularly thrilling are the high odds of discovering the rookie cards of iconic names like Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. Oscar Robertson: Cincinnati Royals (1960-1970) Milwaukee Bucks (1970-1974) Jerry West: Los Angeles Lakers (1960-1974) In a generation defined mostly by big men, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson managed to stand out from the crop. [12], West graduated from East Bank High School in 1956, and more than 60 universities showed interest in him. Your email address will not be published. Head to Head: Oscar Robertson vs. Jerry West. However, the Lakers and West came out on the losing end in eight of those nine Finals. Overall, both Robertson and West played 14 NBA seasons from 1960-1974, with Robertson having a 100+ games played advantage due to better health. [8] Instead of being proud, West merely commented: "Defensively, from a team standpoint, I didn't feel I played very well. Im not willing to sacrifice my standards, West told the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner when he retired. West averaged 27.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists and was again NBA All-Star and All-NBA First-Team;[15] however, he played in only 55 regular-season games, missing the last seven weeks due to a hamstring injury. [23] However, West seamlessly took over the role of team leader and established himself as the main Lakers scorer, averaging 30.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, winning All-NBA First Team honors. Enjoying a prolific 14-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks, Robertson amassed 26,710 points and 9,887 assists. [5] West was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history in 1996, and to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.[6][7]. Wilt Chamberlain broke it down in the following fashion: Why would someone doing a game for lets say NBC do nothing but applaud the players and praise who they are? Oscar Robertson vs Derrick White. [23] Baylor once commented: "Rumors are safe with you, Tweety Bird. ". Milwaukee's Oscar Robertson (1) averaged a triple double in 1961-62 - 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game. Jerrys closest brother, David, was killed in the Korean War when Jerry was 12. [79], West married his college sweetheart Martha Jane Kane in April 1960 in Morgantown;[80] they divorced in 1976. The East Bank High School legend and Oscar Robertson also led the United States basketball team to the gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics. The teams split the first two games, and at the end of Game 3 in Los Angeles, West tied the game at 115. The Big O appeared on the Knuckleheads podcast to discuss his favorite players in league history. But the experience itself was the most gratifying of all," he recalled. Its only fitting he returned the favor. After helping the Golden State Warriors win the championship against the Cleveland Cavaliers, on June 14, 2017, West announced that he would go to the Los Angeles Clippers as an executive board member and consultant. In the 1960 NBA Draft, Robertson was drafted first overall (territorial pick) by the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) and dominated from the get-go, averaging 30.5 points (47.3% shooting), 10.1 rebounds, and a league-high 9.7 assists per game as a rookie; as a result, he was Rookie of the Year, made the first of his 12 consecutive All-Star Game appearances, and earned the first of nine straight First Team All-NBA selections. 3 Copy quote. "I had no tools to get better other than my own hard work," West said. 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 MIES (Switzerland) - It happened more than half a century ago, yet for two of the biggest legends in the sport, USA's Jerry West and Oscar Robertson, memories of the gold-medal winning run at theOlympic Games in Rome are crystal clear. Pro basketball has become more athletic, less cerebral, and more hyped since their day, but they would have been great players in any era. Inside" (the low-post scorer, Baylor) and "Mr. Outside" (the long-distance shooter, West). CLEVELAND The NBA celebrated its diamond anniversary with a sparkling tribute to honor 75 years on the hardwood floor. He broke his nose at least nine times. [16] West's best performance was a game against Virginia, in which he grabbed 16 rebounds and scored 40 points. Robertsons career arc is fairly similar. 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