Tag: Oscar Robertson

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar doesn’t think Magic Johnson is the greatest point guard ever

Despite winning five NBA championships with him on the Lakers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ranks another point guard ahead of Magic Johnson.

There has been a mild debate lately about who the greatest point guard in NBA history is.

For many years, most agreed it is Magic Johnson, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to five world championships and made them into basketball’s gold standard in the 1980s. But with Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry winning his fourth ring in 2022, some believe he may have a legitimate claim to the honor.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played with Johnson on all five of those championship-winning Lakers teams, was asked who he thinks the greatest point guard is. The question came while Abdul-Jabbar was appearing on WPIX, a New York City affiliate of The CW. Surprisingly, he didn’t pick Johnson or even Curry (h/t Lakers Daily).

“I don’t think you’re gonna want to hear this,” Abdul-Jabbar said of his top point guard. “Oscar Robertson, the Big O. I only had a chance to play with him at the end of his career, but he was awesome,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “And if people had seen him play in the prime of his career and with the 3-point shot. Oscar had 3-point range, but he never got to play when the 3-point shot was incorporated into the game.

“And people don’t really understand how significant he was in how to play the game. But I played with him for those four years. I know Steph Curry and LeBron (James), Kobe (Bryant), Magic, all those guys are superior. But I would have to go with Oscar.”

Abdul-Jabbar teamed with Robertson to win an NBA title during the 1970-71 season when their Milwaukee Bucks swept the Baltimore Bullets in the finals. It was only the big fella’s second pro season, yet he won his first of a record six regular season MVPs that year.

Robertson is best known by today’s fans for averaging a triple-double during the 1961-62 season. In fact, he averaged a triple-double for the totality of his first four seasons in the league.

He spent his first 10 years with the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) before heading to Wisconsin to finally get his ring. He retired in 1974 with career averages of 25.7 points, 9.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds a game.

Celtics champ, broadcaster Cedric Maxwell counters Dr. J’s all-time great list with his own

With the 2023 NBA offseason here in full swing, a fair amount of attention tends to turn toward the history of the league.

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With the 2023 NBA offseason here in full swing, a fair amount of attention tends to turn toward the history of the league in the absence of new deeds to analyze on the court or in roster construction. And in the wake of Philadelphia 76ers legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving putting out an all-time list of NBA greats, others have started to do the same.

Among them are former Boston Celtics championship forward and current broadcaster Cedric Maxwell broke down his list compared to Dr. J’s on his eponymous CLNS Media podcast with cohost Josue Pavon. The names on Erving’s list are Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor along with more modern era players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Karl Malone.

To hear who Maxwell put on his all-time great list, check out the clip embedded below.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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The top NBA performances by a rookie player on Christmas Day

From LeBron James to Wilt Chamberlain, Rookie Wire took a look at some of the best Christmas Day performances by first-year players.

The 2022-23 season marks the 75th edition of the NBA on Christmas Day with five games set to tip off on Sunday across ABC and ESPN in the United States.

LeBron James is poised to play in his 17th game on Christmas Day, which will surpass Kobe Bryant for the most appearances in history. James is also the all-time leader in points (422), field goals (150) and 3-pointers (28). He is tied with Dwyane Wade for the most wins with 10.

Players have put up some incredible performances over the years in the annual showcase. Several of the best to ever play own various career records on the holiday, including Bill Russell (rebounds), Oscar Robertson (assists), Shaquille O’Neal (blocks) and Russell Westbrook (steals).

Some have even had great efforts in their rookie seasons.

Rookie Wire sifted through the archives and took a look at some of the biggest performances by a rookie player on Christmas Day, several of which would go on to make the Hall of Fame.

What Oscar Robertson will remember most about Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell

In an appearance on ESPN’s “NBA Today,” Robertson was interviewed by host Malika Andrews on the life of Bill Russell.

Cincinnati Royals (today’s Sacramento Kings) and Milwaukee Bucks Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson was more than just a peer of legendary Boston Celtics big man Bill Russell. They were co-conspirators in helping to give the NBA’s player’s union some teeth in ways that changed the landscape of the league forever. And they were friends for decades.

So, when Russell passed away at the age of 88 last weekend, his old friend had plenty to say about Bill’s legacy and how we ought to remember his life. In an appearance on ESPN’s “NBA Today,” Robertson was interviewed by host Malika Andrews on the life of Bill Russell.

Check out the clip embedded below to hear the Hall of Fame guard memorialize the Celtics great’s life, recalling what he will remember the most about his friend.

Check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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LeBron James explains what it meant to pass Oscar Robertson on all-time assists list

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James discussed his feelings on passing the Big O in all-time assists in the NBA.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James once again moved up the ladder in a new statistical category.

After a seven-assist night in the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday, James ascended to No. 7 on the NBA’s all-time assists list. James passed Oscar “Big O” Robertson, who had 9,887 assists during his 14-year career from 1960 to 1973.

After the game, James — who didn’t yet know he passed Robertson — explained what it meant to elapse an NBA legend.

“I’m a historian of the game, and I know quite a bit about the Big O. From his times, from high school to the University of Cincinnati to playing for the Cincinnati Royals all the way to Milwaukee and so on so on, what he meant to the game — what he still means to the game — is something that’s just unparalleled,” James said.

James, a 6-foot-9 forward with adept ball-handling and vision for someone of his size, said big guards who could set up teammates helped build his own craft.

“Obviously, he’ll always have a connection with Russ (Westbrook), what they was able to do for multiple seasons. But he was one of the first premier big guards that could do pretty much everything out on the floor. But his ability to get teammates involved, his ability to provide that sense of joy on the floor because of the pass is something that I’ve always respected and gravitated towards. Guys like himself and J(ason) Kidd, Magic (Johnson)…anytime I’m connected with the greats is a true honor,” James said.

The next player for James to pass is Magic himself, who logged 10,141 dimes in 13 seasons.

James needs 254 assists to pass Johnson. LeBron is currently averaging 6.6 assists per game. With that average and 41 games left to play, James will have 270 if he doesn’t miss a game, which would top Magic.

John Stockton is No. 1 on the list with 15,806 assists, nearly 4,000 more than No. 2.

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Lakers news: Oscar Robertson says Russell Westbrook should have won MVP last season

NBA legend Oscar Robertson had high praise for new Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook.

Russell Westbrook has obvious flaws to his game, and despite playing for three teams in three years — which will jump to four this upcoming season — he’s always been a menace on the court.

Westbrook is far from an efficient long-range shooter, and his once consistent free-throw shooting has plummeted into unrecognizable percentages; he hovered around 80% as a shooter from the stripe, but that has plunged into the mid-60s in two of the last four seasons.

Despite all that, the 32-year-old guard has averaged a triple-double in four of the last five seasons, which is just an absurdly staggering stat for anyone to display.

The UCLA product won the MVP award in 2016-17 when he first achieved a full triple-double average campaign; he put up 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists.

Last season with the Washington Wizards, Westbrook averaged 22.2 points, 11.7 assists and 11.5 rebounds. He didn’t develop a rhythm until the latter months of the season, but when he found momentum, it helped catapult the Wizards into a play-in tournament berth.

Washington eventually clinched the eighth seed in the East but lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.

Westbrook’s play had one NBA legend enthralled. Oscar Robertson said Westbrook should’ve won the MVP award last season, via the Knuckleheads podcast:

“He’s got triple-doubles this year and no one even notices…I think that’s totally unfair. I think he should’ve won [MVP] again.”

The MVP award for the year went to Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic, who led the team to the third seed in the West despite missing Jamal Murray and other notable guards due to injury. Though Westbrook had impressive games, Jokic’s accomplishments held more weight.

Robertson does have a point in how Westbrook’s stats get glossed over nowadays because averaging those numbers consistently over the course of multiple seasons isn’t replicated by anyone around the league. It’s just been accepted that Westbrook will go out and get triple-doubles.

Now that Westbrook is with the Los Angeles Lakers, he’ll be playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis as the third option. He might not be a lock to garner another triple-double season, but if he makes similar impacts in those areas, the Lakers should be a threat to win it all.

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Russell Westbrook is now the NBA leader in triple-doubles after breaking the 47-year-old record

What a career for Russell Westbrook!

The NBA record for career triple-doubles that has stood since 1974 has officially been broken by Russell Westbrook. On Monday, during the Washington Wizards game against the Atlanta Hawks, Westbrook broke the all-time triple-double record with his 182nd in his 13-year NBA career.

Westbrook’s 182 all-time triple-doubles eclipses Oscar Robertson’s record of 181 that has stood for the last 47 years after putting up 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 21 assists in Monday night’s game.

It was only a matter of time for Westbrook to pass the NBA record set by Robertson, and we all knew it. Here’s the rebound that sealed the deal for Westbrook’s place in the history books.

And of course, here was the in-game reaction from fans after the announcement was made.

Twitter also took to congratulating Westbrook on the momentous, historic occasion.

What a career for Westbrook, with no doubt more triple-doubles for the 32-year-old in the years to come.

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Research: When LeBron lost, he did it against stronger opposition than any other NBA legend

Last week, we looked up 25 NBA superstars to determine the combined winning percentages of the opponents they defeated in the playoffs. This week, we’re taking a peek at those same superstars, but this time, looking at the winning percentages of the …

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Last week, we looked up 25 NBA superstars to determine the combined winning percentages of the opponents they defeated in the playoffs.

This week, we’re taking a peek at those same superstars, but this time, looking at the winning percentages of the opponents that they lost to in the postseason.

The first thing that jumps out is that although LeBron James beat weaker competition than most legends on average, he also lost to stronger squads than anybody else, mostly due to all of those Finals series against juggernaut Golden State Warriors teams.

The teams who defeated LeBron James in the playoffs combined for a whopping 608-212 regular-season record, good for a winning percentage of 74.1 percent.

One player who isn’t far off from LeBron on our list is Kevin Durant. If you ever wondered why the Oklahoma City Thunder came up painfully short so many times leading to Durant’s controversial departure, just look at the brutal competition they had to face, including the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs in the West, and the Miami Heat in the East during the 2012 Finals.

Overall, it’s clear that it took a lot to beat these guys. Out of the 25 superstars we examined, 21 only lost to opponents who had greater than a 66 percent win percentage, meaning they could only be taken down by the best of the very best.

For more info on the caliber of opponents the 23 other superstars lost to who we didn’t go in-depth on, just check out the gallery above.

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How tough were the teams NBA legends beat in the playoffs?

When we looked up 25 NBA superstars to determine the combined winning percentages of the opponents they defeated in the playoffs, two players who stood out were the legendary Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant, who finished within percentage points of …

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When we looked up 25 NBA superstars to determine the combined winning percentages of the opponents they defeated in the playoffs, two players who stood out were the legendary Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant, who finished within percentage points of each other at No. 1 and No. 2 on our list respectively.

It’s easy to see why, too, because looking back, both played in super-strong era of the Western Conference. Just as a quick example, the Golden State Warriors missed the playoffs in the West back in 2007-08. They won 48 games that season.

Overall, Bryant won far more series during his career, but Nowitzki won with worse company surrounding him.

Looking through other notable stars on our list, LeBron James finds himself down in the rankings at No. 14, as the playoff opponents he defeated boasted a 60 percent win rate, a product of him spending the vast majority of his career in the much weaker Eastern Conference. (The same can be said of Magic Johnson, who’s 20th on our list, due to the fact that the West was pretty weak overall in the ’80s.)

Regardless, James deserves credit for one feat: Nobody on our list beat a better team than he did in 2015-16 when he took down the 73-9 Warriors in the Finals.

Other noteworthy players on our research-based ranking include Michael Jordan (No. 4), Kevin Durant (No. 7) and Larry Bird (No. 23).

For the entire list, just click through the gallery posted at the top of the page.

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