Basketballography: Oscar Robertson 

Thank you for your most insightful comment.

You REALLY know your history AND the game of basketball. You are spot on with your observations.

ESPN has brainwashed a lot of these younger fans into thinking that to be a great player is to either dunk or stand and shoot three's. A real player, like Oscar, can do everything and has a high I.Q. in how the game is played. That is why in my opinion, Oscar Robertson is the greatest pound for pound player ever.

Damn that's hard...best player on the team can't stay in the same hotel as his team cause of his skin color...like he asked to be black... infinite respect for Mr Oscar

Anyone who doesn't think that Oscar Robertson is in the conversation for the "greatest of all time" just doesn't understand the game. He played in an era where black athletes were not allowed to be "flashy" or they'd be labeled as one who played out of control or a clown. Things like thunderous dunks, behind the back passes, dribbling between the legs, and other "flashy" plays just were NOT part of the game in the 50's & 60's. If you want to know what a player who can completely control a game looks like look no further than Oscar Robertson. He was as fundamentally sound as any basketball player in the history of the sport. At the University of Cincinnati, led the nation in scoring in three consecutive years with his PPG average being above 30 each year. It would have been four straight years except the NCAA did not allow freshmen to play at the varsity level at that time. Having a guard lead a team in scoring much less the nation was unheard of at the time as it was truly a "big man's" game. At 6'5", his ball handling skills were without equal . . his jump shot deadly . . his ability to post up amazing . . his court awareness beyond compare . . and all the while hit his free throws at close to a 90% clip. He was the first (and only for 50 plus years) to average a "triple double" for a season in the NBA. And this was before anyone ever knew what a "triple double" was. However, he actually averaged a "triple double" for his first 5 seasons combined in the NBA. That means averaging double digits in points, rebounds and assists over a 5-year (400 plus games) stretch in an era dominated by big men like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed, etc. Perhaps it was his misfortune for playing the bulk of his professional career in a small midwestern city for an underfunded franchise and thereby never having the chance to compete on a consistent basis with the Celtics, '76ers, etc. But if you listen to just about anyone who played or coached the game at that time and most everyone since, "The Big O" is always at or right near the top for consideration as the GOAT.

@@ricthornton2958 Well said! I totally agree.

@@ricthornton2958 try

Wonderful story, most peeps don’t know either man was a genius.

Agreed. Oscar filled Hinkle Fieldhouse and stopped traffic when he played. Today, he could have gone pro after highschool.

I agree, Highest BB IQ, next Russell, then whomever.

Being Black MAKES you bitter!

He was bitter but held it inside. When he played, the city stopped to go to his games. He was more popular in high school than Jordan was in the pros. I was at one of his games in Hinkle Fieldhouse. SRO. No seats available. ( before fire marshal rules )

He was better then Magic & I loved Magic, Oscar Robertson could do anything on a basketball court.

Patrick Gray What does Oscar do better than Earvin does besides shoot a ball?!

@@dumisatonyjohnson8145 He was a 'play-maker'...He orchestrated plays that mind-boggled fans wherever they played. Magic was a great player in his own right as a scorer; but Oscar was the think-tank that set up plays which was (and is) why he's the only player in the history of the game that hold that accolade...As @the professor, @A.K. and @robert a confirmed...the "Big O" was a classy player who worked with his team. He wasn't the only man on the court. Like business, you can't be at the top without the crew. This what makes a champion of champions.

@@patrickgray5633 I agree. Magic just pass for assists; he was sorely deficient in a slow down half court offense bcuz he probably couldn't read defenses; he couldn't shoot; he couldn't but his man 1 v 1 off a dribble drive to the basket; like Stockton, the ball never left his hands, so his teammates were often confused when the tempo slowed and defenses pressured. IMO, his poor play and lack of understanding of game situations cost KAJ 2 chips 81, 84)

@@dumisatonyjohnson8145 shooting is kind of important . . no?

they had double rims

I enjoy the game of the 70's so much more than today, for many different reasons, but you named one of them.

80s/early 90s were way better than today's game if we were really honest with ourselves

@@dumisatonyjohnson8145 Oscar Robertson's rookie season is the midpoint between the turn of the century and today. Isn't it obvious that if Oscar Robertson of 1960 was transported back in time to 1900,when clumsy kids in leather shoes and knickerbockers were hurling stitched balls at peach baskets, he would just completely dominate those unskilled yokels from the deep past. What is even more amazing is that if you transported that same 1960 Robertson 60 years into the future that he would dominate those future 2020 ballers just as bad as he ruled over those peach basket beginners from the horse and buggy era. He would just have his way with those future ballers....say...some guys named....we'll just make up some future names - Steph, Kyrie, James and Damian .....we'll call them....and Oscar would destroy them as easy as drinking lemonade, because basketball players improved mightily from 1900 to 1960, but then got worse and worse for the next 60 years (except for Bird and Magic and MJ, who also represent the good old days.)