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"There are people on ESPN who never played basketball or even picked up a basketball," he said. From there, he played his college ball at the University of Cincinnati, where in his three seasons with the Bearcats, he won the scoring title each year, was named a 3x All-American and 3x College Player of the Year (the Player of the Year award is now called the Oscar Robertson Trophy), made the Final Four twice, compiled 10 triple-doubles (a staple of his pro career), and set 14 NCAA and 19 school records. It seems to bother the Big O more than West, this dulling of fans' memories of their glory days. The Knicks Walt Frazier recalled thinking as West let the miracle shot fly, The mans crazy. As an encore to his historic season, Robertson remained a nightly triple-double threat, shooting a career-best 51.8% in 1962-1963 and putting up 28.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game to narrowly miss out on another triple-double season. Details about 1971 Topps NBA Assist Leaders #143 PSA 6 Jerry West/Oscar Robertson/N. Rendimiento en Playoffs In 1995, West received his first Executive of the Year Award for his role in turning the Lakers around.[61]. The 1960 USA Olympic team has been described as the best amateur side ever assembled. Beginning his career as a sportswriter, Benner then served with the Pacers for 28 years, retiring last season. [20] His college coach was also hired to coach the Lakers. On the international stage, before jumping to the NBA, Robertson and West were co-captains of the US Basketball Team at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome (professionals would not be allowed to play until the Dream Team in 1992); considered by many pundits to be the best collection of amateur basketball talent in history (in addition to Robertson and West, Jerry Lucas and Walt Bellamy would also become Hall of Famers), the team easily won the gold medal at the Games and was collectively elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. "We stayed in dorms. [52] However, the Knicks took Games 2 and 3, and West strained both of his hamstrings: in Game 4, the shorthanded Lakers were no match for New York, and in Game 5, the valiant, but injured West and Hairston had miserable games, and despite Chamberlain scoring 23points and grabbing 21rebounds, the Lakers lost 10293 and the series. [37] The Lakers trailed the entire game and were behind 91-76 after 3 quarters, but powered by a limping West, the Lakers closed the gap to 103102 with two minutes to go and had the ball. The Lakers had risen from third place in the division to first since Wests arrival, posting a 54-26 record and in the playoffs, West upped his scoring average to 31.5 ppg. He eventually chose to stay in his home state and attend West Virginia University (WVU), located in Morgantown. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Jerry West is a legendary NBA star, and his silhouette is the logo. Jerry Wests storied career included 14 All-Star appearances, 12 All-NBA honors, five All-Defensive Teams and an NBA championship. In Game 6, Havlicek shredded the Lakers with 40 points, and after yet another Finals loss to Boston, West commented that the Lakers lost two games they should have won: "We gave them the first game, and we gave them the fifth. "I was one of the fortunate ones selected as a player and to be a part of a team," West said. After taking the series lead on Baylors then record 61-point performance in Game 5, Los Angeles dropped the next two. And in the 1970 NBA Finals against New York, West launched the famous bomb that, at least briefly, resuscitated the Lakers. Said Jerry West, a fellow Hall of Famer and Warriors . The NBA described West as "obsessive perfectionism, unabashed confidence, and an uncompromising will to win a level of intensity so high it could melt lead". He then embarked on a 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and was the co-captain of the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team, a squad that was inducted as a unit into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. [15] On January 17, 1962, West scored a career-high 63 points in a 129121 win over the New York Knicks. 3 Copy quote. Ventaja : Jerry West. [16] He was also named to be a member of the U.S. Pan American Games basketball team that won the gold medal. Unrealistic or not, West the perfectionist propelled the Lakers to The Finals repeatedly in the 1960s and early 1970s. At the tail ends of their careers. Thomas said on an older edition of NBA TVs Open Court that he had the privilege of sharing a panel with Jerry West and Oscar Robertson. However, it became clearer later that NBA media got lazy, complacent and became more of a sales force for the league itself. Jerry West (L) and Oscar Robertson. After a slump in the early 1990s, West rebuilt the team of coach Del Harris around center Vlade Divac, forward Cedric Ceballos, and guard Nick Van Exel, which won 48 games, and went to the Western Conference Semifinals. [65][66] This role also came with an undisclosed minority ownership stake in the team. The Lakers seven-game defeat at the hands of the Celtics in the 1962 Finals was particularly heartbreaking. "We got one dollar a day per diem," West recalled, when he spoke at the team's induction ceremony at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. I will say that Oscar fits the 'all around' definition better - he was *almost* as good at scoring as Jerry although not quite matching up to West's peak scoring abilities, he was a better rebounder and also a better passer (both by . Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Head to Head: Oscar Robertson vs. Jerry West. [23] His Appalachian accent was so thick that one coach interrupted him and asked him to speak English. West won Schaus's trust and, alternating with Hundley, Selvy, and Leonard, played 35 minutes per game and established himself as the Lakers' second scoring option. Perhaps fittingly, the two players also went into the Hall of Fame together in 1980, and Wests silhouette continues to grace the NBA logo today. "[36], On July 9, 1968, the Lakers made a trade that brought reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers to Los Angeles at the beginning of the 196869 NBA season. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). The Big O at 6-5 was the first power guard, backing defenders down, never taking a 12-footer if a 10 was available, never a 10 if he could get an 8. [63], Jerry married his current wife, Kristine "Karen" Bua, in 1978. He averaged 24.8points per game and 13.3rebounds. [89], This article is about the basketball player. In his final NBA season in 1973-1974, West was still a highly productive player (20.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game), but injuries limited him to only 31 games played and at the conclusion of the season, he would retire from the NBA at age 35. Overall, his time with the Royals was dominant over a decade with the team, he averaged at least 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists per game on 47.0% shooting, and was an All-Star plus a First Team or Second Team All-NBA selection each year. [15], In the 1968 NBA Playoffs, the Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls and the Warriors to set up yet another Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals; it was considered a match of size versus speed, as the Lakers had nobody to guard Celtics coach/center Bill Russell or forward John Havlicek close to the basket, but the Celtics in return had difficulties guarding prolific L.A. outside shooters Baylor, West and fellow guard Gail Goodrich. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. [40] L.A. also took Game 2, with West scoring 41 points. West returned, however, and helped make history. (Going into the 1963-64 season, Baylor was 28, West 25, Robertson 24, Lucas 23.) He thinks its really going in! It did, sending Game 3 into overtime. When West remembers the Rome Olympics, it takes him back to a different era. The next season, though he averaged 27.1 points per game, he only played in 55 games; injuries and missed games were a prevalent theme throughout Wests career, as he would play in fewer than 70 regular season games in half of his 14 NBA seasons. He explained his decision with the desire for exploring something new: "After being a part of the Laker's success for so many years, I have always wondered how it would be to build a winning franchise that has not experienced much success. Jerry West and the Lakers won Game 3 of the 1962 NBA Finals at the buzzer. [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. FantasyPros considers the best player values for DraftKings and FanDuel NBA DFS. Despite playing only 31 games due to a strained groin,[8] West was still regarded as an elite guard, earning another call-up into his final All-Star Game. Jerry West could easily feel a sense of bitterness toward Russell, even though The Logo eventually did win a ring in 1972. Additionally, Robertson also remains #1 all-time in career triple-doubles with 181; the only other players in NBA history with more than 100 career triple-doubles are Russell Westbrook (138, as of the end of the 2018-2019 season), Magic Johnson (138), and Jason Kidd (107). [47], Before the 197172 NBA season, West was smarting from his frequent injuries and losses and considered retirement. "Fans believe what people tell them.". /VCG. Although West enjoyed great individual success during his prime, the teams record is a study in frustration unbelievable frustration is how West described it to the Los Angeles Times Magazine. I could've played another very good year. By Oscar Robertson Aug. 7, 2010 Let me tell you about the original Dream Team, the 1960 United States Olympic gold medalist basketball team coached by Pete Newell, with Jerry West and me as the co . In some ways, the decision of who was better comes down to personal preferences on playing style do you prefer Robertson with his penchant for racking up triple-doubles or West with his silky smooth moves and shooting? Working as a player-scout for three years, West was named general manager of the Lakers before the 198283 NBA season. [17], During his junior year (195859), West scored 26.6 points per game and grabbed 12.3 rebounds per game. [87][88], West is portrayed in the 2022 HBO docudrama series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty as a temperamental, foul-mouthed executive prone to angry outbursts and mood swings. Your suplied Email address (xxxxx@fiba.basketball) does not seem to be correct, "THAT WAS THE MOST SPECIAL MOMENT IN MY LIFE, TO PLAY THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, IT WAS THE MOST THRILLING, CHILLING THING THAT I'VE EVER BEEN INVOLVED WITH. [76] On February 17, 2011, a statue of West was unveiled outside Staples Center at the Star Plaza in Los Angeles, California. [36] In Game 5, an injured West scored 35points, but Boston won by threepoints. In addition, Robertson broke Bob Cousys single-season assist record in one of six seasons leading the NBA in assists. [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. But he would drive, almost always to his right, and give the ball an extra-hard bounce on his last dribble, so he could catch it on the rise as he leaped into his shot. Despite his statistical achievements, and those of Wilt Chamberlain, NBA media voted Bill Russell their 1961-62 MVP. I worked construction in the summer," said Robertson, noting that all players had off-season jobs then. Oscar was sitting right there. Enjoying a prolific 14-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks, Robertson amassed 26,710 points and 9,887 assists. LA Clippers executive board member Jerry West attends a game between the Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets during the 2022 NBA Summer League at the Thomas and Mack Center July 7, 2022, in Las . pic.twitter.com/VAlcLcmqXX, Hoop History (@H00PHISTORY) March 10, 2022. If Im not nervous, if I dont have at least a little bit of the same self-doubt and anxious feelings I had when I started playing, then it will be time for me to go on, he told the Orange County Register in 1990. "Race; cold war; threat of nuclear war. It sounds like trash talk before its time, but West did not christen himself. [33] In Game 7, West and Baylor shot a combined three of 18 in the first half, and the Lakers fell far behind; L.A. willed themselves back to a close 9593 with four seconds left, but the Celtics ran the clock out and the Lakers were denied yet again. From college to the pros, Robertson and West shared a unique bond and reverence. Too few fans today saw Oscar play with Jerry Lucas in Cincinnati or saw him when he was the sidekick of Lew Alcindor (before he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) on a championship team in Milwaukee. No copyright infringement is intended. Oscar Robertson vs Andrew Wiggins. And his 6,238 career assists (6.7 apg) rank among the best ever. [26] The Celtics tied the series in Game 6 at three games apiece, and the teams headed to Boston for Game 7. Nuclear war, retiring last season star, and his 6,238 career assists 6.7! A sportswriter, Benner then served with the Pacers for 28 years, West 25 Robertson. 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