However, he started at West Virginia, getting 13 rebounds and 25 points for each game. He made an NBA record 840 free throws, and earned yet another pair of All-Star Team and All-NBA First Team nominations. @Sen_JoeManchin, "Jerry West demands retraction of his 'cruel' portrayal in 'Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jerry_West&oldid=1141917828, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 15:05. During the 1969-1970 season, he would win his only scoring title by averaging 31.2 points on 49.7% shooting to go with 4.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game; moreover, after two seasons as a Second Team All-NBA selection, West returned to First Team status and also garnered the first of four consecutive All-Defensive First Team nods. 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. "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. He remained a . Oscar Palmer Robertson (Big O, Mr. Basketball had not yet sacrificed fundamentals for potential. When West remembers the Rome Olympics, it takes him back to a different era. Height: 6-2 (188cm) Weight: 185 (84kg) 3 Copy quote. Both entered the league via the 1960 NBA Draft - Robertson was the No. In Game 7, a 15-foot Frank Selvy jumper at the buzzer that would have won the game in regulation bounced off the rim. Robertson was a broadcaster for CBS for the 1974-75 season. Moreover, before Johnson entered the NBA, West and Oscar "The Big O" Robertson were considered the greatest guards in league history, not to mention that West was the one who received more respect and love. Of the 87 regular season matchups, West holds a 50-37 lead, though Robertson outscored his counterpart by 28.5 to 27.7 points per game. West said to Robertson. Head to Head: Oscar Robertson vs. Jerry West. West logged similar averages as a rookie after the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him second overall behind Oscar Robertson, but his scoring nearly doubled in his second season. "We stayed in dorms. Under his reign, Los Angeles won six championship rings. Every athlete says that. With West not yet in shape, Baylor and the Lakers fell back 32; then they succumbed in Game 6 in front of their home crowd with a 112109 loss. Robertsonwas on hand when the Rome Olympic champions were inducted at Springfield. sk* pam* rbtsn; Charlotte, 24 novembre 1938) un ex cestista statunitense di ruolo guardia.. Soprannominato The Big O, disput 14 campionati NBA con le maglie dei Cincinnati Royals e dei Milwaukee Bucks, vincendo con questi ultimi il titolo nel 1971.Nel 1962 fu il primo giocatore nella storia dell'NBA a concludere una stagione con una tripla . First up is Oscar Robertson's 1961 Fleer rookie card which is one of the keys to the iconic set and one of the most valuable basketball cards in general.. Also, Oscar declined more rapidly than West so the seasons where Robertson was better early in their careers are partially balanced by the seasons where West was better later in their careers. Oscar Robertson weighs in as Russell Westbrook attempts to join the Big O's one-man club. RotoWire considers the best player values in Yahoo fantasy leagues for Wednesday night's slate. Both are the most prolific assist men of their periods. Oscar Robertson vs Jamaal Wilkes. FGA, TRB, AST, PF, GS over 99% complete back to 1975-76. All rights reserved (About Us). At the tail ends of their careers. Oscar Robertson Calls out NBA for Super Teams Hypocrisy: When Boston Got Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, That Was David Sterns Deal. On the most recent episode of his podcast, Simmons named (in order) his top 15 in the "Pantheon." Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon . During his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers, West became synonymous with brilliant basketball. [15] Winning 45 games, the Lakers beat the St. Louis Hawks in a close seven-game series, and yet again met the Boston Celtics in the 1966 NBA Finals. 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? We got one dollar a day as a per diem. He spent five years at that post, helping build Memphis into a playoff team in 2004, 05 and 06 before stepping down in 2007. . Very rarely was I satisfied with how I played. This obsessive quest for perfection was a constant during Wests playing years, and it continued in his later roles as coach and general manager of the Lakers and in similar front-office roles he held with the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and LA Clippers. black vs. white, East vs. West, etc. [43] L.A. and N.Y. split the first two games, with both games respectively decided by centers Reed and the still-hobbling Chamberlain. All of these rookies except for Wilkens are also featured on the action cards. [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. Oscar Robertson, however, demurred about change in general in basketball. Known as "The Logo", Jerry West's legendary career ended with him unquestionably among the sport's all-time greats. [65][66] This role also came with an undisclosed minority ownership stake in the team. Perhaps I expect too much.. Copyright FIBA All rights reserved. He made the varsity squad at East Bank High School, although he mostly sat on the bench during his junior year. Overall, Robertson visited the postseason 10 times in his career (six times in his decade with Cincinnati, and all four years in Milwaukee), where he lead the NBA in playoff assists 7x, including four straight years from 1962 to 1965; other individual postseason accomplishments included averaging a triple-double for the 1962 playoffs and leading the playoffs in minutes played for three straight years (including an astounding 48.8 minutes per game in 1964-1965). Dr. J went decidedly old-school with his selections, naming Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to the first team. Also Read - "A cast of characters, different personalities and Charles Barkley": Larry Bird's hilarious trash talk shone through even in his Dream Team Hall of Fame induction speech. "How much weightlifting did you do?" Hence, every college game, every practice and every summer workout by 1958 became about the game within the game: winning at all costs, but also showing the world he could . Jerry West Chris Webber Oscar Robertson Mark Jackson. 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. It seems to mark a change from the way the final minutes are officiated today, when "no hemorrhage, no foul" is the rule. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. [12][63] Jonnie played guard for West's college team, the West Virginia Mountaineers and married professional golfer Michelle Wie in 2019. He was the third player in league history to reach 25,000 points (after Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). Jerry West. [8] West eventually became the team's starting small forward, and he quickly established himself as one of the finest West Virginia high school players of his generation. New York, however, won the game and the title. 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). 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. He practiced shooting until his fingers bled. Oscar Robertson was the only college player to finish the March Madness career with four triple-doubles. Media createst the impression that Oh, he had a triple-double! he did something spectacular. Professional career Los Angeles Lakers (1960 . [55] West wanted to re-negotiate his contract and keep playing, however, he said Cooke "basically told my agent to go to hell. Oscar was sitting right there. [15] These performances earned him a multitude of honors, among them an All-American Third Team call-up, First Team All-Southern Conference, Southern Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player Award and First Team honors, Chuck TaylorConverse Second-team All-American honors, and Associated Press and United Press International Third-team All-American honors. Many players have been tagged with the nickname Mr. West completely immersed himself in practice, often neglecting to eat. He played West as a guard, in contrast to West's college days as a forward. St. Joseph's Joe Spratt: "I give a somewhat hesitant edge to Jerry West over Oscar Robertson. [20] His college coach was also hired to coach the Lakers. [64] West himself won his second NBA Executive of the Year Award in the same year. [38] In return, the center blasted Van Breda Kolff as "the dumbest and worst coach ever". Clutch," passing up the shot himself because he is, after all, 71 years old. Following another Finals loss in 1970, this time to the New York Knicks, the Lakers finally broke through in 1972 and beat the Knicks in five games for the only NBA title of Wests career; ironically, it was one of the worst individual postseasons of his career, as he averaged only 22.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and a league-best 8.9 assists per game. [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. 1 select and West the . Charleston, WV (25301) Today. . [12] In Game 4, the guard scored 37 points and 18 assists, and the Lakers won. 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? West was also superior as a clutch performer and in playoff competition. And, you know, Oscar said, You right, Jerry.'. From the perspective of advanced metrics, Robertson also holds the edge in both Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and Wins-Shares. It seems to bother the Big O more than West, this dulling of fans' memories of their glory days. Their checks kinda depend upon that. From college to the pros, Robertson and West shared a unique bond and reverence. Despite a level of intensity so high it could melt lead, West was one of the NBAs most admired and well-liked figures. However, it became clearer later that NBA media got lazy, complacent and became more of a sales force for the league itself. He dominated early with the Cincinnati Royals, averaging a triple-double for the first several seasons of his career and finishing with averages of 29.3 points, 10.3 assists, and 8.5 rebounds over the course of 10 seasons However, Robertson and the Royals came up short in the playoffs early in his career and struggled to even make the postseason toward the end of his Cincinnati tenure. Jerry West is a legendary Lakers guard. [14] In his first varsity year under head coach Fred Schaus, West scored 17.8points per game and averaged 11.1rebounds; he also started in all 28 games while shooting 49.6% from the field and 73.2% from the free throw line. Three of the Finals went seven games, with the Lakers losing two of those Game 7s to the Celtics by a single basket. He died aged 67. Similarly, West was a postseason participant in 13 of his 14 NBA seasons (he injured his knee in 1971 and missed the playoffs that year), which included a remarkable nine NBA Finals appearances. Shaver emphasized the importance of conditioning and defense, which were lessons that the teenager appreciated. CLEVELAND The NBA celebrated its diamond anniversary with a sparkling tribute to honor 75 years on the hardwood floor. [36] In Game 1, West only hit seven of 24 shots, and the Lakers lost 107101, but L.A. evened out the series at two games each. The dirt-covered court became his domain. Jerry West and Oscar Robertson defined the guard position for over a decade. It was a beautiful thing wasted, West later said. An abundance of admiration, actually. Robertsons last 30+ points per game season came in 1966-1967, though interestingly, he would win his lone scoring title the next season at 29.2 points per game (50.0% shooting), while also leading the league in assists at 9.7 per game. [12] They have three sons, David, Mark and Michael. [39], In the 1969 NBA Playoffs, the 55-win Lakers defeated the Atlanta Hawks and the San Francisco Warriors, setting up the sixth finals series versus Boston in eight years. [81] They have two sons, Ryan and Jonnie. Magic, Wilt, Jerry West, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant are some of the Laker greats, but Kareem was the best. He was an All-Star every year of his career and led Los Angeles to the NBA Finals nine times. ". "They have everything it takes to win a championship. Oscar Robertson vs Lenny Wilkens. They were also both on the gold medal winning team at the 1959 Pan American Games. [83] Apart from being shy, West was always restless: Schaus described him as a "bundle of nerves", Celtics contemporary Bob Cousy as "always on the move", and fellow Laker and Mountaineer Rod Hundley testified that during bar visits, West would quickly squirm and demand to go elsewhere before everybody else had settled. Overall, both Robertson and West played 14 NBA seasons from 1960-1974, with Robertson having a 100+ games played advantage due to better health. West and Co. got their revenge the following season, as The Logo led the NBA in assists and LA got a legendary game from Wilt Chamberlain en route to a title. Some of these triple-doubles that Jerry West or Oscar Robertson or Elgin Baylor had, they would think they had the worst day in the world!. However, in 1951 his older brother, David, was killed in action in the Korean War, and the trauma turned West into a shy and introverted boy. [76] On February 17, 2011, a statue of West was unveiled outside Staples Center at the Star Plaza in Los Angeles, California. Both Robertson and West were standout high school basketball players (in fact, both were named the best player in their respective home states) before going on to dominate the college ranks; drafted 1-2 in 1960, the duo would also quickly make their marks in the NBA. Laker Legend Jerry West calls Redick out for his reckless. Clutch", for his ability to make a big play in a clutch situation, such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks; "the Logo", in reference to his silhouette being incorporated into the NBA logo; "Mr. Outside", in reference to his perimeter play with the Los Angeles Lakers; and "Zeke from Cabin Creek", for the creek near his birthplace of Chelyan, West Virginia. [8] He led the Lakers in scoring in seven seasons,[20] and only Jordan had a higher career scoring average in the playoffs (33.5 versus 29.1). They're all that way on the Celtics, and you can't teach it. West is still regarded as one of the best pure scorers in NBA history. On October 19th in 1960, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson made their NBA debut for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cincinnati Royals respectively. Jerry West's NBA Finals Record. FTA complete back to 1948-49. [15] "He stole more than anybody, although they didn't keep records on it then", said Sharman. And in NBA All-First Team Defense selections it wasn't even close. 44 jersey in 1983. Amulya Shekhar is a sports junkie who thrives on the thrills and frills of live sports action across basketball, football (the American variant works too), parkour, adventure sports. [8], In the summer of 2000, the city of Morgantown, West Virginia, and West Virginia Governor Cecil Underwood, dedicated the road outside of the West Virginia University Coliseum, "Jerry West Boulevard". [25] West became known especially for hitting important late-game shots, and Lakers' announcer Chick Hearn named him "Mr. Godine 1980. primljen je u Kuu slavnih, a Los Angeles Lakersi su u njegovu ast penzionisali dres sa brojem 44. "Fans believe what people tell them.". Only Jordan had a higher career scoring average in the playoffs, and only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tallied more career points in the postseason. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. The USA had plenty of firepower at the Rome Games. He would sit by himself and stare into space. Unfortunately for West, individual success could not prevent. Every bit West's equal was Baylor. "[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. Your email address will not be published. He also led Oscar in NBA All-First Team selections, ten to nine. [60], Those championship-winning Lakers were coached by Pat Riley, and featured superstar players Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. 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