The NBA playoffs are currently underway, and since the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets are no longer my two teams of choice, it seems appropriate to address the never-ending discussion about who the true best player of all time is. It’s frequently referred to as the GOAT.
It’s not Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, despite what some may say. The late 7’1″, 300 lb player is unquestionably the greatest of all time. Wilt (The Stilt) Chamberlain was an incredible iron man who played in 14 NBA seasons and held numerous unbreakable records. He was born in 1959 and lived to be 73.
“We will never see another one like Wilt,” said Abdul-Jabbar, who started his professional career as Lew Alcindor with the Bucks.
Apart from witnessing Chamberlain, sometimes referred to as the Big Dipper, perform numerous times both live and on television throughout the years, my initial viewpoint was reinforced by my newspaper interview with the late Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics, who is without a doubt the greatest defensive player in history.
Russell, Chamberlain’s longtime rival, stated: “Wilt was so strong he was virtually unstoppable—even by me” on a trip to Cleveland in the late 1970s to promote his Bell System long-distance calling advertisements.
Russell laughed heartily and remarked, “He could do what he wanted, anytime he wanted.” “Do everything—rebound, roll your fingers, dunk, pass, block shots, shove you—everything. He has never been like this and most likely never will be.
As a longtime follower of professional basketball spanning several decades, I attended my first NBA game at The Arena downtown in the 1950s. The Milwaukee Hawks played at that time before relocating to St. Louis and subsequently Atlanta..
