Yes, he did, indeed. 1967 at first, and 1972 later. Naturally, throughout those two years, he was a member of one of the all-time best teams. I used to talk a lot about this all the time.
With a regular season record of 68–13, the 1967 team was the best in the league for a short while (until Wilt’s 72′ Lakers beat it, hehe). Most people at the time believed that the 1967–76ers were the best team in NBA history. They defeated the Celtics 4-1, handing them their only post-finals loss since the 1960s, and the Royals 3-1. In the championship game, they defeated the Warriors 4-2 (Rick Barry of the Warriors averaged 40.8 points).
It was Wali Jones, Luke Jackson, Cunningham, Greer, Walker, and Chamberlain. Averaging 24 points, 24 rebounds, and 8 assists on 68.3% shooting, Chamberlain had a fantastic year and likely one of his first “genuine” years where he didn’t care about the numbers. I’m pretty sure no one else has averaged that many points on such efficient shooting, though Jokic comes pretty close in 2022–23. In any case, Wilt led his team in rebounds, assists, and scoring with averages of 18, 28, and 7 in the championship. Wilt had an insane year, going 11 for 11 in one game and 18 for 18 in the next.
Now, the Lakers broke the 67′ 76ers record for the most victories by an NBA team in 1972 with a 69–13 record. The Lakers had the longest winning streak in NBA history, going 33 games in a row. They also defeated the Bulls 4-0, the Bucks 4-0, and the Knicks 4-0. Wilt averaged fifteen points, nineteen rebounds, and four assists. Jerry stated that Wilt was the primary factor for the Lakers’ exceptional paint defense. Wilt averaged 19, 23, 3, and was named finals MVP. Wilt also had, at 72.7 percent, the highest field goal percentage of any player in a while.
Now, those two teams that he was genuinely winning with were among the best in NBA history.
At the very least, my initial reaction upon seeing his accolades and accomplishments was, “Only 2 rings!” However, I believe that two rings actually symbolize a lot after doing some investigation. Of course, some will use Wilt’s two rings as a means of discrediting him, but come on, without doing any research, I’m positive that, by 1972, Wilt had the most rings of any non-Celtic player (or at least in the top three), simply because just think about how much more you could have won if you hadn’t been with Boston during those years.
Wilt was never able to repeat as a champion after Hall of Famers Bill Russell, Sam Jones, John Havlicek, Bob Cousy, Tom Sanders, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, and Frank Ramsey—all of whom were on the same team at one point—closed Wilt’s path to success.
Wilt did succeed in winning two rings. For now, at least, he maximized those two rings. Even if they may not be the best, Wilt is the main factor that makes those two teams among the best in NBA history.
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