Bleacher Report has an ongoing series The Portal, where they compare an active NBA player to one of the legends of the game. In their very first episode, it was a showdown between Kevin Durant and Larry Bird, in which Durant won the hypothetical best-of-eleven game.
In the second episode, a simulated a hypothetical matchup between Wilt Chamberlain and Giannis Antetokounmpo. It started with Wilt saying any player that could match him will have to be some sort of freak, before getting sucked through a portal to face, you guessed right, the Greek Freak.
To guarantee that the matchups are as fair as possible, both players were transported from a time when they played their best basketball. For Wilt, it was in 1962, fresh out of his 100-point game, with his opponent being the 2021 Finals MVP, Giannis.
Chamberlain holds the single-game scoring record in league history with 100 points, but his strength was in rebounds. He is the all-time rebounds leader with 23,924 total rebounds, and it is unlikely that his record will be broken in decades to come. The only active player closest to grabbing as many rebounds is Dwight Howard, who has 14,340 career rebounds so far and sits 11th on the all-time list. No other active player makes the top 25.
Based on the video, Giannis was star-struck seeing the legend, with the obvious question on his mind. He said:
“I have so many questions, 20,000?”
For those unfamiliar with what “20,000” means, Wilt, in a book, wrote about having relations with 20,000 women.
The matchup showed Antetokounmpo’s humility, as he was seen to be helping Wilt with his shot from the free-throw line. Ironic, given that Giannis is not the model free-throw shooter either.
Giannis still has a lot of playing years ahead of him but has already achieved so much. He is a two-time MVP, 2020 Defensive Player of the Year, five-time All-Star, and 2021 NBA Finals MVP. The 26-year-old is averaging 28 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists so far in the 2021-22 season.
These hypotheticals have been imagined for long by fans, wondering what it would be like if these exceptional talents all played in the same era. Of course, the matchup that most fans will be looking out for will be that of Michael Jordan and LeBron James. While that will not end the GOAT debate, fans will enjoy watching both players in a 1v1 game, even though it is solely hypothetical.
