Wilt Chamberlain was the first truly dominant player in the NBA. As a 7’1″, 375-pound center, he ruled the league with a tight grip, averaging 30 points, 22 rebounds, and 4.4 assists on 54% shooting for his 15-year-career.
He’s also a 13x All-Star, 7x scoring champion, 4x MVP, and first-ballot Hall of Famer.
He’s the only player in league history to averaged 50 points in a season and somehow averaged at least 18 rebounds in every single year of his career.
He was a man ahead of his time and the league didn’t know how to respond back then.
So, if given the choice to start his franchise wth any player, who would he pick? Back when he was alive, he was asked that same question — and his answer was is as shocking now as it was back then.
“You won’t believe this but I like Jonny Stockton. I think he’s the most complete person at his position but Magic Johnson is still my favorite because his game is just bigger.”
https://twitter.com/FadeawayWorld/status/1246119793968787462
Obviously this was in the days before Jordan, LeBron, or Kobe. The options were somewhat limited. But, judging by the expression of the other announcers, they were shocked he didn’t pick Magic — who was in his prime through the 1980s.
So why did Wilt pick Stockton of all players? He had an insanely well-rounded offensive game. His ball-handling, court vision, and passing abilities were absolutely insane. In 19 seasons in the NBA, Stockton averaged 13 points 10.5 assists, and 2.7 rebounds on 51% shooting. He was brilliant on the offensive end and would have helped a guy like Wilt dominate even more than he already did. They would have been an ideal pairing.
So while it may seem like nonsense on the surface, it’s understandable why Wilt was so high on Stockton.Their games would have complimented each other perfectly.
