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Hey Clayton thoughts on my list of combo guards I have these guys on this list to keep my guards list more consistent Jerry West Oscar Robertson Dennis Johnson Russell Westbrook Walt Frazier
Thanks Clayton, for moving my emotions. This narative was worth every minute and second. My father is now close to being 70 years old and whenever a basketball conversation comes up, if the topic is the past, Oscar Robertson is the 1st name that comes out of his mouth. Dare I say, although Oscar's accolades, demeanor, and relationship to coaches and the league may be remembered some, his greatness will always be his best know part. Realistically, what he craved so much, is already bestowed upon by those who truly love the game of basketball. Oscar Robertson = Legend
Oscar Robertson was scarred by the racism that he suffered even when he did so much for his city. After a while that kind of hate just infects you and defines you, it's tragic. It doesn't take away from who he was as a player (or a person in my eyes as he didn't hurt anyone) but it is sad. I grew up in a very racist part of England in the 90s and it took me years to unlearn the animosity I felt towards white people but that's only a spec of what Oscar Robertson went through. He'll always be one of the best to ever do it
Think about it, he was more statistically dominant than russel and more team oriented than wilt. Imagine if he had been drafted to a great team. I can totally imagine him winning 3-5 championships and that changes the whole goat debate on its head.
Kareem, who played with Robertson as well as Magic, has said that Robertson was the better player. Robertson was also Jordan's favourite player, I think.
With all due respect to Oscar, I feel like the fact that most don't know his story makes him even more legendary than he already is. It adds this sort of mystique around him that not many have
Oscar Robertson is the most perfect player for this series ever in my opinion. He's incredible and one of the greatest players and point guards to ever grace the game. His shooting ability, up fakes, pull-ups and so on were so effiecent for his time which is why his team always trusted him most with the ball. Great Video. I think this video was very well made on Robertson life and opinions on the media and people in general. His career (especially in college) isn’t highlighted at all and I didn’t know how historically great of a college career he had. Again great video.
Clayton, I really look forward to your videos. My father, the same age as Oscar Robertson, raised me on stories of Indiana basketball. To this day, he can name the Crispus Attucks' starting five on the 1956 team that beat his Lafayette Jefferson Bronchos in the final. He told me time and time again how Robertson was the smoothest player. He went full speed, but was never in a hurry. He was all over the floor, but kept his head in the game. He always said the Big O was the most complete basketball player to ever lace 'em up. All of us, at some point in our playing careers, have to realize our contributions are more and more limited. Other teammates are better at shooting, passing, interior defense, etc. At the highest level, only a few don't have limitations... and Oscar Robertson is the prime example. Anyway, while watching the Bulls and Knicks in the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals, my dad turned to me and said, "You know how I've always said the Big O was the most complete basketball player I've ever seen? Well, now there's Jordan." NAIA is the highest level in which my father ever coached and that I ever played, but basketball is one of our shared passions. As my connection to the current NBA grows more distant, I love watching videos like this one... not to say it was all roses back then... and not to close my eyes to the current game.... but to gain persepective of the history of the greatest game ever invented. Thanks again for a great channel.
WOW. I am 71. Lafayette Jeff was always in the mix for a Championship run. There was 1 classification system. The teams were better then. Oscar was in a class by himself.
The part about the other legends sticking with their franchises and Oscar's jersey hanging in Sacramento makes me sad for him. He probably won't live to see the Kings become contenders again, but it also wasn't really his franchise. He does attend Bucks games sometimes with Kareem, but that's kind of like KG's relationship with the Celtics as opposed to the Wolves. He hasn't had his franchise since he left, and that's sad...
I'm a 36 year old white man from Europe and I know who Oscar Robertson is. I will never forget him. I have done my research on him and on basketball's rich history. For me Oscar Robertson is a top 15 player of all time and will probably be a top 15 player of all time forever for me. The things he went through to get into the NBA, the things he did while playing and after playing are something that should never be forgotten. Those things have cemented his place on the highest peak of players for me forever. If there was only one all time legend basketball player I was allowed to meet and spend a day with it certainly would be Oscar Robertson. There would be so many things to discuss, both basketball and the state of the world during the last 100 years it would probably be the greatest day of my life. I would want to hear the stories what Big O would have to tell. Some people probably call him 'bitter' or 'angry' but to me it would be a history trip and I would get first hand knowledge how the things actually were in this world when he was playing. Salute and high honors to Big O, one of the greatest players of all time.
Oscar Robertson is a top 5 all-time player. He was unquestionably the best point guard to ever play the game. Oscar was so much better than Magic Johnson, they shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence.
@@johnreape2833 What??? Oscar have only 1ring and average 16ppg in Finals.. just 22ppg in playoff playing over 40mpg he is not better than Magic and Curry
@@dragondragon5437 Oscar was an old man when the Bucks ( Jabbar), won the NBA title. Most of Robertson's career was with the Cincinnati Royals. In the eastern conference, they were going against the Celtics ( Russell), and the Philadelphia 76's, with Wilt. Basketball is a team game. Curry isn't anywhere close to Oscar Robertson. Magic Johnson is a top ten all-time player, but not in Oscar's class. Curry is not a top 25 player.
@@dragondragon5437 I am assuming you never saw Oscar Robertson play. He was the third best player in the league for more than 10 years ( behind Wilt, and Russell). He averaged a triple double for his career. Oscar was also a great defensive player. The only guard that is arguably better than Oscar was Michael Jordan.
His autobiography was one of the most intelligent and insightful sports books I have ever read. He was not bitter, he simply expected from childhood to be treated equally to everyone else, and he certainly noticed whenever he was not. Truly a man's man in every sense of the word. Brilliant on the court and off.
Oscar Robertson is awesome. He excelled in conditions that would have broken most and people that want to believe that every single bit of his bitterness is not justified can go eff themselves.
Any Black man that does NOT feel the way this man feels should eff themselves also! Oscar was only reacting to the bullshit way this sick society treated him and his people.
Yeah it always grinds my gears when some younger fan says something like "the players today would destroy the players from back then!" Bruh, if the rules were enforced the same or if they had the same rules as today back then, if they had the same health knowledge as they do today, etc then I'm sure that people like Oscar, Wilt, Russell and others would dominate just as well in today's league!
Now 75, I was a 9 year old white kid watching the IHSAA basketball tournament in Indianapolis on black and white TV. I was mesmerized and awestruck watching the Crispus Attucks Tigers take the floor at Butler Fieldhouse. They looked so powerful just warming up. And then the game began and they were stunning. It was much later in life that I learned some of their story of what those teams endured just trying to get in a season schedule of games. That was gut wrenching to learn their truth so many years later. I was just a kid in Indiana that was trying to emulate Oscar Robertson on my neighborhood basketball court. Never made my high school team(last cut though). Now, so many years have passed and then I stumble upon this video. Now, I find out so much more about "The Big O's" life off the court during college recruitment, as a Bearcat and as a Cincinnati Royal. More gut punches! I mourn the passing of the great Bill Russell whom I watched on TV as a professional and admire as a human being. It will be with great personal sadness if Oscar Robertson and Bill Bradley pass before I do as those were the heroes who I tried to emulate on that neighborhood court some 60 years ago. Thank you Mr Crowley for telling so much more of this man's story.
Great video. Though I'd argue that Elgin Baylor was just as forgotten as Oscar. Also, Oscar may have been the original Big Fundamental. Nothing flashy, but he dribbled without carrying the ball and had a killer mid-range game. I even saw a step-back jumper, fadeaway, and Euro step in your highlights. I can see from your video that that Oscar's game could easily translate to the current era of basketball.
I've been watching basketball for more than 60 years & he is still the greatest player I have ever seen. When Oscar played there was no palming, no drop step (which is jumping twice on one possession), no double pivot feet or no extra steps to the hoop. The game was played by the rules. He was quite simply the greatest college player ever & the greatest combination of college & pro player of all-time in any sport. The triple double stuff wasn't even among his greatest accomplishments as a pro. In his MVP 1964 season he came within 17 rebounds of amassing 800 FGs, 800 FTs, 800 assists & 800 rebounds which is an astounding unapproached feat to this day. He is the only player to average for a career: at least 7.0 FGPG, 7.0 FTPG, 7.0 APG & 7.0 RPG (14 seasons). He is the only NBA player to lead the league in FTM & FT% in the same season TWICE. He is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30.0 PPG, 10.0 APG & shoot .475 FG% in the same season more than once and he did 5X. Oh, and he led his NBA team to a season win% above .500 as many times as Jordan did.
Look how far he got with virtually no positive praise from fans/organization/ and his country. Imagine how great he would have been in an encouraging healthy environment. Legend.
That isn't at all true. Oscar was respected for his incredible talent by everyone. That may not have been true in high school, but at Cinn U, and with the Royals, he was regarded as the second best player in the nba, behind Wilt.
@Drknight1212 actually the fans loved him and still do ! One of the reasons that he didn't amass alot of ink in the press (newspaper) was what us cincinnatians call the cincy curse . They did the same to the Reds in baseball. The same people that owned the Reds AND the Royals also owned the Cincinnati Enquire. More press equals more money at contract time thus less press. The same people sold the Royals eventually and brought the Bengals to Cincinnati.
This is Clayton's best work, IMO, and long overdue. Born in Indianapolis in 1954, I was too young to remember the Big O's back-to-back Indiana state high championships, but by the time I got into basketball in the early 1960s, those Crispus Attucks teams were legendary-and not just because of their dominance (61-1 in Robertson's junior and senior seasons). Crispus Attucks was the last segregated high school in Indianapolis-and would remain so until the early 1970s, when Mayor (later Senator) Richard Lugar desegregated the school by sending his own kids there. As Clayton implies, a lot of people were not happy watching Oscar and his teammates dominate. As such, it is not surprising that has said that he hates the movie Hoosiers (which, by the way, features Ray Crowe, Oscar's Attucks coach, as the South Bend coach in the final game), no doubt remembering the way the Attucks teams were relegated to second class status in the state despite their-and his-brilliance.
Jerry West and Oscar Robertson are the two players I would just love to see in the modern NBA including everything that comes with it: training methods, diet plans, tatics etc. They seem to have been just pioneers of the game as it is today. Btw. the 1960 draft had Robertson, West, Lenny Wilkens, Tom Sanders and Al Attles (5 hall of famers) plus Darrall Imhoff and Lee Shaffer (2 All Stars)... Just as a fun fact if you want to be extra smug when discussing best drafts of all time. ;)
I'm 30 and got into basketball in 09, around 12-14 I got REALLY into basketball history. Was in awe in what the players in the 60s/70s had to go through. I was lucky enough to see him in person at King vs OKC game a while back and still to this day one of my fav moments even though I just walked passed him lol. I encourage any who loves basketball to look into the past because it's very interesting and I think important for people to know.
I know a lot about Oscar Robertson because we were about the same age. Basketball was king in the mid west back in our days. I knew Oscar lived in Indianapolis and what high school and college teams he played for. He was one of the greatest to ever play basketball. When I lived in Cincinnati from 1975-85 I knew exactly where his office was at because it had his name on the building. A great video because a lot of people today do not know a lot about the great older players. I was in the Army at FT. Sill, OK in 1979 when I saw Elgin Baylor who was in the Army there too.
Thank you for this video, Clayton. I am a Cincinnati man, and this one is close to my heart. This is a proud sports town that hangs its hat on some of the greatest baseball teams ever (the 1970s Reds), the greatest offensive lineman in NFL history (the Bengals’ Anthony Muñoz), and the college basketball tradition at the University of Cincinnati. Even here though, the *start* of that legacy has been lost. Perhaps the single greatest athlete in the history of the city, both collegiate and professional, is Oscar Robertson. And that is forgotten. I’ve long wished that the NBA could return to Cincinnati, so that the city could embrace professional basketball in a way that it failed to when Oscar was in its lap. Even Dayton to the north is a basketball mecca, and this region belongs in the consciousness of the sport. We owe so much of that to this man, and I greatly appreciate that you took the time to honor him.
Cincinnati is a baseball and COLLEGE basketball town. The Royals helped get the Bengals here though ! Paul Brown had to sue the NFL to get the franchise. The nfl charter said if two cities are vying for one available franchise, it will go to the city that has the most professional entities! We had the Reds, Royals, and a aaa Chicago hockey team . New Orleans didn't so he got the bengals franchise here. I am a uc alum from the early 70s!
Clayton, you did a fantastic job with this, a fantastic job indeed. I grew up in Cincinnati and went to many games at the Cincinnati Gardens. He was indeed special and you've given him more recognition in these 32 minutes than the NBA ever has..As you you said, his story deserves to be told. I don't think anyone will tell it better than you just did...Bravo my man...
Very good video. I KNOW Robertson personally, meeting him as a 29 year old working as a store salesman. He was waiting for his wife to price a refrigerator, near the tv section of the store. He and I chatted while watching Indiana vs Auburn in the 1987 NCAA Tournament. In the insuing years, he and I would meet up at random places, and chat like we'd just seen each other days before. He always remembered me and anything I'd ever told him. I last ran into him when I was 61, at a tobacco store;he's a cigar enthusiast. When he saw me, he ribbed me for buying pipe tobacco 🙂, but, I told him it was my "secret" for looking younger than my age. He laughed and said it was working... after I finally told how old I was;he realized he'd never asked my age when we'd met 31 years earlier. We discussed his career, his family, the effect racism had had on his life, among other things over the years. As an old man, the city of Cincinnati embraces him as a legend...THEIR legend..., but , he never forgot how the city treated him when he first got here. I can vouch that he is really funny and personable, and down-to-earth as hell. He has far more friends in Cincinnati, Black and White, than folks may realize. Through him, and others, I value the fact to be skeptical of what I read about someone... especially when I personally know him/her to be very different in reality. It's strange that Jerry West is revered even to this day, yet, Robertson is not. And, West himself finds that puzzling. Folks would think HE'd know both the player and the man...because he does. They are friends, and have been for decades. Anyone who considers themselves a true Basketball historian, or "expert" should know what this man did in the game, and, for the game. Or, at least, respect the opinions of those who do. 👍🏻👍🏻 for this video.
This video actually makes me mad at how fans treat players. Both then and now. These are human beings. Not just pieces of a team. Robertson was being called racial slurs in his playing days and is being called a plumber today. Nba fans are so toxic
He played for the Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis, when I was at Purdue. Purdue needed him. I saw him play as he led his school to be State Champion.
These kind of videos are so much more interesting than just another video about MJ or LeBron (no offense, I know your first videos were about MJ and LeBron). You were absolutely right that I knew who Oscar Robertson was, but didn’t know anything about him. Just the triple double stat. *Request* : A video on Wes Unseld. Like Robertson, I know the name, I know he was the only player to win MVP as a rookie. But other than that I can’t really tell you anything about the guy. Keep the history lessons coming! Loving this
The kings point could not have been better articulated! The tumultuous wake that franchise has left has created a fog around the incredible careers of players that played in Cincinnati and KC
They talk about the GOAT point guard and don't even mention Oscar. That is utterly ridiculous. He was like Wilt, utterly dominant. Great playmaker, scorer, rebounder.
The big O as a youngster admired him on and off court , my idol always forever tried to emulate him on court watching him lead Bucks to championship with Kareem hell of a floor general one of the greatest points guards ever period
What a fantastic video. I must admit that I'm one of the many people who have only associated Oscar with those pieces of trivia, but my respect for what he did on the court has grown tremendously.
Oscar would make such a great helio centric star. He made every passing read outta the pick and roll, and would have just thrived in the spread PnR a la Harden/Luka/Nash, except he was a much better off ball player than any of them, and a much better defender.
I remember many years ago seeing another African American icon, the musician Charles Mingus. People said that Charles Mingus was an ogre, someone who terrified music critics and someone who was borderline insane, despite his brilliance as a composer and bass player. When I made eye contact with Mr. Mingus as he was entering an open amphitheater for a performance, I instinctively reached out to shake his hand. Despite carrying his upright bass, he reached out to shake my hand. We struck up a brief conversation and during the course of our chat, I said "Sir, Mr. Mingus" at least six times. He jokingly said to me that I was going to live a long life and told me to enjoy the performance. I did. Like Charles Mingus, Oscar Robertson spent much of his life being disrespected and mislabeled. Robertson is not an angry curmudgeon or some crazy African American misfit. He doesn't hold grudges; he's just not willing to play games that promote false narratives. I am happy that in some small way that Charles Mingus and Oscar Robertson have been part of my life. While some say that musicians and athletes are not role models, the fact is they are. What they choose not to do is often as important as what they choose to do. Neither Charles Mingus nor Oscar Robertson lived or have lived perfect lives. However, those of us who wish to learn and learn without judgment or inherent bias can learn a great deal from them and others. If we study the likes of Charles Mingus and Oscar Robertson in totality, perhaps we will be better persons. If we are better people, maybe our world will be a better place. Still imperfect, but striving towards a more perfect one.
Outstanding video. My Mom grew up in Indianapolis and her high school was a rival to Oscar's high school team. He beat them like a drum lol but she remembers a game he played so well that they gave him a standing ovation out of respect. I followed the Cincinnati Royals until they moved and got to see Oscar in person his last year in Cincy. This is one long time NBA fan who knows how great the Big O was and was honored to be a fan of his. Thank you for this video as I can tell you get it. Good job!
With no NBA team in Cincinnati, the Reds should occasionally invite Oscar to throw out a ceremonial first pitch, or the Bengals should invite him to toss the coin. Not sure he'd accept, but the invitations should be issued.
I live in Chicago and was here for the great Bulls teams of the 90s. As great as Michael Jordan is -- and he certainly is -- for my money, Oscar Robertson IS the GOAT. Statistically, there's no question. And no one but Oscar was called on to play all five positions at some point in the SAME GAME...I think that's even more influential than his triple-double season. He jumped center for his team at all three levels. It's a LOT harder to do what he did, when faced with the same Jackie Robinson-type pressure in the city he represented. He is the template for every great player at his position; every stellar point guard in the game today owes a debt to the Big O. He was the Willie Mays of the NBA, in the sense that he was also that same complete player.
Clayton you never release as many videos as I'd like but they are always worth the wait. Many other content creators on youtube not just in the NBA space, could learn from you. If you really put in the work and aim for the highest possible standard it's truly amazing just how good the final result can be. Sometimes quality of quantity is everything.
He was the Wilt Chamberlain of the backcourt: put up amazing, individual numbers, but struggled to lead his teams to championships. Like Wilt, he eventually got there, but it was only after he joined up with another who was even greater than he was. However, there are very few PGs who have ever led any team to a championship, so I’m willing to give him somewhat of a break. Either way, he’s absolutely one of the all-time greats and he was revolutionary, as well.
This video has officially made you the best basketball TH-camr in my opionion (even over me and my 2 shitty basketball shorts) your quality , intrigue and damn near perfect storytelling stile makes your videos feel like a high budget documentary. Your informed , and non heavily biased views of the game make the videos so enjoyable
Remember the big O' . As a celtic fan the 74 series they made Oscar push the ball up the court trying to wear him out,Bucks didn't really have anybody else who could do it. What a man & player.
the reason for that was that the other guard who shared ball handling duties with Robertson, Lucius Allen (was averaging17.6 pts. and 5.6 assists) tore his MCL late in the season against the Pistons when he tripped over a towel that had somehow been left on the court. A tremendous break for the Celtics who then were able to harass Robertson who was the only Buck who could bring the ball up the court without having it stolen
Dude, that was one of the best sports TH-cam videos I've seen and I've seen a lot. Thank you sooo much. By the way, most real sports fans know that the 2002-2003 Sacramento Kings were cheated out of a trip to the finals. Thanks for giving the Big O his props. He was AWESOME!!!!! (I pray he gets past his anger)
My mother, who loved dance and had no interest in watching basketball, commented after I forced her to watch the Big O, “he moves much more gracefully than everybody else, like a dancer “. He was better than everyone else. Full stop.
Beautiful! There was much talk about who the GOAT was before prime Jordan, but, at least until Bird and Magic came along, Oscar's name was always mentioned first.
Oscar Robertson was the prototype for the big, strong point guard. He was perfectly built for the game and was unstoppable. He was on a weak pro team with Jerry Lucas as the only other star alongside him. I had the privilege of watching him and the Royals play Wilt and the 76ers at the University of Dayton Fieldhouse back when Billy Cunningham was a rookie in the 1965-66 season. Although he doesn't get the credit today, I've thought of him as the greatest basketball player ever. He dominated in the era of Wilt, Russell, West and Baylor and led the way to the global game that the NBA now represents. We have Jordan, Lebron and others because he and other greats opened the doors to the success that the NBA is today.
As a white kid growing up Dayton Ohio I wanted to play basketball like my hero Oscar ‘Big O’ Robertson, one of my heroes. 3 of my heroes were black men. Oscar, Bill Russell and Paul Warfield. All 3 men I still hold in high regard. Class. 💪😎
Great cover of the Big O and his career. I don’t know that its worth questioning a man who went through what he endured. Whatever his anger was or still may be, its personal. We have all known people who were angry for a lot less than being ignored, insulted, hated, discriminated against and non-celebrated. In the end, I’m just thankful to be able to watch his highlights.
Amazing. I've been loving this game since I was 12 but due to knee and aging no longer play it now. But this video just shows how much more passionate you are about basketball than me, and believe me I LOVE THIS GAME, so to see this level of work and love towards basketball from someone, idk man it just makes me tears up a lil. Please never stop doing what you are doing!
As a graduate of Crispus Attucks High School and someone who knew/knows Oscar, I will filled with angst, pride, disappointment and grateful with your video that tells the story of this basketball icon. Understand that many of the things that Oscar had to deal with we had the same barriers before us. I graduated from CAHS in 1966 and it was only a year or two prior to my graduation that our school was able to have home games in basketball or football because we did not have the proper facilities to host varsity events in those sports. Meaning we did not have a proper gym or football/track stadium. Thus I fully know and understand how he felt and feels. Indiana was/is a tough place to be Black. Thanks so much for this tribute to the Big "O". It moved me...
I was never a sports fan but Oscar was the one athlete I remember growing up. I knew him as the king of basketball and it never left me. I was not aware of his story and of his anger until I saw this piece. I still.think of him as the greatest and don't understand why he was angry. He is a self made man and to me still the greatest player in the game.
A couple of years ago my barber asked me who was the greatest NBA basketball player ever. When I said Oscar Robertson, he scratched his head trying to recall the name. He told me to take the question seriously, assuming I would say Michael Jordan or Lebron James or Jabbar, or Larry Bird. But, I insisted. Oscar Robertson is my serious answer. I am a white man from Indiana who graduated from high school in 1956, the same year as Oscar. For six years prior to that time, I had tracked the basketball progress of Crispus Attucks High School before Oscar even came on the scene. Like every Hoosier, I followed the Indiana High basketball tournament in detail. The Crispus Attucks Tigers were a phenom in the '50s due to their appearance on TV during the Marion County tournament. They were a competitive team, threatening the acclaim of the large Marion County schools like IndianpolisTech and Broad Ripple. In my hometown of Anderson, the town hero was Jumpin' Johnny Wilson, a black youth that took the Anderson Indians in 1946 to the Indiana State High School championship. I attended an integrated school. So the color of Oscar's skin was no barrier to me. I was a basketball fan and he excelled at the game. I am delighted that someone has seen fit to tell Oscar's story. It deserves to be told. History would be incomplete without a proper perspective of Oscar Robertson in it.
Nothing but love and respect for you Mr. Robertson. In a sense we go back a long ways. I came of age in the 1970s. That's exactly when my boyhood team, the Baltimore Bullets played you new team the Milwaukee Bucks. My biggest dream was for my team to win the NBA Championship. But unfortunately for me, that was apparently your dream too. It was apparent that nothing was going to stop the Bucks from winning it all that year. This was your year to take the world stage. I had to accept that and move on and watch your team celebrate. But at the same time I witnessed how good you were and how good you made your teammates. It would be something I could never forget. Even when I played, I tried to be like you. I use to try that one handed set shot with much success. I practiced your passes, court awareness, and unselfishness. Your name will always be very special to me even though you swept my team 4 games to 0. But little did I know, that the team of my youth would finally win a championship in 1977. So that takes the pressure off of you.....lol But in conclusion, thank you for all your efforts on and off the court in helping future generations find the pathway to success a lot easier. Best wishes. God be with you always.....
It's worth noting that the "triple double" was not a stat during his time, so it wasn't a goal he knew to shoot for. It was just a byproduct of his game.
Great seeing Oscar hug Jack Twyman, his former Cincinnati Royal teammate. If MAURICE STOKES! don't have that accident, the ROYALS had uh shot of knocking the Celtics down. Jerry Lucas was great also.
Thank you very much for this. Oscar Robertson should have received much more adulation for his immense skills than he did. I saw his Royals play the Lakers at the old Forum. My sister and I got to go through a line to say hello to the Laker stars, Baylor and West and others. Oscar had quite a temper. When the home team calls (yes refs always favored the home team back then, almost like roller derby), he got irate and sometime did not run back on defense. My only criticism of Oscar is that had he realized his greatness in high school, he would have considered a major market institution such as UCLA or Duke or others. But basketball at that time was not the major sport it later became. Elgin Baylor was lucky the Lakers moved to Los Angeles. Oscar was no diplomat. His outspokenness rubbed people the wrong way. Usually he was right, but being right doesn't always win the battle. In the words of my favorite athlete, Arthur Ashe, racism is wasteful. Oscar deserved better.
As a person who saw all the great players from the 60's up to today, Oscar certainly doesn't get his due. He averaged 30 pts,10 reb and 10 ast. over his FIRST FIVE SEASONS! And unlike today, nobody else was averaging close to 10 assists. Oscar was by far the greatest point guard in NBA history before Magic, who idolized him as his main on-court role model.
living in Indiana and having friends in Indy, a couple of friends and I decided to go to a Crispus Attucks game and it didn’t disappoint at all. you can tell they’re extremely proud to have had Oscar as an alumni and I recommend any Hoosiers to just go check the gym out!
Agreed. I went to a Crispus Attucks game in college. It was a trip down memory lane. My uncle went to college with Bailey, Oscar's brother, so growing up in southeastern Indiana, Oscar was a god!!!
Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Dave Bing, Hal Greer, Dick Barnett, JoJo White, Phil Chenier, Archie Clark, Gale Goodrich, Kevin Loughery, Jeff Mullins, Jon McGlocklin, Cazzie Russell, Lou Hudson, Lenny Wilkens, Bob Cousy, and others are some of the most forgotten, disrespected, and grossly underrated greats of the game.
As a proud Cincy alum, Im proud to say that learning and knowing about Mr. Bearcat is part of the basketball education that is imparted on you at the University of Cincinnati. So we chuckle when people ask was Oscar "that good?" I was there when they dedicated the statue to him on campus, and he spoke of the scarring that he suffered from racism in his playing days, yet Bearcat nation nowadays reveres him like a native son.
It's true, if just one of the Celtics had been swapped with O, we would remember him as the the GOAT, we would remember him as the ultimate champion and not Bill. He was let down by the game, by the fans, by the country and by the media, and yes it has left him bitter and resentful and that's sad, really sad.
To be honest the nba media has done a terrible job at discussing about the players from the past. The only one who gave them credit was nick wright with his top 50 list and actually going in depth with each one
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Hey Clayton thoughts on my list of combo guards I have these guys on this list to keep my guards list more consistent Jerry West Oscar Robertson Dennis Johnson Russell Westbrook Walt Frazier
Thanks Clayton, for moving my emotions. This narative was worth every minute and second.
My father is now close to being 70 years old and whenever a basketball conversation comes up, if the topic is the past, Oscar Robertson is the 1st name that comes out of his mouth.
Dare I say, although Oscar's accolades, demeanor, and relationship to coaches and the league may be remembered some, his greatness will always be his best know part.
Realistically, what he craved so much, is already bestowed upon by those who truly love the game of basketball.
Oscar Robertson = Legend
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Mikan?
Love the Everybody Votes music during the ad break
Oscar Robertson was scarred by the racism that he suffered even when he did so much for his city. After a while that kind of hate just infects you and defines you, it's tragic. It doesn't take away from who he was as a player (or a person in my eyes as he didn't hurt anyone) but it is sad.
I grew up in a very racist part of England in the 90s and it took me years to unlearn the animosity I felt towards white people but that's only a spec of what Oscar Robertson went through.
He'll always be one of the best to ever do it
He's still alive tho why did u say RIP
@@javymakesmusic Herbs... thanks for the save 🧐
They treated Jackie Robinson horribly as well
@@hyrumbliss5811 He was inspired by Robinson
Are societies more safe and prosperous if they are more White or more Black?
Just saying.
“Without him, the game wouldn’t be what it is today. That will always be true, even if the game does forget it”
Wow.
Fr
Make no mistake oscar WAS THAT DUDE. This archetype of Bird, Bron, and now Luka, STARTS with Oscar
Please don’t mention Le baby in the same sentence as the rest of these players.
@@Noname-ni1dyget over yourself
@@Noname-ni1dy cs he clears all of them lmao
@@Noname-ni1dycry
Nah Bron is an archetype of his own, there's never been anyone like him and I doubt there'll be another for a long, long time
Think about it, he was more statistically dominant than russel and more team oriented than wilt. Imagine if he had been drafted to a great team. I can totally imagine him winning 3-5 championships and that changes the whole goat debate on its head.
Facts
He had the Mj take it personally gene in him. I believe he would’ve
real. yet another terrific player let down by their team :(
Kareem, who played with Robertson as well as Magic, has said that Robertson was the better player. Robertson was also Jordan's favourite player, I think.
Truly a great Basketball TH-camr
great TH-camr
truly a great entertainer and honestly i see him being as big or bigger than jxmy(hes the most known for vids like this)
One of the greatest right now certainly
Clayton is the real MVP
love you Carl
Seriously, when was the last time ESPN dropped any content even 1/2 as good as what Clayton is putting out on a regular basis?
Not even 1/10 of of quality of Clayton’s work
At least once a year 💀
I heartily agree with everything you commented.
I wouldn't be surprised if Clayton was from Indiana. They love the game there.
Not since sportscentury
With all due respect to Oscar, I feel like the fact that most don't know his story makes him even more legendary than he already is. It adds this sort of mystique around him that not many have
I'm sure he'd be glad to sacrifice any mystique to have the recognition and acclaim that he really deserves.
Oscar Robertson is the most perfect player for this series ever in my opinion. He's incredible and one of the greatest players and point guards to ever grace the game. His shooting ability, up fakes, pull-ups and so on were so effiecent for his time which is why his team always trusted him most with the ball. Great Video. I think this video was very well made on Robertson life and opinions on the media and people in general. His career (especially in college) isn’t highlighted at all and I didn’t know how historically great of a college career he had. Again great video.
Yeah and he was better than Michael Jordan also don't let this Bulls crap Modern Day stuff tell you any different
@@Baylorbetterthanbrown no he wasn’t, no nba fan would say this
@@spaghettisauce445 he was
@@Baylorbetterthanbrown lay off the drugs bro.
Watch me drive Oscar's stock up: Kareem was better than Michael Jordan!
Clayton, I really look forward to your videos.
My father, the same age as Oscar Robertson, raised me on stories of Indiana basketball. To this day, he can name the Crispus Attucks' starting five on the 1956 team that beat his Lafayette Jefferson Bronchos in the final. He told me time and time again how Robertson was the smoothest player. He went full speed, but was never in a hurry. He was all over the floor, but kept his head in the game. He always said the Big O was the most complete basketball player to ever lace 'em up.
All of us, at some point in our playing careers, have to realize our contributions are more and more limited. Other teammates are better at shooting, passing, interior defense, etc. At the highest level, only a few don't have limitations... and Oscar Robertson is the prime example.
Anyway, while watching the Bulls and Knicks in the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals, my dad turned to me and said, "You know how I've always said the Big O was the most complete basketball player I've ever seen? Well, now there's Jordan."
NAIA is the highest level in which my father ever coached and that I ever played, but basketball is one of our shared passions. As my connection to the current NBA grows more distant, I love watching videos like this one... not to say it was all roses back then... and not to close my eyes to the current game.... but to gain persepective of the history of the greatest game ever invented.
Thanks again for a great channel.
WOW. I am 71. Lafayette Jeff was always in the mix for a Championship run. There was 1 classification system. The teams were better then. Oscar was in a class by himself.
The part about the other legends sticking with their franchises and Oscar's jersey hanging in Sacramento makes me sad for him. He probably won't live to see the Kings become contenders again, but it also wasn't really his franchise. He does attend Bucks games sometimes with Kareem, but that's kind of like KG's relationship with the Celtics as opposed to the Wolves. He hasn't had his franchise since he left, and that's sad...
Robertson AND West at the guard positions! At the same time! That Olympic team was the real dream team.
I think Julius Erving would be a good fit for this series, another legend of the game under the radar
And george gervin
Yup. The Doctor changed the game.
Erving is def gonna be a video man inspired both jordan and pippen
Ansh Kaushik he inspired bron as well and a few other players in the 90s and 2000s
Inspired Magic as well
I'm a 36 year old white man from Europe and I know who Oscar Robertson is. I will never forget him. I have done my research on him and on basketball's rich history. For me Oscar Robertson is a top 15 player of all time and will probably be a top 15 player of all time forever for me. The things he went through to get into the NBA, the things he did while playing and after playing are something that should never be forgotten. Those things have cemented his place on the highest peak of players for me forever.
If there was only one all time legend basketball player I was allowed to meet and spend a day with it certainly would be Oscar Robertson. There would be so many things to discuss, both basketball and the state of the world during the last 100 years it would probably be the greatest day of my life. I would want to hear the stories what Big O would have to tell. Some people probably call him 'bitter' or 'angry' but to me it would be a history trip and I would get first hand knowledge how the things actually were in this world when he was playing.
Salute and high honors to Big O, one of the greatest players of all time.
Oscar Robertson is a top 5 all-time player. He was unquestionably the best point guard to ever play the game. Oscar was so much better than Magic Johnson, they shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence.
@@johnreape2833 What??? Oscar have only 1ring and average 16ppg in Finals.. just 22ppg in playoff playing over 40mpg he is not better than Magic and Curry
@@dragondragon5437 Oscar was an old man when the Bucks ( Jabbar), won the NBA title. Most of Robertson's career was with the Cincinnati Royals. In the eastern conference, they were going against the Celtics ( Russell), and the Philadelphia 76's, with Wilt. Basketball is a team game. Curry isn't anywhere close to Oscar Robertson. Magic Johnson is a top ten all-time player, but not in Oscar's class. Curry is not a top 25 player.
@@johnreape4353 Loll you alone in the World ask yourself if you right
@@dragondragon5437 I am assuming you never saw Oscar Robertson play. He was the third best player in the league for more than 10 years ( behind Wilt, and Russell). He averaged a triple double for his career. Oscar was also a great defensive player. The only guard that is arguably better than Oscar was Michael Jordan.
His autobiography was one of the most intelligent and insightful sports books I have ever read. He was not bitter, he simply expected from childhood to be treated equally to everyone else, and he certainly noticed whenever he was not. Truly a man's man in every sense of the word. Brilliant on the court and off.
Oscar Robertson is awesome. He excelled in conditions that would have broken most and people that want to believe that every single bit of his bitterness is not justified can go eff themselves.
Any Black man that does NOT feel the way this man feels should eff themselves also! Oscar was only reacting to the bullshit way this sick society treated him and his people.
Him and Jerry west it’s sad how underrated these guys are
2 most dominate guards in the 1st 8 decades of the sport.
Yeah it always grinds my gears when some younger fan says something like "the players today would destroy the players from back then!"
Bruh, if the rules were enforced the same or if they had the same rules as today back then, if they had the same health knowledge as they do today, etc then I'm sure that people like Oscar, Wilt, Russell and others would dominate just as well in today's league!
RIP jerry
@@RLSmith-jt8qj8? Kinda hot take but yk what I agree
@@robg8203oscar Robertson always a top 10 for me
Now 75, I was a 9 year old white kid watching the IHSAA basketball tournament in Indianapolis on black and white TV. I was mesmerized and awestruck watching the Crispus Attucks Tigers take the floor at Butler Fieldhouse. They looked so powerful just warming up. And then the game began and they were stunning. It was much later in life that I learned some of their story of what those teams endured just trying to get in a season schedule of games. That was gut wrenching to learn their truth so many years later. I was just a kid in Indiana that was trying to emulate Oscar Robertson on my neighborhood basketball court. Never made my high school team(last cut though). Now, so many years have passed and then I stumble upon this video. Now, I find out so much more about "The Big O's" life off the court during college recruitment, as a Bearcat and as a Cincinnati Royal. More gut punches!
I mourn the passing of the great Bill Russell whom I watched on TV as a professional and admire as a human being. It will be with great personal sadness if Oscar Robertson and Bill Bradley pass before I do as those were the heroes who I tried to emulate on that neighborhood court some 60 years ago. Thank you Mr Crowley for telling so much more of this man's story.
What are you thoughts on basketball now unc
Great video. Though I'd argue that Elgin Baylor was just as forgotten as Oscar. Also, Oscar may have been the original Big Fundamental. Nothing flashy, but he dribbled without carrying the ball and had a killer mid-range game. I even saw a step-back jumper, fadeaway, and Euro step in your highlights. I can see from your video that that Oscar's game could easily translate to the current era of basketball.
Yep
Agree totally
I've been watching basketball for more than 60 years & he is still the greatest player I have ever seen. When Oscar played there was no palming, no drop step (which is jumping twice on one possession), no double pivot feet or no extra steps to the hoop. The game was played by the rules. He was quite simply the greatest college player ever & the greatest combination of college & pro player of all-time in any sport. The triple double stuff wasn't even among his greatest accomplishments as a pro. In his MVP 1964 season he came within 17 rebounds of amassing 800 FGs, 800 FTs, 800 assists & 800 rebounds which is an astounding unapproached feat to this day. He is the only player to average for a career: at least 7.0 FGPG, 7.0 FTPG, 7.0 APG & 7.0 RPG (14 seasons). He is the only NBA player to lead the league in FTM & FT% in the same season TWICE. He is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30.0 PPG, 10.0 APG & shoot .475 FG% in the same season more than once and he did 5X. Oh, and he led his NBA team to a season win% above .500 as many times as Jordan did.
Look how far he got with virtually no positive praise from fans/organization/ and his country. Imagine how great he would have been in an encouraging healthy environment. Legend.
That isn't at all true. Oscar was respected for his incredible talent by everyone. That may not have been true in high school, but at Cinn U, and with the Royals, he was regarded as the second best player in the nba, behind Wilt.
@Drknight1212 actually the fans loved him and still do ! One of the reasons that he didn't amass alot of ink in the press (newspaper) was what us cincinnatians call the cincy curse . They did the same to the Reds in baseball. The same people that owned the Reds AND the Royals also owned the Cincinnati Enquire. More press equals more money at contract time thus less press. The same people sold the Royals eventually and brought the Bengals to Cincinnati.
This is Clayton's best work, IMO, and long overdue. Born in Indianapolis in 1954, I was too young to remember the Big O's back-to-back Indiana state high championships, but by the time I got into basketball in the early 1960s, those Crispus Attucks teams were legendary-and not just because of their dominance (61-1 in Robertson's junior and senior seasons). Crispus Attucks was the last segregated high school in Indianapolis-and would remain so until the early 1970s, when Mayor (later Senator) Richard Lugar desegregated the school by sending his own kids there. As Clayton implies, a lot of people were not happy watching Oscar and his teammates dominate. As such, it is not surprising that has said that he hates the movie Hoosiers (which, by the way, features Ray Crowe, Oscar's Attucks coach, as the South Bend coach in the final game), no doubt remembering the way the Attucks teams were relegated to second class status in the state despite their-and his-brilliance.
Jerry West and Oscar Robertson are the two players I would just love to see in the modern NBA including everything that comes with it: training methods, diet plans, tatics etc. They seem to have been just pioneers of the game as it is today.
Btw. the 1960 draft had Robertson, West, Lenny Wilkens, Tom Sanders and Al Attles (5 hall of famers) plus Darrall Imhoff and Lee Shaffer (2 All Stars)... Just as a fun fact if you want to be extra smug when discussing best drafts of all time. ;)
As a Kings fan, I have accepted that he is definitely the greatest player this franchise has ever held.
Easily. Webber is a distant second.
Bob Cousy has to be one of the game pioneers. He just changed so much about basketball.
I'm 30 and got into basketball in 09, around 12-14 I got REALLY into basketball history. Was in awe in what the players in the 60s/70s had to go through. I was lucky enough to see him in person at King vs OKC game a while back and still to this day one of my fav moments even though I just walked passed him lol. I encourage any who loves basketball to look into the past because it's very interesting and I think important for people to know.
Oscar is one of the GOATs. Put him on any team in any era and he will excel. Not too many like that.
The best basketball TH-camr of them all video quality is unmatched. You are truly a legend
I know a lot about Oscar Robertson because we were about the same age. Basketball was king in the mid west back in our days. I knew Oscar lived in Indianapolis and what high school and college teams he played for. He was one of the greatest to ever play basketball. When I lived in Cincinnati from 1975-85 I knew exactly where his office was at because it had his name on the building. A great video because a lot of people today do not know a lot about the great older players. I was in the Army at FT. Sill, OK in 1979 when I saw Elgin Baylor who was in the Army there too.
Thank you for this video, Clayton. I am a Cincinnati man, and this one is close to my heart. This is a proud sports town that hangs its hat on some of the greatest baseball teams ever (the 1970s Reds), the greatest offensive lineman in NFL history (the Bengals’ Anthony Muñoz), and the college basketball tradition at the University of Cincinnati. Even here though, the *start* of that legacy has been lost. Perhaps the single greatest athlete in the history of the city, both collegiate and professional, is Oscar Robertson. And that is forgotten. I’ve long wished that the NBA could return to Cincinnati, so that the city could embrace professional basketball in a way that it failed to when Oscar was in its lap. Even Dayton to the north is a basketball mecca, and this region belongs in the consciousness of the sport. We owe so much of that to this man, and I greatly appreciate that you took the time to honor him.
Cincinnati is a baseball and COLLEGE basketball town. The Royals helped get the Bengals here though ! Paul Brown had to sue the NFL to get the franchise. The nfl charter said if two cities are vying for one available franchise, it will go to the city that has the most professional entities! We had the Reds, Royals, and a aaa Chicago hockey team . New Orleans didn't so he got the bengals franchise here. I am a uc alum from the early 70s!
Clayton, you did a fantastic job with this, a fantastic job indeed. I grew up in Cincinnati and went to many games at the Cincinnati Gardens. He was indeed special and you've given him more recognition in these 32 minutes than the NBA ever has..As you you said, his story deserves to be told. I don't think anyone will tell it better than you just did...Bravo my man...
Very good video. I KNOW Robertson personally, meeting him as a 29 year old working as a store salesman. He was waiting for his wife to price a refrigerator, near the tv section of the store. He and I chatted while watching Indiana vs Auburn in the 1987 NCAA Tournament. In the insuing years, he and I would meet up at random places, and chat like we'd just seen each other days before. He always remembered me and anything I'd ever told him. I last ran into him when I was 61, at a tobacco store;he's a cigar enthusiast. When he saw me, he ribbed me for buying pipe tobacco 🙂, but, I told him it was my "secret" for looking younger than my age. He laughed and said it was working... after I finally told how old I was;he realized he'd never asked my age when we'd met 31 years earlier.
We discussed his career, his family, the effect racism had had on his life, among other things over the years. As an old man, the city of Cincinnati embraces him as a legend...THEIR legend..., but , he never forgot how the city treated him when he first got here. I can vouch that he is really funny and personable, and down-to-earth as hell. He has far more friends in Cincinnati, Black and White, than folks may realize. Through him, and others, I value the fact to be skeptical of what I read about someone... especially when I personally know him/her to be very different in reality. It's strange that Jerry West is revered even to this day, yet, Robertson is not. And, West himself finds that puzzling. Folks would think HE'd know both the player and the man...because he does. They are friends, and have been for decades. Anyone who considers themselves a true Basketball historian, or "expert" should know what this man did in the game, and, for the game. Or, at least, respect the opinions of those who do.
👍🏻👍🏻 for this video.
This video actually makes me mad at how fans treat players. Both then and now. These are human beings. Not just pieces of a team. Robertson was being called racial slurs in his playing days and is being called a plumber today. Nba fans are so toxic
Imanol Vides 💯💯💯
You can say the same thing about any other sports
He played for the Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis, when I was at Purdue. Purdue needed him. I saw him play as he led his school to be State Champion.
Owleues 11 amazing!!!
These kind of videos are so much more interesting than just another video about MJ or LeBron (no offense, I know your first videos were about MJ and LeBron). You were absolutely right that I knew who Oscar Robertson was, but didn’t know anything about him. Just the triple double stat.
*Request* : A video on Wes Unseld. Like Robertson, I know the name, I know he was the only player to win MVP as a rookie. But other than that I can’t really tell you anything about the guy. Keep the history lessons coming! Loving this
Wilt won one as a rookie
The kings point could not have been better articulated! The tumultuous wake that franchise has left has created a fog around the incredible careers of players that played in Cincinnati and KC
They talk about the GOAT point guard and don't even mention Oscar. That is utterly ridiculous. He was like Wilt, utterly dominant. Great playmaker, scorer, rebounder.
The big O as a youngster admired him on and off court , my idol always forever tried to emulate him on court watching him lead Bucks to championship with Kareem hell of a floor general one of the greatest points guards ever period
What a fantastic video. I must admit that I'm one of the many people who have only associated Oscar with those pieces of trivia, but my respect for what he did on the court has grown tremendously.
I said it before and ill say it again. The way you marry the stats and the human element of sports is truly remarkable.
Ayyyy, another all-time great given his props by one of basketball TH-cam's GOATs. You should do Elgin Baylor in one of your future videos.
Oscar would make such a great helio centric star. He made every passing read outta the pick and roll, and would have just thrived in the spread PnR a la Harden/Luka/Nash, except he was a much better off ball player than any of them, and a much better defender.
Dude
I always come knowing Im in for a treat, but holy... this one was particularly poetic.
Great freaking job Clayton, this was marvelous.
I remember many years ago seeing another African American icon, the musician Charles Mingus. People said that Charles Mingus was an ogre, someone who terrified music critics and someone who was borderline insane, despite his brilliance as a composer and bass player.
When I made eye contact with Mr. Mingus as he was entering an open amphitheater for a performance, I instinctively reached out to shake his hand. Despite carrying his upright bass, he reached out to shake my hand. We struck up a brief conversation and during the course of our chat, I said "Sir, Mr. Mingus" at least six times. He jokingly said to me that I was going to live a long life and told me to enjoy the performance. I did.
Like Charles Mingus, Oscar Robertson spent much of his life being disrespected and mislabeled. Robertson is not an angry curmudgeon or some crazy African American misfit. He doesn't hold grudges; he's just not willing to play games that promote false narratives.
I am happy that in some small way that Charles Mingus and Oscar Robertson have been part of my life. While some say that musicians and athletes are not role models, the fact is they are. What they choose not to do is often as important as what they choose to do.
Neither Charles Mingus nor Oscar Robertson lived or have lived perfect lives. However, those of us who wish to learn and learn without judgment or inherent bias can learn a great deal from them and others.
If we study the likes of Charles Mingus and Oscar Robertson in totality, perhaps we will be better persons. If we are better people, maybe our world will be a better place. Still imperfect, but striving towards a more perfect one.
Well stated, sir.
YESSSS DAWG! It has been too long since we've gotten new content from you! Best basketball TH-cam channel, hands down!
Outstanding video. My Mom grew up in Indianapolis and her high school was a rival to Oscar's high school team. He beat them like a drum lol but she remembers a game he played so well that they gave him a standing ovation out of respect. I followed the Cincinnati Royals until they moved and got to see Oscar in person his last year in Cincy. This is one long time NBA fan who knows how great the Big O was and was honored to be a fan of his. Thank you for this video as I can tell you get it. Good job!
With no NBA team in Cincinnati, the Reds should occasionally invite Oscar to throw out a ceremonial first pitch, or the Bengals should invite him to toss the coin. Not sure he'd accept, but the invitations should be issued.
I live in Chicago and was here for the great Bulls teams of the 90s. As great as Michael Jordan is -- and he certainly is -- for my money, Oscar Robertson IS the GOAT. Statistically, there's no question. And no one but Oscar was called on to play all five positions at some point in the SAME GAME...I think that's even more influential than his triple-double season. He jumped center for his team at all three levels. It's a LOT harder to do what he did, when faced with the same Jackie Robinson-type pressure in the city he represented. He is the template for every great player at his position; every stellar point guard in the game today owes a debt to the Big O. He was the Willie Mays of the NBA, in the sense that he was also that same complete player.
Clayton Crowley, the only thing in basketball that everyone can agree on.
Holding out hope for a Gregg Popovich Legends video.
I’m 67 and the Big “O” was the reason I love basketball. I have so many of his trading cards.
Clayton you never release as many videos as I'd like but they are always worth the wait. Many other content creators on youtube not just in the NBA space, could learn from you. If you really put in the work and aim for the highest possible standard it's truly amazing just how good the final result can be. Sometimes quality of quantity is everything.
He was the Wilt Chamberlain of the backcourt: put up amazing, individual numbers, but struggled to lead his teams to championships. Like Wilt, he eventually got there, but it was only after he joined up with another who was even greater than he was. However, there are very few PGs who have ever led any team to a championship, so I’m willing to give him somewhat of a break. Either way, he’s absolutely one of the all-time greats and he was revolutionary, as well.
Alamo James wilt had way better teams than Oscar in the 60s
This video has officially made you the best basketball TH-camr in my opionion (even over me and my 2 shitty basketball shorts) your quality , intrigue and damn near perfect storytelling stile makes your videos feel like a high budget documentary. Your informed , and non heavily biased views of the game make the videos so enjoyable
Remember the big O' . As a celtic fan the 74 series they made Oscar push the ball up the court trying to wear him out,Bucks didn't really have anybody else who could do it. What a man & player.
the reason for that was that the other guard who shared ball handling duties with Robertson, Lucius Allen (was averaging17.6 pts. and 5.6 assists) tore his MCL late in the season against the Pistons when he tripped over a towel that had somehow been left on the court. A tremendous break for the Celtics who then were able to harass Robertson who was the only Buck who could bring the ball up the court without having it stolen
@@jerrygoldfarb7739 Thks 4 the info,didn't know that.
He got triple doubles without trying to get triple doubles
Al Attles Dick Barnett and Walt Frazier were guards who can match Oscar physically
Dude, that was one of the best sports TH-cam videos I've seen and I've seen a lot. Thank you sooo much. By the way, most real sports fans know that the 2002-2003 Sacramento Kings were cheated out of a trip to the finals. Thanks for giving the Big O his props. He was AWESOME!!!!! (I pray he gets past his anger)
My mother, who loved dance and had no interest in watching basketball, commented after I forced her to watch the Big O, “he moves much more gracefully than everybody else, like a dancer “. He was better than everyone else. Full stop.
Perfect example of why context is so important
If you ask me (and I know you didn't) Oscar Robertson deserves to b e in the "GOAT" conversation.
Clayton Crowley - the man NBA TH-cam loves.
Beautiful! There was much talk about who the GOAT was before prime Jordan, but, at least until Bird and Magic came along, Oscar's name was always mentioned first.
Oscar Robertson was the prototype for the big, strong point guard. He was perfectly built for the game and was unstoppable. He was on a weak pro team with Jerry Lucas as the only other star alongside him. I had the privilege of watching him and the Royals play Wilt and the 76ers at the University of Dayton Fieldhouse back when Billy Cunningham was a rookie in the 1965-66 season. Although he doesn't get the credit today, I've thought of him as the greatest basketball player ever. He dominated in the era of Wilt, Russell, West and Baylor and led the way to the global game that the NBA now represents. We have Jordan, Lebron and others because he and other greats opened the doors to the success that the NBA is today.
The big o is the goat,, my aunt was his 6th grade teacher in indianapolis
As a white kid growing up Dayton Ohio I wanted to play basketball like my hero Oscar ‘Big O’ Robertson, one of my heroes. 3 of my heroes were black men. Oscar, Bill Russell and Paul Warfield. All 3 men I still hold in high regard. Class. 💪😎
So sad and relatable too. I will remember u now 🐐
Oscar Robertson is always mentioned by the greats as one of the greats so. THE GAME HAS NOT FORGOTTEN HOW GREAT OSCAR IS !
Great cover of the Big O and his career. I don’t know that its worth questioning a man who went through what he endured. Whatever his anger was or still may be, its personal. We have all known people who were angry for a lot less than being ignored, insulted, hated, discriminated against and non-celebrated. In the end, I’m just thankful to be able to watch his highlights.
Amazing. I've been loving this game since I was 12 but due to knee and aging no longer play it now. But this video just shows how much more passionate you are about basketball than me, and believe me I LOVE THIS GAME, so to see this level of work and love towards basketball from someone, idk man it just makes me tears up a lil. Please never stop doing what you are doing!
This channel is so underrated
Love your videos man! That intro always gives me chills. U deserve 100k Subs!
As a graduate of Crispus Attucks High School and someone who knew/knows Oscar, I will filled with angst, pride, disappointment and grateful with your video that tells the story of this basketball icon. Understand that many of the things that Oscar had to deal with we had the same barriers before us. I graduated from CAHS in 1966 and it was only a year or two prior to my graduation that our school was able to have home games in basketball or football because we did not have the proper facilities to host varsity events in those sports. Meaning we did not have a proper gym or football/track stadium. Thus I fully know and understand how he felt and feels. Indiana was/is a tough place to be Black. Thanks so much for this tribute to the Big "O". It moved me...
I was never a sports fan but Oscar was the one athlete I remember growing up. I knew him as the king of basketball and it never left me.
I was not aware of his story and of his anger until I saw this piece. I still.think of him as the greatest and don't understand why he was angry.
He is a self made man and to me still the greatest player in the game.
LETS GOOOO CLAYTON COWLEY W
A couple of years ago my barber asked me who was the greatest NBA basketball player ever. When I said Oscar Robertson, he scratched his head trying to recall the name. He told me to take the question seriously, assuming I would say Michael Jordan or Lebron James or Jabbar, or Larry Bird. But, I insisted. Oscar Robertson is my serious answer. I am a white man from Indiana who graduated from high school in 1956, the same year as Oscar. For six years prior to that time, I had tracked the basketball progress of Crispus Attucks High School before Oscar even came on the scene. Like every Hoosier, I followed the Indiana High basketball tournament in detail. The Crispus Attucks Tigers were a phenom in the '50s due to their appearance on TV during the Marion County tournament. They were a competitive team, threatening the acclaim of the large Marion County schools like IndianpolisTech and Broad Ripple. In my hometown of Anderson, the town hero was Jumpin' Johnny Wilson, a black youth that took the Anderson Indians in 1946 to the Indiana State High School championship. I attended an integrated school. So the color of Oscar's skin was no barrier to me. I was a basketball fan and he excelled at the game. I am delighted that someone has seen fit to tell Oscar's story. It deserves to be told. History would be incomplete without a proper perspective of Oscar Robertson in it.
Nothing but love and respect for you Mr. Robertson. In a sense we go back a long ways. I came of age in the 1970s. That's exactly when my boyhood team, the Baltimore Bullets played you new team the Milwaukee Bucks. My biggest dream was for my team to win the NBA Championship. But unfortunately for me, that was apparently your dream too. It was apparent that nothing was going to stop the Bucks from winning it all that year. This was your year to take the world stage. I had to accept that and move on and watch your team celebrate. But at the same time I witnessed how good you were and how good you made your teammates. It would be something I could never forget. Even when I played, I tried to be like you. I use to try that one handed set shot with much success. I practiced your passes, court awareness, and unselfishness. Your name will always be very special to me even though you swept my team 4 games to 0. But little did I know, that the team of my youth would finally win a championship in 1977. So that takes the pressure off of you.....lol But in conclusion, thank you for all your efforts on and off the court in helping future generations find the pathway to success a lot easier. Best wishes. God be with you always.....
Perfect timing Oscars been getting flogged in GOAT questionnaires
It's worth noting that the "triple double" was not a stat during his time, so it wasn't a goal he knew to shoot for. It was just a byproduct of his game.
He was humble and Special
Great seeing Oscar hug Jack Twyman, his former Cincinnati Royal teammate. If MAURICE STOKES! don't have that accident, the ROYALS had uh shot of knocking the Celtics down. Jerry Lucas was great also.
Cannot wait for the Yao and Pistol Pete episodes of this series. Thank you Clayton, you are truly an amazing NBA youtuber.
Awesome as always, thanks Clayton
Big O was a quiet athlete. Unlike players today who speak their minds more. He was a good player but not neccessarily forgotten
0:58 those waves are legendary!
I'm 61and I have not forgotten the Big O.And Never will
Thank you very much for this. Oscar Robertson should have received much more adulation for his immense skills than he did. I saw his Royals play the Lakers at the old Forum. My sister and I got to go through a line to say hello to the Laker stars, Baylor and West and others. Oscar had quite a temper. When the home team calls (yes refs always favored the home team back then, almost like roller derby), he got irate and sometime did not run back on defense. My only criticism of Oscar is that had he realized his greatness in high school, he would have considered a major market institution such as UCLA or Duke or others. But basketball at that time was not the major sport it later became. Elgin Baylor was lucky the Lakers moved to Los Angeles. Oscar was no diplomat. His outspokenness rubbed people the wrong way. Usually he was right, but being right doesn't always win the battle. In the words of my favorite athlete, Arthur Ashe, racism is wasteful. Oscar deserved better.
Wonderful, as usual, Clayton.
As a person who saw all the great players from the 60's up to today, Oscar certainly doesn't get his due. He averaged 30 pts,10 reb and 10 ast. over his FIRST FIVE SEASONS!
And unlike today, nobody else was averaging close to 10 assists. Oscar was by far the greatest point guard in NBA history before Magic, who idolized him as his main on-court role model.
This is a great bit of work here on a All Time Great Player✌🏿✌🏿
Thanks for this! Oscar is hella underrated!
He's underrated until you tell a millennial that Kareem was better than Jordan. Then they scream Big O to the absolute top of their lungs!
living in Indiana and having friends in Indy, a couple of friends and I decided to go to a Crispus Attucks game and it didn’t disappoint at all. you can tell they’re extremely proud to have had Oscar as an alumni and I recommend any Hoosiers to just go check the gym out!
Agreed. I went to a Crispus Attucks game in college. It was a trip down memory lane. My uncle went to college with Bailey, Oscar's brother, so growing up in southeastern Indiana, Oscar was a god!!!
Yeah we should... And after see this I'm a Oscar Robertson fan., What a great story... Clayton you're a master
Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Dave Bing, Hal Greer, Dick Barnett, JoJo White, Phil Chenier, Archie Clark, Gale Goodrich, Kevin Loughery, Jeff Mullins, Jon McGlocklin, Cazzie Russell, Lou Hudson, Lenny Wilkens, Bob Cousy, and others are some of the most forgotten, disrespected, and grossly underrated greats of the game.
I was born and raised in Milwaukee and have family in Indiana, so I grew up hearing the legend of the Big O. His greatness wasn’t lost on me.
I know am old but I saw Robertson play in college and the pros and to this day I still consider him the most COMPLETE player of all time.
Clayton is the only legend I see
As a proud Cincy alum, Im proud to say that learning and knowing about Mr. Bearcat is part of the basketball education that is imparted on you at the University of Cincinnati. So we chuckle when people ask was Oscar "that good?" I was there when they dedicated the statue to him on campus, and he spoke of the scarring that he suffered from racism in his playing days, yet Bearcat nation nowadays reveres him like a native son.
Maravich only resurfaced years after his passing. As if it was a fashion jag or something. Delighted he has been allowed to hang out.
It's true, if just one of the Celtics had been swapped with O, we would remember him as the the GOAT, we would remember him as the ultimate champion and not Bill. He was let down by the game, by the fans, by the country and by the media, and yes it has left him bitter and resentful and that's sad, really sad.
To be honest the nba media has done a terrible job at discussing about the players from the past. The only one who gave them credit was nick wright with his top 50 list and actually going in depth with each one
Jj169327 his top 50 literally purposely excludes all the 60s legends
@@kingofnewyork7765 the list was for the last 50 years not 75.
@@jj10176 exactly. It excludes past players than