Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is fondly remembered as one of the best players in the NBA's history. Everyone already knew he would become a mainstay in the league because of his dominance at UCLA. He was so good that the NCAA banned dunking to prevent him from dominating the college game, which he hated because he felt discriminated against .
The legendary UCLA Bruin was the consensus number-one pick, with the Milwaukee Bucks selecting him after winning the coin flip against the Phoenix Suns . It was a harrowing moment for the Suns roster, who wanted Kareem to join their team. One of the players who voiced his disappointment was star guard Gail Goodrich .
"It was a very sad day in Phoenix, obviously. Kareem was and still today was the most skilled center to play the game, offensively, he's unbelievable," Goodrich said on an NBA Vault episode about the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. "By getting Alcindor, they just turned things around and Phoenix, we were just hoping and hoping to get Kareem."
Kareem was the missing piece for the Bucks
The Bucks were only in their second NBA season when they selected Kareem with the first pick in 1969. That is one of the luckiest moments a team has ever had in NBA history because they immediately hit the jackpot after their first campaign as an expansion team.
After the 1969/70 season, when Kareem averaged 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game, everyone in the NBA knew he was already prepared to compete for a championship. The Bucks had a 56-26 record during the then-Alcindor's rookie year, so doubling down and capitalizing on his strengths was the right thing to do.
The Bucks' front office delivered because they traded Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk for the superstar Oscar Robertson. The Big O was a fantastic addition to the team, forming a dominant one-two punch with Kareem. The 1970/71 season was a magical campaign for Milwaukee, as they earned a 66-16 record.
They dominated in the Playoffs, capping it off with a 4-0 sweep against the Washington Bullets in the Finals to win their first NBA title three seasons into their time as an expansion team.
The Suns needed Kareem to succeed like the Bucks
Phoenix entered the league as an expansion team during the 1968/69 season, just like the Bucks. Unfortunately, they lost the coin toss to get the first overall pick, and the rest is history. Phoenix was saddled with the second overall pick, which they used to select Neal Walk, a decent player from Florida. However, he had a mediocre season compared to Kareem.
Walk had some decent seasons, scoring 20.2 points per game during the 1972/83 season. However, it could not compare to what Kareem did for the Bucks with the championship and the constant contender status during his stint there. Since he played for the Suns, Goodrich's reaction was to be expected because missing out on Kareem with just one pick could break anyone's heart.
Related: “I would’ve been over there with John Black keeping stats”- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shares how he would have fared in today’s NBA
Most Popular
Comments / 0