During a 2018 interview with Hoopshype, NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins was asked to name players from his era who don't get the respect that they deserve.
The Human Highlight Film mentioned guys like David Thompson, George Gervin, and Artis Gilmore. According to Wilkins, these players changed the way the game was played, yet they are often not talked about in basketball conversations.
But Wilkins also mentioned Wilt Chamberlain . Dominique says that Wilt doesn't get the respect he deserves and is also ridiculously omitted from the GOAT discussion.
"He averaged 50 points and 30 rebounds," said 'Nique. "But do you ever hear him mentioned in the greatest of all-time discussion among the top three or four guys? It's crazy."
It's always been Mike vs. Bron
Basketball's greatest debate has often revolved around Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Allen Iverson once declared that Kobe Bryant should be next to MJ. Shaquille O'Neal wants his former teammate to join Mike and LeBron at the top. Others have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Bill Russell as their GOAT.
Chamberlain? He is in the most dominant ever discussion, along with Shaq. But when it comes to the greatest, Wilt is often a forgotten name even if the many records he set more than half a decade ago still exist today -100 points in a single game, 50.4 PPG in one season, 27.2 RPG in one campaign, among others. But that's not all.
"You have to understand something: His era was even more physical than our era!" added Wilkins. "And with the pressures in life that he had to deal with and go through, it was not easy for him! You're talking about a time when there was a lot of racial tension and those sorts of things. He had to worry about competing and worry about social issues. People don't really understand or realize that. I mean, look at how many 60-point games this guy had throughout the course of his career! And to average 50 points? That's just incredible!"
Wilt brought the fans to the stands
Those who argue that the GOAT is Mike, LeBron, or Kobe say that their impact goes beyond stats and championships.
MJ brought the NBA into the mainstream and opened its doors to the world. Kobe continued Mike's legacy and helped the league conquer the world. LeBron is this era's torchbearer. But according to Knicks legend Walt Frazier, none of those would have happened without Chamberlain .
"Because without Wilt Chamberlain, there might not be an NBA," Frazier said on the Roommates Show with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. "He was the guy who brought people to the stands, promoted the game, and then you look at his records—they're remarkable, man."
Clyde and Dominique have good points. Wilt was one-of-one. No one matched the numbers he produced while dominating the game like he did. But many overlook the fact that he accomplished his feats during an era that was even tougher than the 1980s or 90s. More importantly, Chamberlain was the draw that put fans on their seats and established a league that MJ took to the next level.
Related: Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain once reflected on their historic 1971/72 season: “No one could beat us, we were invincible”
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