Current NBA players look up to Oscar Robertson as one of the greatest players to ever play basketball and as a trailblazer who fought for players' rights. However, while today's players treat the Big O with reverence, three-time Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams says that the legend hates the current generation of NBA players because he is jealous of their earning power.
During a recent episode of The Underground Lounge podcast, Sweet Lou recalled an incident with the Toronto Raptors where the team brought in Robertson as a motivational speaker before the start of the season.
"The speech was going well," narrated Lou Will. "We was engaged, we was tuned in. And then he flipped the switch on us, bro. He just goddamn started hating us out of the blue. I think the money up and that hurts him. No disrespect, but he spiraled. He just started spiraling, and the only thing I remember is, he said something about Shaq couldn't hold Wilt Chamberlain's bag. That's the first time you heard the room rumble. So we try to keep it respectful though, it's a fuc*** legend. Like this is Oscar Robertson up here talking to us."
Robertson paved the way for free agency
Many NBA personalities consider The Big O to have paved the way for free agency. The 1970 antitrust case he filed against the NBA eventually led to the league giving its players the freedom to choose the teams they want to play for.
Unfortunately for Robertson, he never enjoyed the fruits of his labor. It wasn't until 1976, two years after he retired, that a settlement was reached, and NBA players were granted the right to free agency. Because of that, Lou Will thinks Oscar is jealous, and he isn't shy to show it.
"He just kept going and going, and then (he says) we are spoiled, we are entitled," added Williams. "We start to look at each other and say 'What the fu** just happened?' Like he don't like us at all. He started going in, and then he said, 'Chris Paul couldn't be in the same gym with Bob Cousy.' We lost it."
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The Big O recently criticized today's stars
Robertson was recently a guest on the All the Smoke podcast. During his interview with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, he made a strong statement against current NBA stars who practice load management .
"You see guys today, they try to worry about the minutes, load management," said Robertson. "I think if you make $50 million, there's no load management. I think sometimes, you owe it to the fans who come to see you play because when you say so or not, NBA players and owners are in this together."
It's hard to reconcile Lou Will's story with what The Big O keeps saying publicly. Even during the ATS interview, Oscar said he is happy that today's players are making what they earn because they don't have to worry about their future. However, if Williams' revelations are accurate, it seems Robertson holds a bit of resentment. However, you can't really blame him if that's true.
Related: "How can a guy just come up to you and drive around you so easy?" - Oscar Robertson thinks lack of defense is the biggest problem in today's NBA
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