"No way he was that fast" - Lonzo Ball casts doubt on Wilt Chamberlain's athletic prowess, picks Shaq as superior player
Lonzo Ball’s availability next season for the Chicago Bulls remains uncertain. No one was surprised he picked up his $21.4 million player option but only time will tell if he can eventually play. The point guard hasn’t seen action since January 21 due to a troublesome left knee that has seen three major surgeries.
While Ball’s status is up in the air, he has no doubts about who between Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain is the superior player. He tossed in his thoughts on “The WAE Show” regarding the O’Neal-Chamberlain debate.
Here’s what Lonzo Ball had to say about that never-ending comparison between two of the most dominant players in basketball history:
(29:56 mark)
“I’m going Shaq [O'Neal]. I’ve seen a clip of Wilt Chamberlain - there is no way he was that fast.”
When one of the show’s co-hosts brought up Chamberlain’s legendary 100-point game, Ball commented:
“So you think it happened?”
The “Big Dipper” was considered an athletic freak during his prime. There have been reports about how he dominated in track and field. He excelled in high jump, shot put and ran the 440-yard dash in 49.0 seconds. There are clips of him outrunning guards in the NBA in fastbreaks and lifting men off their feet like they were nothing.
Lonzo Ball found it hard to believe someone could do that. Additionally, he wondered if Chamberlain's 100-point explosion against the New York Knicks was real. What happened on May 2, 1962, at Hershey Sports Arena is well-documented through recorded stats and some radio radio calls.
Ball’s disbelief at some of Wilt Chamberlain’s accomplishments isn’t surprising. Some of the late legend’s former teammates and opponents still have trouble comprehending what they saw when “Wilt the Stilt” played.
Lonzo Ball needs to pull off a Chamberlain-esque feat to resume his NBA career
Lonzo Ball underwent three surgeries on his left knee, the last of which was a cartilage transplant procedure, according to ESPN. No one has ever played in the NBA after such a procedure. Ball needs to pull off something in the realm of Wilt Chamberlain's unbelievable feats to resume his career in basketball.
Arturas Karsinovas, the Chicago Bulls vice president of basketball operations had this to say to NBC Chicago regarding Ball’s recovery:
"We’re just going to wait and see his progression the next couple of months. He’s progressing well. Everything is looking good with no setbacks. So we’ll see where he’s at in a couple of months."
Karsinovas' comments came after the Bulls lost in the play-in tournament again in April. In about two months, training camp will start for the 2024-25 season. Lonzo Ball needs inspiration from the larger-than-life Wilt Chamberlain to play pro basketball again.