Oscar Robertson picks his favorite NBA players of all-time; leaves out former teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
![Oscar Robertson at the 2015 NCAA Tournament [Source: USA Today]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/1c8f8-16301419312031-800.jpg?w=500)
Oscar Robertson is easily one of the greatest point guards of all time. "Mr Triple-Double" of the NBA before Russell Westbrook stepped foot on the court, Robertson broke records and redined the point guard position back in the 1960s and 70s.
At 6-foot-5, he ran point and made plays for his team while also scoring at a high clip and doing everything else from rebounding to defense.
"The Big O" averaged a whopping 30.5 points per game as a rookie in the NBA while leading the league in assists with 9.7 dimes a game and also grabbing 10.1 rebounds per game. Yes, as a rookie. That's just how elite Oscar Robertson was.
He was 0.3 assists per game shy of averaging a triple-double in his rookie year and led the league in assists for seven of his first nine years in the NBA.
Oscar Robertson joined the Knuckleheads podcast with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles on 'The Player's Tribune'. He was asked to name his favorite NBA players of all time and he gave some interesting answers.
Oscar Robertson picks his favorite players in NBA history
![Oscar Robertson in 2021 [Source: The Player's Tribune (YouTube)]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/af947-16301445271194-800.jpg)
Oscar Robertson was asked to name his five favorite NBA players of all time. The host reiterated that he isn't asking for his top 5 players but rather just his favorite players to watch.
"Not your Top 5 players ever but just our favorite 5. Who was your favorite 5 over the years, over the history, that you like when you see them play?"
The great Oscar Robertson has evidently seen more NBA basketball than most of the fans today. He was present during the Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell era and more recently saw Russell Westbrook break his 1962 triple-double record that stood for 55 years.
'The Big O' answered saying,
"Well, I'm going to say Jordan, I'd say Elgin Baylor, the kid out of Golden State now - Curry, Jerry West, and Wilt."
As far as players that he enjoys watching, Robertson picked some incredible generational talents. He chose arguably the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan, LA Lakers legend Elgin Baylor, the greatest shooter ever - Stephen Curry, The Logo - Jerry West and The Big Dipper - Wilt Chamberlain.
He added that it is quite impossible to compare era and stick to just 5 players. So he went ahead and added a few more names to his list;
"Both [Wilt] and Bill Russell...and then Shaq came on to play great...there is just a great succession of basketball players that came on to play great. I know I'm going to miss a few guys but it's just wonderful to see great athletes perform in difficult situations. And I just forgot someone a moment ago but I just thought about missing great basketball players - the one and only LeBron, tremendous basketball player."
Adding to his list of 5 names, he mentioned Big Diesel - Shaquille O'Neal and the greateNBA,winner in the NBA Bill Russell. He further said that he forgot this player's name earlier but then referred to him as "the one and only" - LeBron James.
Oscar Robertson's list garnered a lot of praise and attention but people were quick to mention that he left out his former Hall of Famer teammate, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
He joined the Milwaukee Bucks when Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, was drafted by the team. Alcindor led the Bucks to their first-ever title in franchise history in 1971 and was named Finals MVP for the same.
However, the question was clearly favorite player he would watch and not his top 5 players of all time. Had the question been the latter, there is little doubt in anyone's mind that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would feature on Oscar Robertson's list.
Also Read: Ranking 5 greatest players in LA Lakers history