Remember what JJ Redikk said about Plumbers and Firemen?

[Greenhornet]

List is nonsense because those players are spread out over a 14-year career and many of them only lasted a couple years in the league. There are a ton of stiffs on that list who were good at literally nothing but were only in the league because they were tall and white.



This is Joe Ruklick on how he made the Philly roster:

"I was 23 years old and having fun, but sitting the bench wasn't fun," he said. "He said, 'We need you next year. Fans won't buy tickets if you have too many Negroes.' I went and told my wife. She said, 'You mean you're on this team because you're white?' 'Well, yeah.' So I went to New York to look for a job (outside of basketball)."

you can literally say the same shyt about 60-70% of centers of all time
the job shyt is dumb argument too ... NBA didnt pay
that's like saying "why does Jason Tatum have a shoe deal if he's in the NBA, he doesnt need another job... what is he? some kind of fakkit fashion queer?"

anyone is gonna have another job if the other job isnt paying
or just get money other ways regardless

not to you, but in general. I dont see how "investments" sound cool and progressive if they happen today, but if a player has a trade and job in the offseason when you didnt even make 100k... then it becomes a joke and a problem. If they said Jimmy Butler has a construction company and helps build houses in the offseason people would look at him like he's one of the most beloved basketball players of today

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Even as late as 1967:

There are only two guys over 6'6" on the entire roster and just 5 Black players.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

you can literally say the same shyt about 60-70% of centers of all time

Bullshyt - if that was true than there wouldn't be less than 1% of men over 6'10" making the NBA.

Omar Samhan was 6'11", 265 lbs, skilled as fukk with great touch and elite post moves, yet couldn't make the NBA because he was too slow for the modern NBA. Back in Wilt's day a center with Omar's size would have been in the league immediately even if he didn't have a single post move at all - heck, Samhan would have been MORE athletic than most of the white centers Wilt faced in addition to being 100x more skilled.


This is what a 6'11" player too unathletic to make the NBA in 2010 looks like on the court.

 

[dantheman9758]

L

Let's look at the "myth" that Wilt and Russell played against short guys.

That is the dominant Celtics team we here so much about. The only player over 6'7" is Russell. Notice there are only four Black players on the team - for a portion of Russell's career there was an unspoken quota on how many Black players could be on a team.



When Wilt entered the NBA in 1960, there were only 3 other Black men over 6'8" in the entire league.

Let me keep this as simple as possible:

1965 NBA season centers getting all the big minutes a season:

Sixers - GOAT candidate Wilt 7’1 barefoot 7-8 armspan 290lbs at the time same height as Rudy Gobert but 40lbs heavier

Celtics - GOAT candidate Russell 6-9.75 barefoot 235lbs at the time - same height as Deandre Jordan, 5lbs lighter than rookie Dwight Howard

Warriors - 50 greatest Nate Thurmond 6-10 barefoot, 240lbs at the time same as rookie Dwight Howard and an inch taller, allegedly even longer arms than Wilt

Bullets - HOFer Walt Bellamy 6-9.75 barefoot and 260lbs at the time same height as Deandre Jordan

Knicks - 50 Greatest Willis Reed 6-8 barefoot 250lbs at the time, same height but heavier and stronger than Tristan Thompson

Hawks - HOFer Zelmo Beaty 6-8 barefoot 235lbs same height and weight as Tristan Thompson

Lakers - 2x All Star Darrall Imhoff, Gene Wiley, and Leroy Ellis all 6-10 shared the minutes as a trio rotation for the Lakers

Pistons - Reggie Harding a 7-0 250lb center that showed promising talent but was out of the league soon for off the court issues

Royals - 4x All Star Wayne Embry 6-8 270lbs at the time built like a truck and with armspan cited as long as Bill Russell’s, also noted as having among the biggest hands in NBA history that spanned 12 inches (even bigger than Wilts 11.5 inch hand spread).

Every single one of these centers falls within the spectrum of any center they could or would match up against in the NBA today and to be honest this season is the most densely packed with HOFers of any season in NBA history at that position. Almost no nights off. That’s all the teams. Don’t try and mislead people that Wilt or Russell played mostly short people that’s definitely not true. They also played each other 142 times.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

L

Let me keep this as simple as possible:

1965 NBA season centers getting all the big minutes a season:

Sixers - GOAT candidate Wilt 7’1 barefoot 7-8 armspan 290lbs at the time same height as Rudy Gobert but 40lbs heavier

Celtics - GOAT candidate Russell 6-9.75 barefoot 235lbs at the time - same height as Deandre Jordan, 5lbs lighter than rookie Dwight Howard

Warriors - 50 greatest Nate Thurmond 6-10 barefoot, 240lbs at the time same as rookie Dwight Howard and an inch taller, allegedly even longer arms than Wilt

Bullets - HOFer Walt Bellamy 6-9.75 barefoot and 260lbs at the time same height as Deandre Jordan

Knicks - 50 Greatest Willis Reed (1966) 6-8 barefoot 250lbs at the time, same height but heavier and stronger than Tristan Thompson

Hawks - HOFer Zelmo Beaty 6-8 barefoot 235lbs same height and weight as Tristan Thompson

Lakers - 2x All Star Darrall Imhoff, Gene Wiley, and Leroy Ellis all 6-10 shared the minutes as a trio rotation for the Lakers

Pistons - Reggie Harding a 7-0 250lb center that showed promising talent but was out of the league soon for off the court issues

Royals - 4x All Star Wayne Embry 6-8 270lbs at the time built like a truck and with armspan cited as long as Bill Russell’s, also noted as having among the biggest hands in NBA history that spanned 12 inches (even bigger than Wilts 11.5 inch hand spread).

Every single one of these centers falls within the spectrum of any center they could or would match up against in the NBA today and to be honest this season is the most densely packed with HOFers of any season in NBA history at that position. Almost no nights off. That’s all the teams. Don’t try and mislead people that Wilt or Russell played mostly short people that’s definitely not true. They also played each other 142 times.

lol at some of those numbers. Bellamy is listed at 225lbs, not 260lbs. Willis Reed was 235, not 250. Wayne Embry is listed at 240, not 270. Wilt was not no 290lbs in 1965. On top of that you're picking the absolute lowest listed numbers for modern players (saying Tristan is 6'8", Dwight is 6'9"), then claiming all the older players were accurate barefoot heights without evidence of that.



Even accounting for those distortions, you only listed TWO centers over 6'10". Meanwhile you listed 3 different starting centers who were just 6'8" and yet dominating the league. And that's in an era where every center played next to the hoop, these guys weren't stretching the floor or handling the ball up top. Bragging about how 6'8" centers could dominate that era isn't exactly a point for your side.

Not to mention you ignored the height of the rest of the guys on the team. Most forwards were just 6'4' to 6'6". If Wilt beat his guy or got doubled, or if his man was slow getting back, he wasn't getting hit with another 6'10" player like today, he was going over a guy who was a good 7-8 inches shorter than him.

And there's a reason you picked the 1965 season. Outside of Wilt and Russell, nearly everyone on that list had just recently joined the league. If you had picked 1962, most of those players wouldn't even have been there yet. Wilt's greatest scoring seasons were 1960-1963. By 1965 he was down to 35ppg, after 1966 he never averaged more than 27ppg again. When he actually racked up his huge scoring figures, most of those players you listed were 1st/2nd year players if they were in the league at all.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

and to be honest this season is the most densely packed with HOFers of any season in NBA history at that position.

I don't think you understand why that undermines your own point. Back in 1965, you could be a 6'8" center playing next to the basket and dominate because even at 6'8" you were still one of the two tallest players on the court. That was the era where there were so few tall recruits that height was more important than skill, at 6'8" to 6'10" you didn't need to have a jump shot, post game, or next-level athleticism to be considered a dominant player, you just needed a hard work ethic and decent body control.

Isn't it strange to you that you were able to list MOST of the players over 6'7" in the entire NBA and say they were HOFers or at least repeat all-stars? If their talent was so extraordinary, then shouldn't there be 10 untalented players that size for every one star? Instead, practically every player over 6'8" who isn't a complete stiff is a star.



The talent pool for height was just much, much smaller back then. Zero international talent. The US population when they were born was just 1/3 the size it is today. They were born during the Depression or World War II when nutrition wasn't nearly as good. And very few kids in the 1940s and 1950s grew up playing basketball compared to today. When you have such a small pool to choose from, beggars can't be choosers. Right now there are literally thousands of basketball players over 6'10" who have been playing since childhood, who played college or international ball, and yet who can't touch the NBA. Back in the early 1960s, if you were over 6'10" and could play basketball you had to be retarded not to make it.

 

[dantheman9758]

lol at some of those numbers. Bellamy is listed at 225lbs, not 260lbs. Willis Reed was 235, not 250. Wayne Embry is listed at 240, not 270. Wilt was not no 290lbs in 1965. On top of that you're picking the absolute lowest listed numbers for modern players (saying Tristan is 6'8", Dwight is 6'9"), then claiming all the older players were accurate barefoot heights without evidence of that.



Even accounting for those distortions, you only listed TWO centers over 6'10". Meanwhile you listed 3 different starting centers who were just 6'8" and yet dominating the league. And that's in an era where every center played next to the hoop, these guys weren't stretching the floor or handling the ball up top. Bragging about how 6'8" centers could dominate that era isn't exactly a point for your side.

Not to mention you ignored the height of the rest of the guys on the team. Most forwards were just 6'4' to 6'6". If Wilt beat his guy or got doubled, or if his man was slow getting back, he wasn't getting hit with another 6'10" player like today, he was going over a guy who was a good 7-8 inches shorter than him.

And there's a reason you picked the 1965 season. Outside of Wilt and Russell, nearly everyone on that list had just recently joined the league. If you had picked 1962, most of those players wouldn't even have been there yet. Wilt's greatest scoring seasons were 1960-1963. By 1965 he was down to 35ppg, after 1966 he never averaged more than 27ppg again. When he actually played

Is each of those guys the size of modern NBA centers playing today yes or no? It’s simple. Is this not dead smack in the middle of the 60s yes or no? Wilt was a giant. His competition was normal NBA size. He made Shaq look small. Miss me with this small competition argument I can name every player in every highlight of the thousand or so clips I provided and not a single one is too small to be playing NBA basketball even today. The average height difference of centers back then to now is like 0.7” when barefoot data is used. Everyone thinks the NBA is always loaded with 7 footers and it never is, its always loaded with people who overbill. 7 footers have always only ever made up a tiny percentage of the league. I made this back in 2017 season for example with all the Wilt era players at center I had barefoot data to contrast with:

 

[BandOfGypsys]

Gilbert Arenas has to be one of the most ignorant negroes to ever step foot in the NBA.

So many players with podcats now just saying a bunch of ignorant shyt, great post OP.

 

[dantheman9758]

lol at some of those numbers. Bellamy is listed at 225lbs, not 260lbs. Willis Reed was 235, not 250. Wayne Embry is listed at 240, not 270. Wilt was not no 290lbs in 1965. On top of that you're picking the absolute lowest listed numbers for modern players (saying Tristan is 6'8", Dwight is 6'9"), then claiming all the older players were accurate barefoot heights without evidence of that.



Even accounting for those distortions, you only listed TWO centers over 6'10". Meanwhile you listed 3 different starting centers who were just 6'8" and yet dominating the league. And that's in an era where every center played next to the hoop, these guys weren't stretching the floor or handling the ball up top. Bragging about how 6'8" centers could dominate that era isn't exactly a point for your side.

Not to mention you ignored the height of the rest of the guys on the team. Most forwards were just 6'4' to 6'6". If Wilt beat his guy or got doubled, or if his man was slow getting back, he wasn't getting hit with another 6'10" player like today, he was going over a guy who was a good 7-8 inches shorter than him.

And there's a reason you picked the 1965 season. Outside of Wilt and Russell, nearly everyone on that list had just recently joined the league. If you had picked 1962, most of those players wouldn't even have been there yet. Wilt's greatest scoring seasons were 1960-1963. By 1965 he was down to 35ppg, after 1966 he never averaged more than 27ppg again. When he actually racked up his huge scoring figures, most of those players you listed were 1st/2nd year players if they were in the league at all.

And I know their weights and this extra sort of data from being familiar with that era from archived interviews and news articles that interviews teams and players. Basketball reference is wrong. I can drop a book of archive data on all this stuff if you want it. I’ve got the time. I had the time to make that video this player size myth is a layup.

 

[Randoug]

that G Eazy looking mufukka be saying the dumbest shyt

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Is each of those guys the size of modern NBA centers playing today yes or no? It’s simple. Is this not dead smack in the middle of the 60s yes or no?

Breh your arguments are disingenuous as fukk. It's the most blatant mix of cherry-picking, distortion, and false equivalencies I've seen.



Instead of trying to cherry-pick and distort, let's look at the ACTUAL TOP TEAMS in the 1962 season, when Wilt scored his 50 ppg.


60-win Celtics, 1st in the East

- Only ONE player over 6'7". So Russell had to play all 48 minutes or they were covering Wilt with a 6'7" defender.
- Only four black players at all.
- Whenever Wilt got doubled, lost his man, or Russell had trouble getting back, more often than not Wilt was being covered by a 6'5" white guy.



49-win Warriors, 2nd in the East

- Second tallest after Wilt is #17 Joe Ruklick, the guy who was told by that coach that he was only on the team because he was white.
- Next tallest is #9, who looks like an unathletic fatass at 6'8".
- No one else on the entire squad is over 6'6".
- Notice that there's just 3 black players.



54-win Lakers, won the West

- Ray Felix is the ONLY player over 6'8" on the entire squad and he was a washed bench player who retired when the season was over.
- Starting center was 6'8" Jim Krebs (that skinny white guy, #32)
- Note, once again, only three black guys.



43-win Royals, #2 team in the West (pic is their '61 roster, can't find a '62 picture)

- Their only players over 6'8" are 6'10" Bevo Nordmann, who hardly played, and 6'9" backup center Hub Reed.
- Starting center was 6'8" Wayne Embry, #15.
- Once again there there's only 3 black guys on the squad.



We could do this for every team in the league in Wilt's 50ppg season:

* Hardly any teams had more than one actual player over 6'8" who got any time

* At any particular point in the game, the 2nd-tallest player on the court was usually 6'6" or 6'7"

* Every team was limited to just 3 or 4 black players



Trying to compare that to the current era is a joke. Your cherry-picked names across entire careers don't fool anyone. When you look at the actual rosters in real time it's a farce.

 

[BandOfGypsys]

Curious what players or plays stand out the most. I see this footage all the time in fact 75% of what I could have used got cut so this was just what I picked to keep it a watchable size that could fit the testimony. Was anything in there eye opening? Anyone can chime in, this is an open question I'm curious about feedback from everyone on this one.

Bob Cousy!

Also Jerry's Wests athleticism, I knew he was amazing but didn't know he was that athletic.

The dude that cuffed the ball when he dunked had me

 

[Glorious]

palming was called more stringently back then. A lot of ball handlers today would be turnover machines if you dropped them back then.

Your hand had to be parallel to the floor when you dribbled.

palming was called more stringently back then. A lot of ball handlers today would be turnover machines if you dropped them back then.

Your hand had to be parallel to the floor when you dribbled.

Anyone remember AI first year at Georgetown? Sweet lord. It's crazy how much NCAA officials had to adjust to him. He used to rack up those turnover calls. All those palming and carrying violations.

 

[I AM WARHOL]

Cousey’s passing is actually nuts. I wasn’t expecting some of those passes. You really are born with the passing gift

 

[I AM WARHOL]

Rick Barry’s frustration will always be justified imo. Imagine playing a game with strict rules for years you had to adhere to, just to see the next generation b*stardize those rules to make the game easier, then on top of that use that to shyt on your generation’s skill set. That would get me hot. How he was taught the game, he’s seeing just a bunch of bad, sloppy, illegal basketball. Like the gather rules in this NBA is hilarious. You can damn near do anything you want with the basketball if you manipulate your gather