In Spirit, Wilt Chamberlain Can Probably Relate to LeBron James

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Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain

LeBron James

While Wilt Chamberlain has faded into lore, the way Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Rocky Marciano, Jack Johnson and Gordie Howe have, Only in Wilt's case with even less fanfare and fewer accolades. Chamberlain's refrain, "NO ONE roots for Goliath," rings true for every age. Perhaps it should've been tempered, "Almost NO ONE roots for Goliath."

Chamberlain wasn't just big, at 7'2" he was very big, but he was an all-around great athlete, as well. A track and field star in High School and College, he came into the NBA with skills never seen before in any big man.

He once averaged 50 ppg for an entire season (1961-62) and over 40 ppg (44.8 ppg in 1962-63) and averaged over 35 ppg over his first five seasons in the NBA! He scored 100 points in a single professional game...against the New York Knicks and even played for the Harlem Globetrotters in 1959. He was easily recognized as the greatest individual; player of his or any generation, only rivaled now by Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Chamberlain even led the League in assists once...as a Center. An unprecedented feat at the time.

Ironically enough, Wilt Chamberlain, when remembered at all today, is famous mostly for losing NBA Championships, mostly to Bill Russell's Celtics.

BUT those matches were far from even.

The Celtics had a veritable All Star team around Russell, which included the likes of Bob Cousy, the greatest point guard of that generation and part of an All Star backcourt with the great Bill Sharman, during the 1950s and early 60s. During the 1960s they were loaded with the likes of Sam Jones, Tom Havlicek, K.C. Jones, Tommy Heinsohn and others.

Holding Chamberlain's two NBA Championships against him, is akin to holding Jerry West's ONE ring against him. Of course, West was the original "Logo" for the NBA and the ONLY player in NBA history to win a Finals MVP from a losing team...in the 1969 NBA Finals loss to the Celtics, when West, who tore a hamstring in Game 5, scored 26 in Game 6 and registered a Game 7 Triple Double with 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists.

STILL judging players solely by the number of Championships they rack up is extremely short-sighted. Karl Malone and John Stockton remain one of the League's most dynamic duos and yet neither won a Championship over their NBA careers. They're STILL great players.

So Wilt Chamberlain is also among the NBA's All Time greats, despite having always been seen as the "hated favorite" and the "big villain" to his "underdog" opponents.

Many people love to root against favorites. Players like Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James (LBJ) make easy targets for such "fans." Nothing such players do is ever "good enough." The bar seems set impossibly high.

Despite ALL of Wilt's accomplishments, the term "BIG Loser" is more often associated with Chamberlain than "All-time great." LeBron James' going 2 and 4 so far in NBA Finals has also been the focus of many such "fans" and been used to disparage and diminish him.

In truth, the early Cleveland teams he was on had no business in the Playoffs and never would've made the Playoffs without LBJ. Last year's Cleveland team was pretty much James alone, as Irving and Love were both injured.

This year, he has personally led the Cavaliers back from a 3-1 deficit. No matter what happens tonight LeBron James is NOT a "Loser," despite the fact that almost "NO ONE roots for Goliath."

Somewhere, I think, Wilt is pulling for LeBron.

Par For the Course.....

In the wake of last week’s Lebron James sweepstakes, and the over-the-top response from Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, Jesse Jackson has, as usual, chosen race obsession over reality.

In the lead-up to the start of free agency, Lebron James let it be known that he’d test the waters.

Cleveland, where he’s played for the last seven years since leaving High School and virtually “next door” to his actual hometown of Akron, could offer him the most money by far. New York, Chicago and New Jersey all pitched the added money-making potential of those larger markets.

In the end, in a self-aggrandizing, narcissistic 1-hour TV Show (The Decision), James spurned Cleveland for...Miami, where he joined friends and Beijing teammates Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

OK, his exit wasn’t handled gracefully at all and Cleveland fans have every reason to revile him now, although Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s post-decision rant was not only over-the-top (in promising a title in Cleveland BEFORE Lebron James wins one), but absurd, as well. Well, not unless you’re prepared to pay that luxury tax, Dan! It looks like it’s going to take a pretty loaded team to even compete with Miami this year and Cleveland doesn’t have all that much to bargain with...sooo, prepare to pay that luxury tax Dan, that is, IF you’re going to make good on your claim.

So what do you think Jesse Jackson takes issue with?

If you guessed race and "white racism"...you nailed it.

In the wake of Dan Gilbert's wounded rant, Jackson noted, “He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers,” the reverend said in a  Rainbow-PUSH  Coalition release. “His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship — between business partners — and LeBron honored his contract.”

Yeah baby! Now that’s the ol’Jesse Jackson we all know! A shoot from the lip narcissist who’s been about as spoiled and immune from criticism as Lebron James has been.

Gilbert spoke as the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, which, of course, he is. Of course, in Jackson’s view, that’s the same as seeing LeBron James as a “runaway slave”...oh, except for the part where slaves toil for free and Lebron James plays a game for tens of millions of dollars...PLUS millions more in endorsements.

Soooo, the “new slavery,” is very similar to the “new racism,”...in that both are about as hard to find as a unicorn.

Upping the ante only slightly, Jackson claimed that the owner’s comments put the James in danger.

Truth is, Gilbert’s comments were only over-the-top in claiming that Cleveland (a now decimated franchise) will win a title before Lebron James wins one.

How they’re going to accomplish that, remains a mystery, although, you HAVE TO root for them.

Lebron James didn’t handle the situation at all well and not only came off looking childish and immature, he’s really hurt his legacy going forward. He’s basically put himself in a no-win situation. After all, if he wins a title, or three or five with Miami, the refrain will be, “So what, the Heat’s a veritable All Star team, they SHOULD win!” If they don’t come through, it amounts to a monumental choke.

What’s more, any comparison to Michael Jordan are effectively over. Jordan never had a great Center, in fact, you could argue that all Jordan had around him were talented role players. Yes, even Scottie Pippen had a reputation for being “soft,” before Jordan took him on as a project. Other than Pippen, Jordan was surrounded by the likes of an aging Bill Cartwright early on, and journeymen like Bill Wennington, Horace Grant and role players like Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr and Bill Paxson.

Kobe Bryant took heat for having been on the same team as Shaq! Bryant never planned and plotted to play with Shaq and he stayed with LA through the rebuilding after Shaquille O’Neal was traded to win another title last month.

So, Dan Gilbert, the Cav’s owner is guilty of “acting like a fan,” which he is and Lebron James is guilty of acting like a spoiled, immature 25 year old kid, which he is...and Jesse Jackson is guilty of reacting like an idiot, which he has repeatedly shown himself to be.

Bottom line, Lebron James fulfilled his contract and left his original employer and his hometown to play with two close friends on a virtual All Star team. He committed no crime, other than dashing the hopes and dreams of his hometown fans. In response, Dan Gilbert reacted like any ardent Cleveland fan would.

As for Jesse Jackson, well, his comments show the long standing race obsession and bias that he’s shown in virtually all of his previous dealings.

They don’t call him “a professional race hustler” for nothing.