This has been a sad week for fans of the 1970s and 1980s 76ers; on Tuesday, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant passed away. Bryant played for Williams' 76ers in the mid to late 1970s, and was part of the "Bomb Squad" reserve unit, along with World B. Free. Free and former 76ers coach Gene Shue reunited with the San Diego Clippers in the late 1970s/early 1980s.
Williams took over a moribund 76ers team and quickly turned them into a championship contender by drafting Doug Collins, signing George McGinnis away from the ABA's Indiana Pacers, and then acquiring Julius Erving from the New York Nets after the 1976 ABA-NBA merger. The 76ers' owner at that time, Fitz Eugene Dixon, had only recently purchased the team and was not very familiar with pro basketball. After Williams informed Dixon that Erving was available for the then-astronomical price of $6 million (including compensation to the Nets plus a long term contract for Erving), Dixon asked who Erving was. Instead of replying that Erving was a three-time regular season MVP, Williams explained simply that Erving is "the Babe Ruth of basketball." Dixon then told Williams "Fine and dandy," and the rest is history: Erving spent the last 11 seasons of his pro career with the 76ers, winning the 1981 regular season MVP and earning five All-NBA First Team selections while leading the 76ers to the league's best overall regular season record from 1976-83 plus the aforementioned seven Eastern Conference Finals appearances, four NBA Finals appearances, and one NBA title.
Williams had a "20-20-20" vision for Erving, McGinnis, and Collins,
convincing those three stars that the 76ers would be best served by having a balanced attack with three 20 ppg scorers as opposed to an offense featuring one 30 ppg scorer and two 15 ppg
scorers. The 76ers posted the Eastern Conference's best regular season record in 1976-77 (50-32) with Erving averaging 21.6 ppg, McGinnis scoring 21.4 ppg, and Collins chipping in 18.3 ppg. All three players made the All-Star team, and Erving and McGinnis earned All-NBA Second Team selections as well. The 76ers lost 4-2 in the NBA Finals to a Portland Trail Blazers team featuring Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas.
The 76ers gradually moved away from the 20-20-20 approach toward an approach recognizing that Erving was clearly the team's best player. Erving averaged an NBA career-high 26.9 ppg in 1979-80 and he finished second in regular season MVP voting to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whose L.A. Lakers defeated Erving's 76ers 4-2 in the NBA Finals after rookie Magic Johnson had 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists in game six to earn Finals MVP honors.
Erving won the 1981 NBA regular season MVP, becoming the first non-center to capture that honor since Oscar Robertson won the 1964 NBA regular season MVP and foreshadowing the way that non-centers would soon dominate MVP voting--but during that era a team needed a dominant center to win an NBA title, and even the great Erving could not win an NBA title with a center duo of Darryl Dawkins and Caldwell Jones trying to match up with Hall of Fame big men Bill Walton, Washington's duo of Wes Unseld-Elvin Hayes, Jack Sikma, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Robert Parish; teams led by those big men won every NBA title between 1976 and 1982. Williams solved the 76ers' big man problem by acquiring Moses Malone prior to the 1982-83 season. Malone, who had already won the 1979 and 1982 regular season MVPs, teamed with Erving to form one of the greatest duos in pro basketball history: Malone won the 1982-83 regular season MVP after averaging 24.5 ppg and a league-leading 15.3 rpg, while Erving was fifth in 1982-83 regular season MVP voting, his fourth straight top five finish. The 1983 76ers' 12-1 playoff record stood as the all-time standard for postseason excellence until the 2001 L.A. Lakers went 15-1 in an expanded playoff format, followed by the 2018 Golden State Warriors going 16-1 after the NBA again expanded the playoff format.
Although Williams enjoyed his greatest professional success while working in the NBA, he began his sports career in baseball, not basketball. He played catcher on a scholarship for Wake Forest, and then he spent two years playing in the minor leagues before moving into a front office role for the Miami Marlins, then a minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1967, The Sporting News honored Williams as the Minor League Executive of the Year.
Williams first became involved with the NBA in 1968, and he worked for several different franchises. He began his NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers, enjoyed a successful tenure as the Chicago Bulls' General Manager, briefly took that same role with the Atlanta Hawks, and then returned to Philadelphia in 1974. In 1989, Williams
helped to launch the Orlando Magic expansion franchise, and Williams was a pillar in Orlando ever since that time, not only building the Magic into a championship contender but also attempting to bring a Major League Baseball franchise to Orlando.
Nick Anderson, the first player chosen in the NBA Draft by the expansion Orlando Magic in 1989 with the 11th overall pick, posted a heartfelt tribute to Williams that reads in part, "I'm totally devastated. This is a sad day for Basketball and Orlando. My kids asked 'Why you crying Daddy?' and I told them because I lost a father for the second time. The last time I felt this tore up was when my father passed away. And now my basketball father Pat Williams has gone to join my dad in Heaven."
During Williams' tenure with the Magic, the expansion team quickly became a contender, reaching the NBA playoffs in their fifth season, and then making four straight playoff appearances from 1994-1997. The Magic drafted Shaquille O'Neal in 1992, and acquired Penny Hardaway in a draft day trade in 1993. Those two players led the Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals.
Williams was also a motivational speaker, and the author of more than 100 books, including The Winning Combination: 21 Keys to Coaching and Leadership Greatness. Williams was not only a shrewd personnel evaluator and savvy businessman, but he was a wonderful ambassador for basketball. In 2012, Williams received the John Bunn Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame short of induction. He was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame and the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame. Faith and family were always foremost for Williams, who raised 18 children (14 of whom were adopted) with his wife first wife Jill.
I interviewed Williams twice. He was very generous with his time, and very forthcoming with his answers. Williams will be deeply missed by all of the people whose lives he touched, and his impact and legacy will never be forgotten.
Remembering Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, NBA Player/European Player and Father of Kobe Bryant
Joe Bryant passed away on Tuesday at the age of 69, reportedly succumbing to a massive stroke. Younger fans may only think of Joe Bryant as the father of Pantheon member Kobe Bryant, who tragically died with his daughter Gianna and seven other passengers in a helicopter crash four years ago--but "Jellybean," as Joe was known, had a long professional basketball playing career, including eight seasons in the NBA and 10 seasons in Europe. Kobe's middle name Bean is derived from Joe's nickname. For clarity in this article, I will refer to Joe and Kobe by their first names.
Joe was ahead of his time as an athletic, slender forward who could
shoot the jump shot but also attack the hoop off of the dribble. After averaging 20.3 ppg and 11.1 rpg in two seasons at LaSalle, he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors as an underclassman Hardship selection (now referred to as Early Entry) with the 14th overall pick in the 1975 NBA Draft, but the Warriors traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers before the start of the 1975-76 season. Joe averaged 7.4 ppg in a solid rookie season, and he scored 7.7 ppg in three playoff games as the 76ers reached the postseason for the first time since 1971. George McGinnis was the 76ers' best player that season, with fellow All-Star Doug Collins serving as a strong second option.
The ABA-NBA merger happened prior to the 1976-77 season, and in the aftermath of the merger the 76ers acquired Julius Erving, the three-time ABA regular season MVP who had shared that honor with McGinnis in 1975. Joe's role was reduced on this star-studded team, but he was part of a talented bench that became known as the "Bomb Squad." The 76ers lost 4-2 in the NBA Finals to a Portland Trail Blazers team featuring Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas.
Joe played two more seasons for the 76ers before they traded him to the San Diego Clippers for a 1986 first round draft pick that the 76ers later traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who selected Brad Daugherty. San Diego's coach was Gene Shue, who was Joe's first coach with the 76ers, and San Diego's leading scorer was World B. Free, a fellow "Bomb Squad" member with the 76ers. Joe spent three seasons with the Clippers, averaging a career-high 11.8 ppg in 1981-82.
The Clippers traded Joe to the Houston Rockets on June 28, 1982, and he finished his NBA career by averaging 10.0 ppg for the 1982-83 Rockets. Joe spent the next 10 years playing professionally in Europe. After his playing career ended, Joe held a variety of coaching positions in America and overseas, including three seasons as coach of the WNBA's L.A. Sparks (2005-06, 2011). Joe led the Sparks to the Western Conference Finals in 2006.
There is no doubt that Kobe learned a lot about basketball from his
father and from his father's journey, and it is evident that Kobe's
experiences growing up in Italy had a significant influence on him. Joe was often frustrated by his relatively limited role during his NBA career, and it is not a stretch to say that Kobe's determination to be the number one option at all times was fueled in part by refusing to be relegated to a subordinate role the way that Joe had been.
The Bryant family has suffered the loss of three members in the past four years, and I wish them peace and comfort in this difficult time.
Remembering George McGinnis, Two-Time ABA Champion and 1975 ABA Regular Season Co-MVP
George McGinnis, who won two ABA championships (1972, 1973) with the Indiana Pacers and shared the 1975 ABA regular season MVP with Julius Erving, passed away on Thursday at the age of 73 after suffering a heart attack at home last week. McGinnis had deep Indiana roots, as he led Washington high school (Indianapolis) to a 31-0 record and the state championship in 1969 before starring at Indiana University. In 1970-71 in his only varsity season at Indiana University, McGinnis became the first sophomore to lead the Big Ten in scoring (30.0 ppg) and rebounding (14.7 rpg). Taking advantage of the new Spencer Haywood rule that enabled underclassmen to jump from college to pro basketball, McGinnis joined the ABA's Indiana Pacers for the 1971-72 season, departing Indiana University just before the arrival of Bobby Knight; it would have been interesting if those two Hall of Famers had teamed up, and McGinnis later said that playing for Knight would have helped his development as a player.
Listed at 6-8, 235 pounds, McGinnis had a body that looked like a statue of a Greek god carved out of flawless marble. McGinnis drove to the hoop with power, but he also had a soft touch on his patented one-handed jump shot. He possessed a rare combination of size, strength, speed, scoring ability, rebounding prowess, and passing skills; in short, he was LeBron James before LeBron James (although James enjoyed a much longer career). Overshadowed by a Hall of Fame rookie class including Erving and Rookie of the Year/regular season MVP Artis Gilmore, McGinnis averaged 16.9 ppg and 9.7 rpg in 1971-72, joining Gilmore, Erving, Johnny Neumann, and John Roche on the 1972 ABA All-Rookie First Team. McGinnis averaged 15.5 ppg and 11.4 rpg in the playoffs as the Pacers won their second ABA title in three years.
McGinnis was a key figure in the fabled "Interstate 65 rivalry" pitting the Indiana Pacers versus the Kentucky Colonels. In a May 24, 2004 interview at Conseco Fieldhouse prior to game two of the Eastern Conference Finals pitting Detroit against Indiana, I spoke with McGinnis about his role on those dominant 1970s Pacers teams, and he told me, "I was probably one of the first--if not the first--big power forwards who
could come out on the floor and handle the ball…In our offense I could
bring the ball up." McGinnis was a friendly and enthusiastic interview subject, as were all of the former Pacers who I have been blessed to interview, including Hall of Famers Coach Bobby "Slick Leonard" and center Mel Daniels, plus Len Elmore, Billy Knight, and Darnell Hillman. Researching and writing about the great Roger Brown--who passed away in 1997 and was not inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame until 2013--will always be a life highlight for me. McGinnis had fond memories of Brown, telling me what he learned from Brown as a young player: "I think learning just to--I was very excitable. If there was a big game, I got really up and then by the time you got 10 minutes into the game I was spent, in terms of energy. So I think that one of the key things that I learned for him--especially in playoff basketball--was that you never get too high or too excited because it is a 48 minute game and you have to play the whole 48 minutes. The team that wins the first 10 minutes is not necessarily the team that is going to win the game. So I think just being calm and handling pressure situations, more than anything else, is what I learned from him."
Daniels, Leonard, and McGinnis have all passed away now, and I feel a keen sense of loss not only for the basketball greatness they represent but for a wonderful time in my writing career that exists now only in fond memories.
In his second season with the Pacers, McGinnis averaged 27.6 ppg (second in the ABA behind Erving) and 12.5 rpg (fourth in the ABA). He finished third in regular season MVP voting behind Billy Cunningham (who later coached him with the Philadelphia 76ers) and Erving (his future teammate with the 76ers). McGinnis averaged 22.3 ppg and 13.7 rpg versus Kentucky in the 1973 ABA Finals, scoring 27 points in Indiana's 88-81 game seven victory at Freedom Hall in Kentucky. He was named the 1973 ABA Playoff MVP.
McGinnis averaged 25.9 ppg (second in the ABA behind Erving) and 15.0 rpg (second in the ABA behind Gilmore) in 1973-74, earning the first of three straight All-ABA First Team selections. He averaged 24.0 ppg and 11.9 rpg in the playoffs, but the Pacers lost to the Utah Stars in seven games in the Western Division Finals.
McGinnis reached his peak in 1974-75, winning the ABA scoring title with a career-high 29.8 ppg, ranking fifth in rebounding (14.3 rpg), and ranking third in assists with a career-high 6.3 apg. In the 1975 ABA Finals, the Colonels avenged their 1973 loss to the Pacers by beating the Pacers 4-1 despite McGinnis averaging 27.4 ppg, 14.0 rpg and 6.4 apg, gaudy numbers that were actually a bit below his overall playoff production that year (32.3 ppg, 15.9 rpg and 8.2 apg). In 2009 when I wrote about the only players to average 30-7-7 in a playoff season that short list included Oscar Robertson (1963, 1966), George McGinnis (1975), Michael Jordan (1989), and LeBron James (2009). Since that time, James accomplished the feat three more times (2015, 2017, 2018), and Luka Doncic did it twice (2020, 2021), while Russell Westbrook (2017) and Nikola Jokic (2023) each posted one such playoff run. Jokic is the only player in that club who won a championship in his 30-7-7 postseason, although Robertson, McGinnis, Jordan, and James each won at least one championship in other seasons.
I asked McGinnis what it felt like to play basketball as dominantly as he did, particularly during the 1975 playoffs. He said, "I mean I think that was a point in my career where I guess--I hear present day players talk about being 'in a zone' or the bucket being bigger than or looking like the ocean--that is kind of like what it was for me back in '73, '74. I was probably at the peak of my physical ability and things came easily for me. I can't tell you that I thought about it. A lot of it was just natural ability."
McGinnis jumped to the NBA prior to the 1975-76 season, joining the Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 23.0 ppg (sixth in the NBA), 12.6 rpg (sixth in the NBA), and 4.7 apg as the 76ers improved from 34-48 to 46-36 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1971.
After the ABA/NBA merger in 1976, the New York Nets sold Erving to the 76ers. Philadelphia General Manager Pat Williams had a "20-20-20" vision for the 76ers: he wanted Julius Erving, George McGinnis, and Doug Collins to each average around 20 ppg as opposed to having one player average 30 ppg while dominating the ball. Erving averaged 21.6 ppg, McGinnis averaged 21.4 ppg, and Collins averaged 18.3 ppg as the 76ers posted the Eastern Conference's best record (50-32) in 1976-77. Former MVPs Erving and McGinnis each made the All-NBA Second Team, and sacrificing individual glory for team success seemed to be working out wonderfully as the 76ers raced out to a 2-0 lead in the 1977 NBA Finals--but then Bill Walton's Portland Trail Blazers won four straight games to take the championship. McGinnis struggled mightily in the playoffs, but the 76ers' "20-20-20" vision seemed to be on target for the 1978 title after the 76ers again posted the best record in the Eastern Conference (55-27). However, the 76ers lost 4-2 to the eventual champion Washington Bullets (now known as the Washington Wizards) in the Eastern Conference Finals, and then they traded McGinnis to the Denver Nuggets for Bobby Jones. The 76ers lost in the NBA Finals in 1980 and 1982 before acquiring Moses Malone, the 1982 regular season MVP who teamed up with 1981 regular season MVP Erving to lead the 76ers to a dominant 1983 title run.
Although conventional wisdom is that the 76ers had to get rid of McGinnis to win the title, Erving told me that he disagrees with that assessment: "Probably, if our team had stayed together, instead of being broken up, I
think we would have won the
title prior to '83. I think that we had the makings of a great team and
we had a lot of parts. All the teams that we beat to get to the Finals
before we lost to Portland should have spoken volumes."
When I interviewed McGinnis, I told him what Erving said, and I asked McGinnis about his memories of playing against and then playing with Erving. He replied, "Playing against him was a monster. He was absolutely incredible. He did things that make you go, 'Wow, did he really do that?' I never really appreciated how great he was until I actually got the opportunity to play with him for a couple years and I saw him do something different almost every night. He was just way ahead of his time. He was a tremendous guy, hell of a guy, class guy, but I strongly believe that our team would have won a championship, as he said, if they would have left it alone. But hey, that's sports, and they eventually won one in '83. I thoroughly enjoyed playing against him because, I can say this, I beat him more than he beat me (in the ABA)." McGinnis added that Erving "was kind of the straw that stirred the drink
for our league" (borrowing the phrase that Reggie Jackson once used to
describe his impact on the New York Yankees). It is true that McGinnis' Pacers went 16-14 versus Erving's teams (Virginia Squires, then New York Nets) from 1971-75, although Erving did not play in one of those losses. Per Statmuse, Erving's teams posted a 13-1 record versus McGinnis' teams in the NBA.
McGinnis averaged 22.6 ppg in his first season with Denver and he was selected as an All-Star for the final time, but his numbers declined in 1979-80 and the Nuggets traded him to Indiana, where McGinnis played until 1982 before retiring at just 31.
McGinnis' career and prime were both shorter than McGrady's but McGinnis was the only Hall of Fame eligible NBA or ABA regular season
MVP who had not been inducted. McGinnis shared 1975 ABA regular season
MVP honors with Julius Erving, who two seasons later joined forces with
McGinnis to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals. McGinnis
played a key role for two Indiana ABA championship teams (1972, 1973),
winning the ABA Playoff MVP in 1973. During the 1975 ABA playoffs,
McGinnis averaged 32.3 ppg, 15.9 rpg and 8.2 apg while leading the
Pacers to the Finals (their third Finals trip in McGinnis' four years
with the franchise). McGinnis remains one of just four players who averaged 30 ppg, 7 rpg and 7 apg for an entire playoff season;
pro basketball fans are on a first name basis with the other players:
Oscar (who did it twice), Michael, LeBron (who has done it twice). Interestingly, all of those
players won at least one championship but none of them won a title
during his 30-7-7 postseason run.
McGinnis made the All-Star team six times--three in the ABA, three in
the NBA--and at his peak he was as good as any player in either league.
The one blemish on his resume is that he relied too much on his natural
talent, so when his physical skills began to erode he did not adjust his
game; he did not make the All-Star team after the age of 28 and by age
32 he was out of the league. Nevertheless, a player who is a key
contributor for two championship teams (and two other Finalists) while
winning a regular season MVP, a playoff MVP and a scoring title deserves
Hall of Fame induction--not to mention the fact that he was also a
dominant, record setting collegiate player.
During his Hall of Fame speech, McGinnis talked about how much fellow Hoosier Oscar Robertson was an inspiration for him, and he recalled posting 53 points and 30 rebounds in an Indiana-Kentucky high school all-star game, which was the last time his father saw him play before passing away. McGinnis called fellow Hall of Famer Rick Barry a "professor" because of his on-court wisdom, and he termed Coach Leonard a "father figure."
McGinnis is one of the most decorated and beloved players in the storied history of Indiana basketball--high school, college, and pro--and he played a modern-style game in the 1970s as a triple threat who scored, rebounded, and passed at an elite level. I hope that this tribute article brings back fond memories for readers who are old enough to remember McGinnis' career, and I hope that it is a source of information--and inspiration--for younger fans.
The NBA Community Mourns the Loss of David Benner, the Pacers' P.R. Director for Three Decades
David Benner, who served for 28 years as the Indiana Pacers' Director of Media Relations before retiring prior to last season, passed away on Wednesday. He was 67. After his family announced his death, there has been an outpouring of sympathy from the NBA community. Pacers President Kevin Pritchard said, "It is difficult to put into words just what David Benner meant to the
Indiana Pacers, the NBA, his family, and friends. He had an infectious personality and a wonderful
sense of humor that was evident to anyone who was ever fortunate enough
to meet him."
I first met Benner in 2004 when I was a freelance writer just beginning to cover NBA games in person. He had a serious demeanor with those who he did not know well, but he was also courteous, helpful, and professional. It did not take long for me to understand why the Pacers' media relations staff under his direction was considered perhaps the best in the entire league; I always felt welcomed at Pacers games, and I would be surprised if any media member covering those games felt otherwise.
The first NBA game that I covered as a credentialed media member was Indiana's 101-77 home win versus Chicago on March 22, 2004. Scottie Pippen did not play due to injury, but I interviewed him after the game. I covered the first two games of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals at Indiana. Game two is best remembered for Tayshaun Prince's chase down block versus Reggie Miller, a key play in Detroit's 72-67 win that prevented the Pistons from falling behind 0-2. The Pistons won that series in six games before beating the Lakers in five games to capture the NBA title.
Over the next several years, I covered many Pacers games as a credentialed media member. I don't recall having any in depth conversations with Benner, but I remember that when I needed something or had a question he or one of his staff members was always willing and able to help. During that period, I interviewed many Pacer legends, including Bobby "Slick" Leonard, Mel Daniels, George McGinnis, and Darnell Hillman. I also interviewed prominent visiting players, including Kobe Bryant (on multiple occasions) and Steve Nash.
Gregg Doyel of the Indy Star knew Benner much better than I did, and Doyel's tribute to Benner is a must read. Here is an excerpt:
David Benner wouldn't say he was dying. Not his
style. And this was a man of style--and substance. He worked for the
IndyStar from 1979-1994, worked his way up from copy boy to the biggest
beats in sports before shifting gears and working for the Pacers in
media relations. An unusual career switch, something only the strongest
of souls could do, but that was Benner. One of the strongest souls
around.
Benner left us Wednesday morning at age
67, dying of the cancer that had been coming for him for a decade,
nibbling around the edges, trying to get close but running into the same
wall most of us ran into, eventually: Benner would decide how close
you'd get. You, me, cancer...none of us chose. Benner chose.
The retirements and deaths of so many people who I met while covering the NBA are a grim reminder of the relentless passing of time. Rest in peace, David Benner.
Revising the NBA's 50 Greatest Players List, Part II
In 2008, Athlon Sports published a list of the 50 Greatest Pro Basketball Players, ranking each player in order and providing a one sentence summary of each player's accomplishments. Here is Athlon Sports' list (an asterisk indicates that the player was not on the NBA's 50 Greatest Players List):
1) Michael Jordan
2) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3) Bill Russell
4) Wilt Chamberlain
5) Oscar Robertson
6) Magic Johnson
7) Larry Bird
8) Jerry West
9) Karl Malone
10) Elgin Baylor
11) Bob Pettit
12) John Havlicek
13) Shaquille O'Neal
14) Hakeem Olajuwon
15) Tim Duncan*
16) George Mikan
17) Kobe Bryant*
18) Julius Erving
19) Moses Malone
20) Bob Cousy
21) John Stockton
22) Kevin Garnett*
23) Charles Barkley
24) Dolph Schayes
25) Rick Barry
26) Scottie Pippen
27) Isiah Thomas
28) David Robinson
29) Elvin Hayes
30) Allen Iverson*
31) Bob McAdoo*
32) Nate Archibald
33) Dave Bing
34) Bill Sharman
35) Billy Cunningham
36) Kevin McHale
37) Dave Cowens
38) Walt Frazier
39) Jason Kidd*
40) George Gervin
41) Patrick Ewing
42) Clyde Drexler
43) Willis Reed
44) Pete Maravich
45) Gary Payton*
46) George McGinnis*
47) Connie Hawkins*
48) Paul Arizin
49) Dennis Rodman*
50) Walt Bellamy*
This article will not reevaluate the entire 50 Greatest Players List but
will only compare the 11 players Athlon Sports added to the 11 players Athlon Sports did
not include. Keep in mind that Athlon Sports' list is from 10 years ago, before
LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry or Russell Westbrook had won a single
MVP or championship. The Top 50 candidacies of those players--and other players
of more recent vintage, including Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade--will be discussed in a future
article in this series.
Duncan and Bryant had not entered the NBA when the original list was
selected. Garnett had just completed his rookie season and Iverson was just
starting his rookie season. This raises an interesting question: Is there some
"magic" number of players who should be included on a greatest
players list or should the list’s size continue to grow as the league gets older
and more great players complete their careers?
This is a subjective question and my subjective answer is that any greatest
players list that is larger than 100 is a bit too large to wrap one's mind
around as a fan and probably a bit too large to properly construct as an
analyst. My inclination is that 50 is not a "magic number"--it was only chosen
originally because the NBA was celebrating its 50th anniversary--but
it is a good number and that there is nothing wrong with Pantheon-level
players like Duncan and Bryant knocking some players off of the list.
However, I also do not have a serious problem with pushing the list to 75 or even
100.
In Part I of this series, I listed four methodologies that should be used in
no particular order to compare players from different eras:
1) How great was a particular player in his own era?
2) How highly does a player rank overall in key statistical categories?
3) Based on a skill set evaluation, how well would a player have performed in a
different era when facing different rules and circumstances?
4) Did the player have a historical impact on the game, in terms of forcing
rules changes and/or influencing shifts in style of play?
Using those standards (or just about any other standards, for that matter),
the inclusion of Duncan and Bryant is obvious and indisputable.
Duncan won two regular season MVPs (2002-03; he ranked in the top five in
MVP balloting nine times), three Finals MVPs (1999, 2003, 2005), one All-Star
Game MVP (2000) and the 1998 Rookie of the Year award. He made the All-NBA Team
15 times (tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant for the most all-time),
including 10 First Team selections. Duncan made the All-Defensive Team a record
15 times, including eight First Team selections. He also made the All-Star team
15 times.
Duncan ranks seventh all-time in ABA/NBA regular season rebounds (15,091),
sixth all-time in ABA/NBA regular season blocked shots (3020), sixth all-time
in ABA/NBA playoff points scored (5172), third all-time in ABA/NBA playoff
rebounds (2859) and first all-time in ABA/NBA playoff blocked shots (568).
Blocked shots have only been an official statistic for the NBA since 1973-74;
the ABA began tracking blocked shots in 1972-73.
Duncan could score in the post or facing the basket within 15-18 feet. He
was an excellent screener and a very good passer. Duncan was a top notch
defender and rebounder. Perhaps his only skill set weakness was free throw
shooting (.696 career free throw percentage, including four seasons below
.640).
Duncan did not force rules changes or influence shifts in style of play but
he was the centerpiece of one of pro basketball’s most dominant franchises for
nearly two decades, playing a major role on five San Antonio championship teams
(1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014).
Bryant won one regular season MVP (2008; he ranked in the top five in MVP
balloting 11 times), two Finals MVPs (2009-10) and a record-tying four All-Star
Game MVPs (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011). He won two regular season scoring titles
(2006-07) and he led the league in playoff scoring average three times (2003,
2007-08). Bryant made the All-NBA Team 15 times (tied for the most all-time),
including 11 First Team selections (tied for the most all-time with Karl Malone
and LeBron James). Bryant made the All-Defensive Team 12 times, including nine
First Team selections (tied for the most all-time with Michael Jordan, Gary
Payton and Kevin Garnett). He made the All-Star team 18 times, second only to
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19).
Bryant ranks third all-time in ABA/NBA regular season scoring (33,643
points), fourth all-time in ABA/NBA playoff points (5640), ninth all-time in
ABA/NBA playoff assists (1040) and sixth all-time in ABA/NBA playoff steals
(310). Steals have only been an official statistic for the NBA since 1973-74;
the ABA began tracking steals in 1972-73.
Bryant also ranks sixth all-time in ABA/NBA regular season field goals made (11,719), third all-time in ABA/NBA regular season free throws made (8378) and eighth all-time in ABA/NBA regular season minutes played (48,637)
Bryant is one of the few players in pro basketball history who had no skill
set weaknesses. He could
score in the post, facing the basket or off the
dribble. He was an excellent free throw shooter and a great passer who excelled
at drawing double teams; even when he did not make the pass that led directly
to the basket, his presence often tilted the defense to create the scoring
opportunity. Bryant was an elite defender for most of his career and he was an
excellent rebounder for his position.
Bryant's combination of high level athleticism grounded in solid
fundamentals emulated Michael Jordan. Some people criticized Bryant for copying
Jordan but why not copy someone who has a similar body type and is the greatest
ever at that position (and arguably the greatest player of all-time)? Bryant
was an All-NBA level performer for five championship teams (2000-02, 2009-10),
plus two other teams that advanced to the NBA Finals (2004, 2008).
Kevin Garnett did not dominate to the same extent that Duncan or Bryant did
but he is a worthy addition to the 50 Greatest Players List. Garnett won the
2004 regular season MVP and he ranked in the top five in MVP balloting five
times. He won the 2003 All-Star Game MVP and was selected as the 2008 Defensive
Player of the Year. Garnett made the All-NBA Team nine times, including four
First Team selections. He made the All-Defensive Team 12 times, including a
record-tying nine First Team selections. Garnett was a 15-time All-Star. He won
four regular season rebounding titles (2004-07).
Garnett ranks 10th all-time in ABA/NBA regular season rebounds
(14,662) and fourth all-time in ABA/NBA regular season minutes played (50,418).
Garnett's greatest skill set strengths were defense and rebounding. He also
had a very high motor and his energy/enthusiasm could be contagious. Garnett
had a reliable face up jumper out to 15-18 feet. He could score in the post but
he was not a dominant post player and he preferred to face the basket. Garnett
was an outstanding screener and a good passer. Garnett needed more help around
him to win a championship than Duncan or Bryant did but when Garnett had that
help his Boston Celtics won the 2008 NBA title and advanced to the 2010 NBA
Finals.
Although Garnett was not a three point shooter, his versatility and his
preference to play facing the basket from the power forward position presaged
to some extent the “stretch four” role that has now become prevalent in the
NBA.
Allen Iverson should not be a controversial selection but some people may
balk at adding him to the list because of his off-court controversies and/or
because his playing style did not translate well in terms of "advanced
basketball statistics." Iverson won the 2001 regular season MVP, he ranked in
the top five in MVP balloting three times and he won two All-Star Game MVPs
(2001, 2005). Iverson won the 1997 Rookie of the Year award. He captured four
regular season scoring titles (1999, 2001-02, 05) and he ranks seventh in
ABA/NBA regular season scoring average (26.7 ppg). Iverson also led the league
in playoff scoring twice (1999, 2005) and he ranks second to Michael Jordan in
ABA/NBA playoff scoring average (29.7 ppg). Iverson made the All-NBA Team seven
times, including three First Team selections. Iverson was an 11-time All-Star.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Iverson's career is his durability,
which is even more incredible considering that he was listed at 6-0, 165
pounds. Iverson ranks fourth in ABA/NBA regular season mpg (41.1) behind only Wilt
Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson. Iverson led the NBA in regular
season mpg seven times (1999, 2002-04, 06-08), a mark exceeded only by
Chamberlain’s nine. Iverson averaged 45.1 mpg in the playoffs, third behind
Chamberlain and Russell, and he led the NBA in playoff mpg three times (1999,
2001, 05).
In addition to his durability, Iverson's greatest skill set strength was his
ability to relentlessly attack the basket to score, get fouled or draw so much
defensive attention that his missed shots were--as Doug Collins astutely pointed
out--essentially assists that enabled his teammates to have easy putbacks. He
was not a great three point shooter but he could hit them in the clutch at
times. Iverson was an underrated passer who averaged 6.2 apg during his career
and who four times ranked in the top 10 in assists. Iverson was not a great one
on one defender but he excelled in playing the passing lanes; he ranks 10th
all-time in ABA/NBA regular season steals per game (2.2). Iverson was a solid
rebounder considering his size and the other responsibilities that he
shouldered.
Iverson's personal style and attitude carried significant cultural
influence, plus his ability to excel in the NBA at his size inspired many of
the players who came after him. He would thrive even more in today's era of
drive and kick basketball during which handchecking is not permitted.
Bob McAdoo won the 1975 NBA regular season MVP and he finished in the top
five in MVP balloting three times. He was the only player who had won an NBA
regular season MVP as of 1996 who was not selected to the NBA's 50 Greatest
Players List. I would not say that winning a regular season MVP should
automatically qualify a player for top 50 status but I would say that a player
who was the best player in the league during a given season should probably
make the cut provided that he sustained excellence for a reasonable period of
time; McAdoo certainly fits that description and he should have been on the
original list.
McAdoo was an elite player in the mid-1970s, winning three straight scoring
titles (1974-76) and making the All-Star team five consecutive times (1974-78).
He won the 1973 Rookie of the Year Award and he earned two All-NBA selections,
including a First Team nod in 1975.
He bounced around to a few different teams in the middle of his career
before becoming a valuable sixth man for two L.A. Lakers' championship teams
(1982, 85). Pat Riley, who coached the Lakers to five championships during the
Showtime era, has stated that the Lakers would not have won the 1982 and 1985
titles without McAdoo’s contributions at both ends of the court.
Stylistically, McAdoo was a hybrid big forward/small center who had
tremendous shooting range. The NBA did not adopt the three point shot until
midway through his career and the trey did not feature as a prominent weapon in
the league until after McAdoo retired but his ability to operate facing the
basket on offense combined with his mobility and his ability to defend multiple
positions mean that he would be a prototype "stretch four" in the modern game.
Jason Kidd shared the 1995 Rookie of the Year award with Grant Hill. He
never won a regular season MVP but he placed in the top five twice, including a
second place finish to Duncan in 2002. Kidd made the All-NBA Team six times,
including five First Team selections. He made the All-Defensive Team nine
times, including four First Team selections. Kidd was a 10-time All-Star.
Kidd led the NBA in assists five times (1999-01, 2003-04) and he ranks eighth
in ABA/NBA regular season apg (8.7). He also ranks second in ABA/NBA regular
season assists (12,091). Kidd ranks fourth all-time in ABA/NBA playoff assists
(1263), trailing only Magic Johnson, John Stockton and LeBron James. He is
second in ABA/NBA regular season steals (2684) and seventh in ABA/NBA playoff
steals (302).
Kidd resurrected a moribund Nets franchise, leading the team to consecutive
NBA Finals (2002, 03). He was a key contributor for the 2011 Dallas Mavericks
team that upset the favored Miami Heat in the Finals.
Kidd showed remarkable skill set development during his career. The player
who was derisively called "Ason" because he had no "J" transformed himself into
a very good three point shooter while also elevating his free throw percentage
from the high .600s to the high .700s/low .800s. Kidd was always a superb
playmaker and top notch defensive player. Above all, Kidd was a winner who
consistently helped his teams improve, while teams that he left consistently
got worse.
Gary Payton's career largely overlapped Kidd's and for several years they
battled for the unofficial title as the league's best point guard. Payton never
won a regular season MVP but he placed in the top five once and he finished
sixth five times. Payton made the All-NBA Team nine times, including two First
Team selections. He made the All-Defensive Team nine times, each time receiving
First Team honors (tied for the most all-time First Team selections). Payton
won the 1996 Defensive Player of the Year award, the same season that he led
the league in steals for the only time. Payton made the All-Star team nine
times.
Payton ranks eighth in ABA/NBA regular season assists (8966) and he finished
in the top 10 in apg in seven seasons. He ranks fourth in ABA/NBA regular
season steals (2445).
He was a below average free throw shooter and outside shooter. Payton's main
strength was his tremendous defense. He was also a good playmaker and a capable
scorer who was an outstanding postup player at 6-4. Payton was a solid
rebounder who averaged a career-high 6.5 rpg in 1999-00 but never averaged more
than 5 rpg in any other season. He helped lead Seattle to the 1996 Finals. He
started--but did not play well--for the Lakers team that lost in the
2004 Finals. Payton rode Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal to the 2006 title,
averaging just 5.8 ppg on .422 field goal shooting during Miami's playoff run
that season (though Payton did make a couple big plays).
Payton was a flashier player than Kidd and a more explosive scorer but Kidd
was the superior all-around player and he had a bigger impact on winning. A
valid case could be made to add Payton to the 50 Greatest Players List but a
valid case could also be made to not include him; Athlon Sports ranked Payton 45th
and I would not place him any higher than that.
George McGinnis shared the 1975 ABA regular season MVP with Julius Erving
and he finished in the top five in MVP balloting three times. McGinnis won the
1973 ABA Playoff MVP award. He made the All-ABA or All-NBA Team five times,
including three First Team selections. McGinnis made the ABA or NBA All-Star
team six times and he won the 1975 ABA regular season scoring title (29.8 ppg).
McGinnis played a major role on two Indiana ABA championship teams (1972-73)
and on the Philadelphia team that advanced to the 1977 NBA Finals. He was a
dominant player in the ABA and a very good player for several NBA seasons but
his performance level dropped dramatically at the age of 29. By the age of 31
he was out of the league. In terms of peak value, a credible Top 50 case can be
made for McGinnis but his overall body of work is not quite good enough to make
the cut.
Connie Hawkins had Top 50 talent without question but he was blackballed
from the NBA during a significant portion of his prime. He began his
professional career with the Harlem Globetrotters and then he enjoyed a brief
but very successful run in the ABA, winning the 1968 regular season and Playoff
MVP awards while leading the Pittsburgh Pipers to the league's inaugural
championship. Hawkins won the regular season scoring title (26.8 ppg) that year
and he also led the league in playoff scoring (29.9 ppg).
An injury limited Hawkins to 47 games in his second ABA season, by which
time he had settled a lawsuit that enabled him to jump to the NBA. Hawkins made
a sensational NBA debut in 1969-70, earning All-NBA First Team honors and
finishing fifth in MVP balloting. The years and the mileage soon caught up with
Hawkins. He finished his career with three top five MVP finishes, three
All-ABA/All-NBA First Team selections and five All-Star Game appearances.
Hawkins was a flashy player whose huge hands and tremendous leaping ability
foreshadowed the brilliant moves made more famous by Julius Erving and Michael
Jordan. In terms of peak value and overall impact on the sport Hawkins deserves
a spot on the 50 Greatest Players List but in terms of long term sustained
excellence he falls short of the mark.
Dennis Rodman was a rebounding machine and a ferocious defender who could
guard any position in his prime. He captured seven straight regular season
rebounding titles (1992-98) with some rpg averages that had not been seen since
Chamberlain and Russell patrolled the paint. Rodman's off court antics seem to
have cost him a bit in terms of receiving awards/recognition but he made the
All-NBA Team twice and he was a two-time All-Star. Rodman made the
All-Defensive Team eight times, including seven First Team selections, and he
won back to back Defensive Player of the Year awards (1990-91).
Rodman only averaged 10-plus ppg once during his career but he was a
valuable offensive player not only because of his prodigious offensive
rebounding but also because he was an excellent screener and an intelligent
passer.
Rodman was a key member of two Detroit championship teams (1989-90) and
three Chicago championship teams (1996-98). His personal style and his playing
style were both unorthodox but his impact on winning is unquestionable.
Walt Bellamy never made the All-NBA Team and never finished in the top 10 in MVP voting. He won the 1962 Rookie of the Year Award and he made the All-Star team four times. Just based on those facts, one might wonder why he is in the Hall of Fame, let alone being potentially considered as one of the 50 greatest players--but Bellamy's career is not so simply summarized. His rookie campaign is one of the most dominant ever: 31.6 ppg, 19.0 rpg, league-best .519 field goal percentage. As I noted in my 2013 obituary for "Big Bells," "Bellamy averaged at least 22.8 ppg and at least 14.6 rpg in each of his first five NBA seasons...Just seven players other than Bellamy have had multiple 22.8 ppg/14.6
rpg seasons and only 18 players in NBA/ABA history accomplished this
feat even once." Bellamy ranks eighth in ABA/NBA career regular season rpg average (13.7) and he also averaged 20.1 ppg during his regular season career. No matter how one accounts for pace/style of play/era/level of competition, those numbers are impressive. If Bellamy had not played in the same era as Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, he would probably have been a perennial All-NBA Team member.
The players who Athlon Sports removed from the list have impressive
accomplishments worthy of recognition and acknowledgment. Players from earlier
eras should not be judged based solely or primarily on numbers, at least not
without placing those numbers in the context of the vast differences between
eras.
Dave DeBusschere never received serious MVP consideration and he made the
All-NBA team just once but he made the All-Star team eight times and he earned
six straight All-Defensive First Team selections. DeBusschere was an elite
defender, so when looking at his career honors it is important to remember that
the All-Defensive Team was first selected in 1969--the seventh season of his 12
year NBA career--and he thus received First Team recognition every season that
he could have possibly done so. The Defensive Player of the Year award did not
exist during his career and neither steals nor blocked shot became official NBA
statistics until his final season.
Field goal percentages were lower and pace was higher during DeBusschere's
career, so more rebounds were available than in later eras, but by any standard
he was a very good rebounder: he averaged 11.0 rpg during his career and after
his first two seasons he never had a season during which he averaged less than
10 rpg.
DeBusschere was a key member of two New York championship teams (1970,
1973). Although he was a rugged defender and rebounder, on offense he often played
outside of the paint, spreading the floor by firing long jumpers. The NBA did
not have a three point shot during that era but if he played in the current era
he would have easily added that weapon to his repertoire.
Hal Greer was the third best guard during an era when two of the best guards
in pro basketball history played: Oscar Robertson and Jerry West. Thus, Greer
made the All-NBA Second Team for seven straight seasons but he never received a
First Team nod. Greer also earned 10 All-Star selections and he won the 1968
All-Star Game MVP.
Greer was a vital member of the 1967 Philadelphia team that went 68-13
during the regular season--the best record ever at that time--and broke Boston's
eight year stranglehold on the NBA championship; Greer averaged 22.1 ppg during
that season and he increased his scoring to 27.7 ppg during that year's
playoffs, best on a squad that included Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Billy
Cunningham and Chet Walker. In 1980, this 76ers team was selected by the NBA as
the greatest team in the league's first 35 years.
Greer's career regular season point total (21,586) currently ranks 39th
in ABA/NBA history but it must be noted that when he retired he was the fifth
leading scorer in pro basketball history behind only Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar
Robertson, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. Greer currently ranks 82nd
in career regular season assists (4540) but he ranked seventh in career assists
when he retired.
Sam Jones' legacy is defined by winning and by clutch performances. He won
10 championships (1959-66, 68-69), more than any player in pro basketball
history other than his Boston teammate Bill Russell (11). Jones posted a 9-0
record in playoff game sevens with the Boston Celtics, averaging 27.1 ppg in
those contests.
Jones twice finished in the top five in MVP voting but--like Greer--because
he played in the same era as Robertson and West he never made the All-NBA First
Team. Jones earned three All-NBA Second Team selections and he made the
All-Star team five times.
Jones scored 15,411 career regular season points, which does not look like
an eye-popping total now--but he ranked 12th on the NBA’s career
scoring list when he retired in 1969. He also ranked third on the NBA's career
playoff scoring list when he retired, trailing only Jerry West and Elgin
Baylor. In the context of his era, Sam Jones was a big-time scorer.
Jerry Lucas was one of the greatest rebounders in pro basketball history.
His 15.6 career regular season rpg average ranks fourth in ABA/NBA history
behind only Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Bob Pettit. Lucas' 12,492 career
regular season rebounds ranked fourth all-time when he retired in 1974
(trailing only Chamberlain, Russell and Walt Bellamy) and Lucas still ranks 18th
all-time more than 40 years later. Lucas twice averaged at least 20 rpg during
a season; the only other players who averaged at least 20 rpg during a season
are Chamberlain (10 times), Russell (10 times), Nate Thurmond (two times) and
Bob Pettit (one time).
Lucas won the 1964 Rookie of the Year award and the 1965 All-Star Game MVP.
He finished fifth in the 1966 regular season MVP voting and he made the All-NBA
Team five times, including three First Team selections. He was a seven-time
All-Star. Lucas was a member of the 1973 New York Knicks' championship team.
Like his New York teammate DeBusschere, Lucas was a rugged player who also
had an excellent outside shooting touch. Lucas shot .499 from the field during
his regular season career, the fifth best mark in pro basketball history when
he retired, and he led the NBA in that category in the 1963-64 season. Lucas
ranked eighth in the NBA in free throw percentage in 1964-65 and he shot .783
from the charity stripe for his career, a very good mark for a big man in that
era.
Earl Monroe won the 1968 NBA Rookie of the Year award. The next season, he
earned his only All-NBA First Team selection and he made the first of his four
All-Star Game appearances. He scored at least 21.9 ppg in each of his first
four NBA seasons with the Baltimore Bullets. Monroe was traded to the New York
Knicks early in the 1971-72 season and he blended his talents with fellow
future Hall of Famer Walt Frazier to form the "Rolls Royce" backcourt that led
the Knicks to the 1972 NBA Finals before winning the 1973 championship.
Monroe's scoring dipped early in his Knicks tenure but then he averaged 20.9
ppg, 20.7 ppg and 19.9 ppg in the three seasons after he turned 30; this is one
example of individual numbers not telling the whole story: Monroe sacrificed
personal glory for the greater good of winning a championship and then when the
Knicks needed more scoring after some of their other great players retired,
Monroe stepped up.
Players should be evaluated on skill set and impact and not just on
statistics. Monroe had a tremendous skill set as a scorer and ballhandler and
he had an outsized impact on the sport that goes far beyond his numbers. Before
becoming an NBA star, Monroe set many records at Winston-Salem State while
leading the team to the 1967 NCAA College Division title. Monroe averaged
41.5 ppg and he earned the "Earl the Pearl" nickname after a newspaper
published a list of his high scoring games titled "Earl's Pearls." On the
playgrounds, Earl was already known as "Black Jesus."
Robert Parish finished in the top five in the regular season MVP voting once
and he earned two All-NBA selections but his prime years overlapped with the
careers of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone so he never made the All-NBA
First Team. Parish made the All-Star team nine times, including seven straight
selections during the 1980s (1981-87). He never averaged 20 ppg in a season,
nor did he ever average more than 12.5 rpg in a season; his career was defined
by consistency and durability as opposed to dominance. Parish was a key member
of three Boston championship teams (1981, 84, 86) and he formed the "Big Three"
with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, a trio that is perhaps the best frontcourt of
all-time. Parish lasted in the NBA until he was 43 and he picked up a fourth
championship ring as a little-used reserve for the 1997 Chicago Bulls. Parish
never led the NBA in rebounding but he accumulated 10 top 10 finishes and he
ranks ninth in ABA/NBA regular season rebounds (14,715).
Nate Thurmond finished second in the 1967 NBA regular season MVP voting but
he never made the All-NBA Team while playing in an era dominated by Wilt
Chamberlain and Bill Russell (the MVP voting was conducted by the players at
that time, while the All-NBA Team was selected by the media). The All-Defensive
Team was not created until Thurmond's sixth season but he still made the squad
five times, including two First Team selections. Thurmond was a seven-time
All-Star.
Thurmond specialized in defense and rebounding but he averaged at
least 20 ppg in five straight seasons during his prime. He averaged at least
10.4 rpg in each of this first 12 seasons but despite twice averaging over 20
rpg he never won a rebounding title. Thurmond was a great center who was
overshadowed by Chamberlain and Russell early in his career and then Wes
Unseld, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Willis Reed and Dave Cowens later in his career;
each of those centers won at least one regular season MVP.
Unseld won the 1969 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 1969 NBA regular season
MVP; that dual feat has only been matched by Chamberlain (1960 NBA), Spencer
Haywood (1970 ABA), and Artis Gilmore (1972 ABA). He also earned his only All-NBA First Team selection that
season. Unseld had a very good career but he never made the All-NBA Team after
his rookie season and he never again finished higher than eighth in regular
season MVP voting, though he did win the 1978 Finals MVP after leading the
Washington Bullets to the title. Unseld made the All-Star team five times.
Unseld averaged at least 10 rpg in 12 of his 13 seasons, falling short only
in his injury-riddled 1973-74 campaign--but he bounced back to lead the league
with 14.8 rpg in 1974-75 and he also led the NBA in field goal percentage in
1975-76 (.561). Unseld's strengths were rebounding, passing (particularly
outlet passing) and screen-setting. He never averaged more than 16.2 ppg and he
only averaged more than 10 ppg once in his final eight seasons.
Bill Walton is perhaps the most difficult Top 50 candidate to evaluate. He
led the league in rebounding and blocked shots in 1976-77 before capturing the
1977 Finals MVP as his Portland Trailblazers defeated the favored Philadelphia
76ers 4-2. Walton won the 1978 regular season MVP despite being limited to 58
games due to injury; the Trailblazers began the season 50-10 when Walton was
healthy before going 8-14 down the stretch without him. Injuries forced Walton
to miss three of the next four seasons and he only played 14 games in 1979-80.
Walton played in just 33, 55 and 67 games in the 1983-85 seasons, with his
minutes per game averages declining each year. He was a solid player when he
was on the court but he was not an All-Star; Walton's only All-Star selections
happened in 1977 and 1978 and those were the only years that he earned All-NBA
and All-Defensive Team honors, making the All-Defensive First Team both seasons
and the All-NBA First Team in 1978.
Walton joined the Boston Celtics for the 1985-86 season. Playing less than
20 mpg, he appeared in a career-high 80 games, shot a career-high .562 from the
field and earned the Sixth Man of the Year Award as a key contributor to
arguably the best of Larry Bird's three championship teams. Injuries limited
Walton to 10 games in 1986-87 and he retired at 34 years of age after playing
in just 468 regular season games.
Walton is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, but of course the Hall of
Fame also recognizes a player's collegiate career--and Walton is one of the
greatest college basketball players of all-time. Walton played the equivalent
of less than six NBA seasons. When he was healthy he was an elite player but he
was healthy for a very limited amount of time.
Lenny Wilkens finished second to Wilt Chamberlain in the 1968 NBA regular
season MVP voting and he won the 1971 All-Star Game MVP. He made the All-Star
team nine times and he led the league in assists in 1969-70 but he never was
selected to the All-NBA team. Wilkens ranked in the top 10 in assists 12 times
in his 15 seasons and he finished his career second on the all-time regular
season assists list (he currently ranks 14th). Wilkens was primarily
a playmaker but he was also a first rate scorer: he averaged at least 20 ppg in
three different seasons and he has a higher career regular season scoring
average (16.5 ppg) than several guards who are perhaps more renowned for
scoring, including Gary Payton, Joe Dumars and Tony Parker. Wilkens, John
Wooden, Bill Sharman and Tommy Heinsohn are the only individuals inducted in
the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach; Wilkens was inducted
a third time as a member of the coaching staff of the 1992 United States
Olympic "Dream Team."
James Worthy made the All-NBA Team just twice (as a Third Team
selection in 1990 and 1991) but he made the All-Star team seven times
and he won the 1988 Finals MVP. He was a key contributor to three
Lakers' championship teams (1985, 87-88). He shot at least .531 from the
field in each of his first eight seasons, using a tremendous first step
and an outstanding ability to finish above the rim to frustrate even
the league's best defensive players. Worthy averaged at least 20 ppg in
four different regular seasons but he could have scored more points if
he had not been playing alongside fellow future Hall of Famers Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. He earned the nickname "Big Game James"
and he lived up to that by increasing his scoring average from 17.6 ppg
in the regular season to 21.1 ppg in the playoffs. He was a below
average rebounder considering his 6-9 size and his leaping ability;
Worthy never averaged more than 6.4 rpg in a season and he finished his
career with a 5.1 rpg average. He was a solid passer and a decent
defensive player.
Before evaluating Athlon Sports' choices, it is clear from the capsule biographies
above that the 11 players Athlon Sports did not include each accomplished a lot and
each played at a very high level. There is a lamentable tendency in many
quarters to reflexively discount the meaning or significance of anything
that happened more than 20 or 30 years ago.
That being said, if the size of the list is being kept at 50 then Duncan,
Bryant, Garnett and Iverson--four players who had not achieved prominence as of 1996--clearly
deserve inclusion. I also agree with Athlon Sports' inclusion of Bellamy, McAdoo, Payton and Kidd. Bellamy was one of the most dominant scorers/rebounders ever and he put up his numbers while having to regularly face Chamberlain and Russell. McAdoo also should have made the cut the first time. Kidd had such an impact
on winning that I cannot leave him off of the list. Payton's longevity as a
two-way player is noteworthy.
So, among the 22 players that Athlon Sports shuffled, I disagree about six of
them: I would keep Greer, Lucas and DeBusschere in the Top 50 and I would thus
decline to include Hawkins, McGinnis and Rodman. My reasoning is that Greer,
Lucas and DeBusschere sustained a high level of play for longer than Hawkins
and McGinnis, while Rodman was not quite multi-dimensional enough to move past
Lucas or DeBusschere—two championship winning forwards who not only rebounded
and defended but who also scored. It is tough to not include MVP winners
Hawkins and McGinnis--who would each likely be on a list of the 50 most talented
players of all-time--but sustained excellence is important.
Regarding the other players mentioned in this article, none of them
quite measure up to their counterparts. Jones was a clutch performer but his
individual resume does not stack up against his contemporary Greer and he was
never in the running for best guard in the league like Kidd and Payton later
were. Monroe had a short peak and was not as versatile as the guards ranked
ahead of him.
Parish and Thurmond were great centers but they were never the
best or even second best in the league at their position during their careers.
Unseld had one great year and then many very good ones; if he had not won one
MVP then he probably would not be considered at all, so that one outlier season
does not outweigh the body of work produced by the players ranked ahead of him.
If Walton had been healthy, he might have been a top 10 or top 20 player--but he
was not healthy and thus we are forced to evaluate him based on what he
actually accomplished, not what might have been.
Wilkens was a marvelous two-way player but in a 15 year career he never made the All-NBA First or Second Team and it is just hard to accept the notion that a player who was never ranked among the top four at his position during his career should be listed among the top 50 players of all-time. Wilkens did finish second in MVP voting once but he just was not quite as dominant as the some of the other all-time greats.
Worthy was never close to being the best forward in the NBA and--while it is possible that he would have posted gaudier individual numbers had he been a headliner for a less talented team--it must be noted that he benefited a lot from playing alongside many other great players. Worthy's resume is impressive and it is Hall of Fame caliber but he just did not accomplish enough to make this list; he should not have made it over, for instance, McAdoo back in 1996 and Athlon Sports was correct to leave him off in 2008.
Reflections on the 2017 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony
I wrote about the 2017 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class in April after the inductees were announced but after watching Friday night's enshrinement ceremony I have a few additional thoughts to share.
It was wonderful to see George McGinnis' Hall of Fame acceptance speech. McGinnis, the only Hall of Fame eligible NBA or ABA regular season MVP who had not been inducted, talked beautifully and poignantly about how Oscar Robertson inspired him by leading the first
all-black team (Crispus Attucks) to win an Indiana high school basketball championship. McGinnis described how he dropped 53 points and 30 rebounds in an Indiana-Kentucky high school all-star game just nine days before his father's death. That would be the last time his father saw him play and his father had told him how proud he was, a moment that clearly means a lot to McGinnis more than 40 years later.
McGinnis' Hall of Fame presenters were Artis Gilmore, Spencer Haywood, Rick Barry and Bobby "Slick" Leonard and McGinnis had special words for each of them. Regarding Gilmore, McGinnis spoke fondly of their Indiana-Kentucky ABA Finals battles in 1973 and 1975. McGinnis thanked Haywood for paving the way for underclassmen to jump straight to professional basketball and McGinnis added that he used his $15,000 signing bonus as a down payment on the house where his mother still lives to this day! McGinnis said that ABA players called Barry "the professor" because of all of the lessons that Barry taught them on the court. McGinnis called his former coach Leonard a "father figure" who has provided great advice and counsel over the years.
Mannie Jackson's speech was simply spellbinding. He spoke of his rise from being born in a boxcar to being a member of six boards of directors--but before he said a word about himself, Jackson spent a lot of time making an impassioned and eloquent plea for an end to the basketball historical revisionism that denies the
Harlem Globetrotters' importance for the early NBA. Jackson noted that the Globetrotters were an elite level team in the 1940s and 1950s, fully capable of playing on even terms with the best NBA teams. Globetrotters' owner Abe Saperstein scheduled Globetrotters' games to be the first part of doubleheaders before NBA games, providing an attendance boost for the young league.
Jackson said that
basketball played a big role in breaking down Jim Crow discrimination by providing an example of diversity, acceptance and inclusion.
Here is Jackson's speech in its entirety:
Tracy McGrady's speech concluded the evening. McGrady is still salty about his first NBA coach, Darrell Walker, telling him that he was lazy and would be out of the league in three years. It seemed for a moment that McGrady was going to go the Michael Jordan route and revisit every past grudge from his career but then McGrady shifted gears and he delivered a heartfelt and profound message to his four children: focus on your character, not your reputation. Character is who you are in private, which means much more than what people think about you because character represents what you actually are.
Every year it is a treat to hear each new Basketball Hall of Famer describe his or her journey to achieving the sport's highest honor.
Krause, McGinnis, McGrady Among the 11 Newest Basketball Hall of Fame Members
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that it will welcome 11 new members this fall: Zack Clayton, Nikos Galis, Robert Hughes, Mannie Jackson, Tom Jernstedt, Jerry Krause, Rebecca Lobo, George McGinnis, Tracy McGrady, Muffet McGraw and Bill Self. If several of those names are not familiar to you as an NBA fan, keep in mind that this is the Basketball Hall of Fame, not the NBA Hall of Fame (there is no such entity), and the Basketball Hall of Fame honors players, coaches, executives and contributors from around the world/all levels of the game.
This article will focus on the three new Hall of Famers who are most closely associated with pro basketball: Krause, McGinnis and McGrady.
Nearly four years ago, I asserted that Tracy McGrady is Clearly a Hall of Famer and shortly after that I followed up with another article making the Hall of Fame case for McGrady. The Hall of Fame voters agreed with me, selecting McGrady in his first year of eligibility. McGrady, who jumped straight to the NBA from high school, had a 15 year NBA career and he led the NBA in scoring twice (2003, 2004) in the middle of a seven year run during which he averaged at least 24.4 ppg each season while earning seven consecutive All-Star selections. During that period he played in at least 71 games five times but in the five seasons after that he played in just 66, 35, 30, 72 and 52 games (out of 66 in the lockout shortened 2011-12 campaign). By the age of 31 he was no longer a regular starter and by the age of 33 he had retired due to injuries.
During McGrady's brief, absolute peak, it was reasonable to compare him to Kobe Bryant and not be absolutely certain who was the better player--but, while Bryant was blessed with good health and thus able to sustain All-NBA First Team level dominance for an extended period, McGrady had a short run as an elite player and a slightly longer period (but not nearly as long a period as Bryant did) as one of the league's 10 best players. Some would argue that this is not enough to merit Hall of Fame induction but I perceive at least three categories of Hall of Fame players: Pantheon, Top 50, other great players. McGrady is not a Pantheon level player and at best he would be a fringe Top 50 player if objective voting were done today but McGrady is solidly in the top 75 or 80 players of all-time. There are not any particular statistical plateaus for pro basketball players that point to automatic Hall of Fame selection, nor should there be some arbitrary limit on how many players can be selected.
In contrast to McGrady's first ballot selection, Krause and McGinnis waited a long time to be selected. Jerry Colangelo, the Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall
of Fame, promised that under his watch the Hall of Fame will
recognize individuals who have "slipped through the cracks" and that has been the case: he spearheaded the creation of a special ABA Committee that finally inducted ABA all-time greats Artis Gilmore, Mel Daniels, Roger Brown and Bobby "Slick" Leonard and Louie Dampier. That committee has been disbanded but its spirit remains, as indicated by the 2015 induction of Spencer Haywood and the 2016 induction of Zelmo Beaty.
McGinnis' career and prime were both shorter than McGrady's but McGinnis was the only Hall of Fame eligible NBA or ABA regular season MVP who had not been inducted. McGinnis shared 1975 ABA regular season MVP honors with Julius Erving, who two seasons later joined forces with McGinnis to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals. McGinnis played a key role for two Indiana ABA championship teams (1972, 1973), winning the ABA Playoff MVP in 1973. During the 1975 ABA playoffs, McGinnis averaged 32.3 ppg, 15.9 rpg and 8.2 apg while leading the Pacers to the Finals (their third Finals trip in McGinnis' four years with the franchise). McGinnis remains one of just four players who averaged 30 ppg, 7 rpg and 7 apg for an entire playoff season; pro basketball fans are on a first name basis with the other players: Oscar (who did it twice), Michael, LeBron (who has done it twice). Interestingly, all of those players won at least one championship but none of them won a title during his 30-7-7 postseason run.
McGinnis made the All-Star team six times--three in the ABA, three in the NBA--and at his peak he was as good as any player in either league. The one blemish on his resume is that he relied too much on his natural talent, so when his physical skills began to erode he did not adjust his game; he did not make the All-Star team after the age of 28 and by age 32 he was out of the league. Nevertheless, a player who is a key contributor for two championship teams (and two other Finalists) while winning a regular season MVP, a playoff MVP and a scoring title deserves Hall of Fame induction--not to mention the fact that he was also a dominant, record setting collegiate player.
It is always poignant and bittersweet when someone whose Hall of Fame induction was long overdue is not honored until after he passes away, a fate that also befell the aforementioned Roger Brown and Zelmo Beaty. Jerry Krause built six Chicago Bulls championship teams in the 1990s, so it is odd that he was not inducted in the Hall of Fame years ago; instead, he received the honor less than two weeks after passing away at the age of 77. I was as baffled and upset as anyone by Krause's haste and glee to break up the Bulls so that he could try to build another championship team from scratch but Krause deserves a lot of credit for hiring Phil Jackson as coach and for acquiring key players Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, B.J. Armstrong, Bill Cartwright, Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper and Dennis Rodman. An NBA executive's job is to win games and championships; by that standard, Krause is one of the most accomplished executives in pro basketball history.
Roger Brown is Finally Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame!
The "Rajah" has ascended to his rightful throne; the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's ABA Committee selected Roger Brown as a member of the Hall's 2013 Class. Brown joins fellow ABA Unsung HeroesArtis Gilmore and Mel Daniels (Brown's Indiana Pacer teammate on three ABA championship teams), who were selected by the ABA Committee in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Brown long ago earned the respect of his peers and of knowledgeable basketball observers--which means more than the bleatings of "stat gurus" or the shamefully wrong verdicts dispensed by previous Hall of Fame voters--but it is still wonderful to see basketball justice served and Brown welcomed into basketball's most exclusive fraternity.
Years ago I asked Daniels to describe Brown's skills and Daniels replied: "I think you could sum it up simply like this. Those who did not see Roger Brown or didn't know him, missed a treat...We ran an isolation play for him and he was so good one-on-one that I remember defenders actually screaming for help. He
actually dislocated or broke eight guys' ankles…I think that Michael Jordan is the best basketball player I have ever seen or one of the
best. Roger Brown was right there in his class."
Julius Erving entered the ABA in 1971-72, one season after Brown made the All-ABA First Team. Erving viewed Brown as a role model: "His depth of knowledge made him someone who I wanted to watch and also watch out for. I was just running and jumping and trying to jump over people and (it helped) just to see what he was doing on the ground, knowing that he was a great jumper in his day but that by this time he had channeled his energies to be a complete player, be a team player and win championships. So he was already at a place that I was trying to get to."
Brown played a key role in the "Interstate 65 rivalry" that pitted the Indiana Pacers versus the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA version of the Boston Celtics versus the L.A. Lakers; the Pacers and Colonels faced each other twice in the ABA Finals, they appeared in the ABA Finals a total of eight times combined and they won four of the league's nine championships. For quite some time the only participant in that rivalry who the Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed was Kentucky's Dan Issel, who spent most of his pro career in the NBA but in recent years Kentucky Coach Hubie Brown has been recognized by the Hall of Fame as a Contributor (2005), followed by the inductions of players Gus Johnson (2010; he spent most of his career starring in the NBA before making a key contribution to Indiana's 1973 championship team as a reserve), Gilmore, Daniels and now Brown. Pacer Coach Bobby "Slick" Leonard should be the next ABA figure honored by the Basketball Hall of Fame; Indiana players George McGinnis (the 1975 ABA regular season co-MVP with Erving, his eventual NBA teammate in Philadelphia) and Freddie Lewis (the 1972 ABA Playoff MVP) deserve Hall of Fame consideration as well. This is Roger Brown's moment in the sun, though, so the discussions/debates about future Hall of Fame elections can be saved for another day.
Brown performed with elegance, he came up big in the biggest games--he and Erving share the ABA playoff single game scoring record (53 points)--and he made the most of his professional basketball career despite having several prime years stolen from him because of unfounded allegations about being associated with the infamous Jack Molinas (Connie Hawkins, another player who lost prime years of his career because of the same unfounded allegations, played in both the ABA and the NBA and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992). Brown died of cancer in 1997 but at least his family now has the peace of mind that Brown's place in basketball history has been formally acknowledged.
Jerry Colangelo, the Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board, should be greatly commended for making good on his promise that the Hall of Fame Will Recognize Worthy Players Who Have "Slipped Through the Cracks." I passionately believe that ABA Numbers Should Also Count and I have said for many years that Brown, Daniels and Gilmore deserved to be inducted in the Hall of Fame. I am not seeking any credit for the Hall of Fame honors that Gilmore, Daniels and Brown fully earned with their high quality play but I hope that my advocacy on their behalf had some impact.
Overlooked and Underrated: Four Fabulous Forwards Three of the four players I profiled in this article are now members of the Basketball Hall of Fame: Maurice Stokes (class of 2004), Scottie Pippen (class of 2010) and Roger Brown (class of 2013); Mark Aguirre is perhaps a fringe Hall of Fame candidate but he is unquestionably underrated and his combined collegiate/professional resume is stronger than many people may realize (consensus NCAA Player of the Year in 1980, three-time NBA All-Star, 20.0 ppg career scoring average in 14 NBA seasons despite sacrificing his individual statistics while helping Detroit to win two NBA titles).
Interview with Ted Green, Producer of "Undefeated: The Roger Brown Story"
Ted Green's documentary "Undefeated: The Roger Brown Story" chronicles the story of one of the most underrated players in pro basketball history. Roger Brown set the ABA single game playoff scoring record (53 points, later matched by Hall of Famer Julius Erving), he outscored Hall of Famer Rick Barry 32-23 in the decisive sixth game of the 1972 ABA Finals and he won the 1970 ABA Playoff MVP after averaging 28.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg and 5.6 apg in the postseason as the Indiana Pacers won the first of their three championships in a four season stretch. Brown was a key member of all three of those championship teams even though he lost the prime years of his professional career after being wrongly banned by the NBA for his alleged association with the notorious game fixer Jack Molinas; the NBA later officially acknowledged that it had no evidence against Brown but Brown stayed in the ABA out of loyalty to a league and a team that gave him the opportunity to play professional basketball. Brown's loyalty has undoubtedly played a major role in keeping him out of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Like Brown, Connie Hawkins was wrongly banned by the NBA for his alleged association with Molinas but Hawkins jumped to the NBA in 1970 after a lawsuit forced the NBA to lift its ban. Hawkins had four All-Star seasons in the NBA during the same period that Brown won those ABA titles (Brown made the ABA All-Star team four times) and Hawkins was eventually inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame. If ABA numbers are counted--and they certainly should be--then Brown and Hawkins have very similar statistics: Brown averaged 17.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 3.8 apg in 605 regular season games, while Hawkins averaged 18.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 4.1 apg in 616 regular season games. Both players lost several prime years because of the NBA's ban. Players who competed with or against Brown have long said that Brown deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Here is the transcript of my recent interview with Ted Green, edited for length and clarity:
Friedman: "Describe your background as a film producer and how you got into this field. What are some of the other movies and documentaries that you have produced?"
Ted Green: "It's interesting. This has been a real midlife change for me. I worked as a sports journalist for 20 years, starting with small newspapers. Then I went to the Cincinnati Enquirer. I was there for a while and then I went to the Miami Herald, where I became the deputy sports editor. Then my wife and I moved to Indianapolis. When we had our twin girls I took the first three years off--well, not off, but to watch the kids while my wife worked at the Indianapolis Star--and I wrote a novel, which is currently sitting in my underwear drawer and I am trying to find the nerve to rewrite it. I worked for the Star for six years in their sports department and what got me into filmmaking was when John Wooden--who is of course an Indiana icon--was approaching his 100th birthday. We felt like we had to do something special. A lot of people don't realize how many years he spent in Indiana. I started out to do just a quick little six minute video. As I did my research I realized that his Indiana story had never really been told before. People thought that his story started at UCLA. So, to make a short story long, that six minute video turned into a 35 minute video. I just walked it down the street to the local PBS affiliate because somebody said that they might be interested in it and, sure enough, they were. It has been on American public television, which is comprised of PBS affiliates, for the past three years. It airs in 80% of U.S. markets and it is called 'John Wooden: The Indiana Story.' It won an Emmy for research, an award from the Society of Professional Journalists and several other nice awards. That project turned me on to something that I really enjoy doing, the idea of telling stories in a more dynamic medium. After that I did another film, also involved with the Indianapolis Star, called 'Hoosier Veterans: Faces of War.' It had nothing to do with sports at all. It was about military veterans from all of the different wars, going back as far as Pearl Harbor and Normandy up through Korea, Vietnam and all the way to Afghanistan and Iraq. We looked at the commonalities and the differences in those war experiences. After that, my wife and I decided as our kids were getting older that I was so into filmmaking that I wanted to change careers and pursue this as a full-time gig. Fortunately, we were able to make that leap. The first piece that I did was just a small segment for WFYI, which is the PBS affiliate here in Indianapolis. It was for a movie called 'Indy in the 60s' and since I was a sports guy they gave me the story of the Indiana Pacers, which started in 1967. I got to talk to George McGinnis and I knew about Mel Daniels and certainly Slick Leonard but there was one guy whose jersey was up in the rafters at what was then, I believe, Conseco Fieldhouse, that I didn't know and that was Roger Brown. I hardly knew anything about him. When I talked to Mel Daniels and Slick Leonard they kept going on and on about this guy. I thought, 'How can this be that I don't know about Roger Brown?'
I decided to get to know his ex-wife, Jeannie. They were married for a while and then they split up and then they sort of stayed together on and off for a long time. In fact, Roger passed away in their house. She took care of him when he had cancer. It took a while to get her to trust me but then she told me Roger's story. She opened up his past to me and she had all of these old boxes of articles. She talked about his Pacers days and the gambling scandal and everything and I was just stupefied that this story had never been completely told before. As a storyteller--and I'm sure that you can appreciate this--when you find a great story that affects you so much and hasn't been told before you want to do it. Ever since that day I became obsessed with telling this story. In the meantime, I did another project called 'Naptown to Super City' which told the story of how Indianapolis very consciously remade itself around sports. It really all started with the Pacers, because the Pacers were a very successful ABA franchise. Then Mayor Lugar, who became a long-time Senator, decided to build a new stadium right downtown and that became Market Square Arena. That led to many other things and we ended up with a whole new city. That was the most recent documentary that I completed. It came out in February and has been well received but all the while I was working on that I was also working on the Roger Brown story. I spent a lot of time in Brooklyn. I spent a lot of time in Dayton, where Roger lived for six years. I talked to a lot of people in Indianapolis. After the Super Bowl documentary wrapped up, I have been working full time on Roger Brown and my hope is to have it finished this year."
Friedman: "When do you expect that the Roger Brown documentary will be released and will it be a television movie or a theatrical release?"
Green: "Those are questions that are dogging me every day. The movie is being produced by WFYI, Indianapolis' PBS affiliate which produced my earlier films, and will definitely air on that channel. We have spoken with Lloyd Wright, who is the president of WFYI and is close friends with the presidents of several PBS affiliates around the country. The New York PBS affiliate recently let us use their studios to do an interview with Bob Costas. A lot of people are helping out and a lot of PBS affiliates are very interested in airing this piece. Also, we are in talks with people about having it released a la 'Hoop Dreams' as an independent release in a few major theaters around the country. We are just really early in that process. We have been talking with some of the bigger cable networks. Everyone says that this has to be an ESPN piece. That is very easy to say but I talked with ESPN very early in the process and at that point they didn't really know who Roger Brown was--which is completely understandable; that is why I am doing the piece--and they certainly did not know who Ted Green was, so those talks did not go very far. Since then, the story had gotten so much better and I would put this cast up against the cast of any documentary, when you look at some of the names who are involved. Also, the timing is excellent now because--although nothing is certain--Roger Brown has a very good chance of being the next ABA guy selected for the Basketball Hall of Fame. When I interviewed Bob Costas he said that he thought that Roger would be the next guy in. There is no certainty and there are other very worthy candidates; certainly right here in town we have two worthy candidates in Slick Leonard and George McGinnis. I, like many other people, believe that they should already be in the Hall of Fame. So, if Roger does get in the Hall of Fame in February, a lot of people are going to want to know who Roger Brown was and this documentary explains who he was and why you haven't heard of him before. This is one of the great sports stories that hasn't been told. I am very determined to have this released by February but, that said, we are still fundraising for the finishing funds. I am very, very grateful to the Indiana Pacers and to Bankers Life Casualty (whose name is on Bankers Life Fieldhouse), who are co-title sponsors and have kicked in a very nice amount to get this project off of the ground--but we still fundraising to finish it right and make it as good as it can be to tell this story right and also to get it released by February when Roger will hopefully make it to the Hall of Fame."
Friedman: "What did you find out in the course of your research about Roger Brown that most surprised you?"
Green: "That's a good question. A lot of things surprised me but I guess the main thing is how the whole scandal went down, pre-Miranda rights, how the D.A.s could keep the 18 and 19 year old boys--or young men, however you want to look at it--essentially locked up without offering them phone calls or lawyers, not charge them and keep them for days on end as they grilled them again and again in their attempts to nail the gamblers. It's draconian and it's impossible to imagine something like that happening today, to find out that this is what ruined the careers--for a long time--of two of the great players (Connie Hawkins and Roger Brown) in basketball history, plus also the careers of other good players like Doug Moe and Tony Jackson who were also unfairly caught up in that. It just should not have gone down that way. That is one of the things that surprised me the most, the logistics of how this happened. The other thing that surprised me the most was just how good of a player he was. I mentioned earlier that the documentary has an incredible cast. I've been very fortunate to be in contact with Zelda Spoelstra in the NBA Alumni office--and I want to thank Herb Turetzky for putting me in contact with her. She's in love with the story, she's always been a fan of Roger Brown and she helped me arrange interviews with big name players. Julius Erving told me that when he came into pro basketball Roger Brown was the best player he'd ever seen, describing Brown as a hybrid between himself and Earl Monroe. I asked him if he was serious about that and he said absolutely. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's eyes lit up when he described being a 13 year old watching Roger Brown and Connie Hawkins in an All-Star game for the first time and thinking that he never thought human beings could do some of those things. I talked to Oscar Robertson about Roger Brown's Dayton years. Roger and the Dayton guys would play pickup games against Oscar and some Cincinnati guys. They called it the I-75 series. Cincinnati had just won back to back NCAA championships with Tom Thacker and others. Oscar, who graduated earlier, played in those games as well. They played these games in a high school gym with no fans, no writers. Oscar and Roger did not play the same position but Thacker said that sometimes in the course of a game Oscar and Roger would hook up one on one and it was a wash. Again and again I found myself challenging these guys, saying how could he be this good and yet people don't know about him. Yet again and again that is what I would hear. Those are some of the things that surprised me."
Friedman: "How much footage of Roger Brown were you able to acquire and put in the documentary?"
Green: "I have been very dogged and determined about that. I have come up with quite a bit of excellent ABA footage from collectors and from local affiliates. Jeannie Brown had in her basement an old reel of film. She didn't know what it was. We got it digitized and it was some excellent footage. I actually do have a lot of footage and that is one of the things that I am looking forward to and I am not showing my full hand on this right now with what you see in the previews. As you understand, ABA footage can be very difficult to come by. I have been very fortunate to get some nice footage to show people just how incredible of a player Roger was."
Friedman: "You have touched on this in general but I want ask you this specifically: Why is Roger Brown's story so important to you?"
Green: "It's become a cause for me and I think that is because for so many of the people I talked to it is a cause for them: his family, his friends, his former teammates like Mel Daniels, George McGinnis, Bob Netolicky and Darnell Hillman, his coach Slick Leonard and on and on and on--his proxy family in Dayton, an incredible woman named Arlena Smith and her husband Azariah; Roger lived with them for two years in their very modest house. When Roger was kicked out of the University of Dayton in 1961 (after being falsely accused in the Jack Molinas scandal), the first thing that he did was go back to Brooklyn. He didn't feel comfortable there, so he went back to Dayton. He had no money and he had nowhere to live, so that is when the Smiths took him in. Azariah Smith coached the AAU team at the local GM plant.
A lot of Roger's friends in Dayton are still around. These are people when I call and say that I am doing a film about Roger Brown the phone will be silent for 10 seconds and then they will say 'I've been waiting 25 years for this phone call.' That is the kind of loyalty that Roger inspired and that is the nature of this cause, as hokey as it might sound. This has long been a cause for these folks, to right the legacy of this man. Will I be able to do that with this piece? I don't know. That is certainly the challenge. Honestly, it's become a piece from the heart for me. It's certainly not about money, because I'm going to be losing, but we're making this from the heart. It's important to the Indianapolis community, it's important to the Dayton community, it's important to the Brooklyn community and I think that it's important to a lot of people in the basketball community. It's just a story that needs to be told. This is a guy whose legacy was wronged but he fought through it. He really managed to make a success out of himself and a lot of people want to see his story finally told. Roger Brown's story touched people. His teammates tear up when talking about him and I think that's a good thing. That is what makes this film really special. This is not a dry eye piece."
This photo is from the recent "Undefeated: The Roger Brown Story" fundraiser at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Pictured left to right are Darnell Hillman, Slick Leonard, George McGinnis, Tom Thacker, Freddie Lewis, Bob Netolicky, Jeannie Brown (Roger's widow), Mel Daniels and Jerry Harkness.
Green is still actively raising funds for "Undefeated: The Roger Brown Story" and you can make your tax deductible contribution to this 501c3 project by visiting the WFYI page. Be sure to specify that your WFYI donation should be earmarked for "Undefeated: The Roger Brown Story."
"A work of art contains its verification in itself: artificial, strained concepts do not withstand the test of being turned into images; they fall to pieces, turn out to be sickly and pale, convince no one. Works which draw on truth and present it to us in live and concentrated form grip us, compellingly involve us, and no one ever, not even ages hence, will come forth to refute them."--Alexander Solzhenitsyn (Nobel Lecture)
"The most 'popular,' the most 'successful' writers among us (for a brief period, at least) are, 99 times out of a hundred, persons of mere effrontery--in a word, busy-bodies, toadies, quacks."--Edgar Allan Poe
"In chess what counts is what you know, not whom you know. It's the way life is supposed to be, democratic and just."--Grandmaster Larry Evans
"It's not nuclear physics. You always remember that. But if you write about sports long enough, you're constantly coming back to the point that something buoys people; something makes you feel better for having been there. Something of value is at work there...Something is hallowed here. I think that something is excellence."--Tom Callahan
