Who
is the greatest basketball player of all time? The question is the topic
of much spirited debate among basketball enthusiasts everywhere. Regardless
of its participants, however, the discussion generally comes down to two
names: Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. So who is greater, MJ or Wilt
the Stilt? The general consensus is that Chamberlain is history’s finest
baller, but I believe this is an undeserved distinction.
Most Chamberlain
supporters cite his impressive statistics as proof of his superiority.
Granted, Chamberlain’s stats are significantly better than Jordan’s. However,
numbers are insufficient evidence with which to declare Chamberlain better
than Jordan for two reasons. First, Chamberlain played in what is often
referred to as the "live ball era," when statistics in general were higher
than in the contemporary NBA, ruled until recently by Jordan. The year
Chamberlain averaged 50 point per game, five other players averaged more
than 30. Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double the same year. While
Jordan was routinely averaging 30 during the 80’s and 90’s, he was the
only one scoring at that level. Chamberlain’s gaudy rebounding numbers
would also be impossible to replicate in an age when the man who revolutionised
rebounding, Dennis Rodman, averaged only about 13 boards per game for his
career; less shots and higher shooting percentages than in Chamberlain’s
era naturally led to fewer rebounds to compete for. Essentially, Jordan
and Chamberlain both put up the best numbers of their generations; Chamberlain’s
era simply produced larger numbers. Despite this disparity, Jordan’s career
scoring average is still higher than Chamberlain’s, which brings me to
the second flaw in the argument of the Stilt’s statistically minded supporters.
Those who cite statistics as a valid point of comparison between the two
conveniently overlook Jordan’s advantage in the most important statistical
areas. Career scoring average is arguably the second most important statistic
is measuring greatness. So what if Wilt got 100 in a game or 50 for a season?
Jordan outscored him over the course of his career; his consistency out-shines
Chamberlain’s brief brilliance. Additionally, Jordan holds a considerable
edge in basketball’s most important statistical category; he owns six championship
rings while Chamberlain has only two.
In his book
Who’s Running the Asylum? Chamberlain implies that the defences
Jordan faced were inferior to those that he went up against; "How often
do you see three players MJ?," he asks. In A View From Above Chamberlain
claims that he was "guarded by committee," and constantly faced zone defences
that were, if technically illegal, permitted in practise. The reality,
however, is that Jordan played in an era with a far greater emphasis on
defence; Pat Riley’s "no lay up rules" and the Detroit Pistons’ "Jordan
Rules" exemplified the leagues prominent coaching philosophy of the 1990’s,
when Jordan won his championships. In contrast, the year Chamberlain averaged
50, his coach, Frank McGuire, actually came to him in training camp and
challenged Chamberlain to put up 50 a night. In Chamberlain’s day, it was
illegal to trap in the backcourt and like zone defence, offensive basket
interference was tolerated by officials, though it was technically against
the rules.
Michael Jordan
has accomplished what few players in any sport have managed; feeling that
there was no challenge left for him in his sport, he left for almost two
years, returned and reclaimed his position as the game’s greatest competitor.
Then, while a young challenger usually is what spells the end of a dynasty,
Jordan and his Bulls released their lock on the NBA championship trophy
only when MJ decided to retire. Unlike most of the greats, Jordan was not
knocked of the NBA throne; he walked away on his own accord. When his athleticism
began to decline, he developed new skills (namely the 15 foot fade-away
jumper) to remain on top. Chamberlain never dominated the way Jordan did;
even during the year he averaged 50, the Boston Celtics Bill Russell was
named league MVP and defeated Chamberlain in the playoffs. Chamberlain
was never really able to get beyond the Celtics (his Philadelphia 76ers
beat Boston in the playoffs just once during the height of their rivalry,
from 1964-69); he never truly established himself as a player who could
beat the best and win the big one consistently. Early in his career, Jordan
faced similar demons; demons he exorcised by beating his rival Detroit
Pistons on his way to his first championship in 1991 and obliterated by
repeating during the next five years in which he played a full season.
Only one man may lay claim to the title as the game’s greatest player,
and that man must be the NBA’s perennial scoring leader, MVP and champion
for many years, Michael Jordan.
