The grandfather of one of my collegues came to dinner with us, because he was in town. He is quite old but he told me about his shot at stardom back in the day.
He told me that he decided to not play in the 50s NBA even though he had offers from at LEAST 6 playoff teams because he got more money and more women working as a postman.
He told me that he couldn't play when he was in his young 20s, (the late 40s), because he was black and white people were scared of his athleticism. He said that dunking was frown upon.
He also said that 6th graders today have more skill than 50s players and that your average highschool player would be a good starter in the 50s. An average college player would be a good starter in the 60s and an allstar in the 50s.
He also said lebron would average at least 50ppg/15rpg/15 ast and win ALL the rings.
He remembered that bill russell was a great athlete,
albeit with zero basketball skills, but he was a nice man and fought for the rights of african americans. He said wilt was the OG beta and was incredibly insecure.
Take it from a guy that really saw the league