Making it to the NBA is already a longshot within itself. Imagine being the son of a NBA player. Sure they’ve lived a life many can only dream of but, the unrealistic expectations would overwhelm many. It makes you wonder in the age of social media and unfiltered criticism coming your way how do these kids manage to keep their composure? There's many 2nd generation NBA players and many more on the way.
The most extreme case of scenario would be Shareef O’Neal trying to fill his father’s size 22’s en route to building his own legacy as a NBA player. The 6’9 high school senior who's currently committed to Arizona is ranked 29th on ESPN’s top 100 recruits of 2018. He has the chance to be the first 2nd generation NBA player of a top 20 all time scorer. Imagine what it has to be like wanting to just play but the shadow of your father's hall of fame resume is hanging over you while people measure you up to that. Although I think he's pretty much used to it by now put yourself in his position at his age. Some people will allow him time to grow as a player and be patient while many if not most will be ready to label him as a bust the very first time he has a bad game. Top recruits have it rough with the court of general opinion but to be a top recruit with a hall of fame father is just a whole different beast.
The other day I stumbled across a list of insane triple doubles and later saw this tweet from Bol Bol who's the son of the late Manute Bol and also one of Shareef’s former AAU teammates. He’s heading to Oregon next fall as the number 4 recruit. He too has extreme expectations but if anyone is expecting him to top this stat line they’re crazy.
I just found out My dad had 32points 29rebounds 31blocks in a game 🤯
I say all that to say this…. give these kids a fair shot and allow them to be themselves. Nobody measured Luke Walton up to his father Bill Walton but he was a solid role player and NBA champion nonetheless. Not everyone is going to exceed their father's career like Steph Curry has. On a planet with over 7 billion people only 469 are in the NBA. Just a handful are 2nd generation players. It's rare so as fans we should just appreciate seeing kids follow their father's footsteps instead of bashing them because they don't look like hall of famers in their first nationally televised game. Along with the quality of the sport the fans have to be better as well...
Recently in a discussion about who’s more athletic between Michael Jordan and LeBron James I felt compelled to derail the whole thing by mentioning Wilt Chamberlain but I fell back and watched everyone give their input. Times like this I hate that I wasn’t around to witness Wilt in prime years because what’s documented and the stories told by those who seen him in action are insane. We can agree that generally the game of basketball is just different compared to some of the old footage that we can find, but is the definition of athleticism remains the same.
If we breakdown athleticism by the 5 Biomotor abilities which are speed, strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination Wilt is just completely off the charts. Let’s keep in mind that Wilt’s weight went from 250 lbs to 320 lbs throughout his career. While at Kansas Wilt joined the track team where he competed in multiple events. He ran the 100-yard dash in 10.9 seconds, threw the shot put 56 ft, broad jumped 22ft, triple jumped over 50 ft, and won the high jump in the Big Eight track and field championships 3 straight years. He was hand timed in practice in the 40 yard dash at 4.41 seconds. To put that in perspective that’s as fast as Ezekiel Elliott and Odell Beckham Jr. Years later former Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram wrote in his book “They’re Playing My Game” that he was seriously trying to sign Wilt and had him try out. He clocked Wilt in the 40 yard dash barefoot in dress pants at 4.60 seconds. That’s faster than Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice and less than a tenth slower than Cam Newton. At this point Wilt was 28 years old and weighed 290 lbs.
In my research I’ve found many quotes from people saying that Wilt was the strongest man to ever play the game of basketball. Of those also included his former coach Alex Hannum. Arnold Schwarzenegger who did the film Conan The Destroyer with Wilt is on record saying that he saw Wilt bench press reps of 500 lbs. Keep in mind, that movie was released in 1984 when Wilt was 48 years old. At Shaq’s peak he was only able to bench press 450 and he’s easily considered the most physically dominant force in the modern era of basketball. Gary Pomerantz wrote a book called “Wilt, 1962” and stated that Chamberlain could deadlift 625 lbs. Gus Johnson who was 6’6 and weighed 230 lbs tried to drive on Wilt and was blocked and thrown to the ground so hard that he left on a stretcher with a dislocated shoulder.
Wilt’s endurance is like nothing we’ve ever seen in the modern era even with more resources, medical advancement, and technology designed to prolong careers and help athletes max their talents. Right now as I type this article the NBA leader in minutes per game is Giannis Antetokounmpo at 37.8 per game. In the 1961-1962 season Wilt Chamberlain played 48.5 minutes per game. I know you’re wondering how is that possible in a 48 minute game lol. Wilt played every minute of every game (including overtime) except 1 time where he was ejected and missed 8 minutes. So imagine how he would look at the guys now that complain about playing back to backs. All 14 seasons of Wilt’s career he averaged over 40 minutes per game. In his last season at 36 years old he played all 82 regular season games at 43.2 minutes per game. He played at least 80 games in 9 of his 14 seasons in the league. Michael Jordan played at least 80 regular season games 11 times but only touched 40 minutes per game 3 times. Lebron James has played at least 80 games twice and logged at least 40 minutes per game 4 times. Kobe Bryant played at least 80 games 6 times and logged at least 40 minutes per game 5 times. Some of the most fit and durable players don’t even compare.
I could have finished waaaaay sooner but these stories and docs that I’ve been checking out have been binge worthy. Wilt in the social media age would be the biggest star on Earth without a question. I don’t even have to pull his stats but just wrap your brain around this fact….Wilt Chamberlain has more rebounds than Dwyane Wade has points. Without a question he’s the most dominant and athletic player the sport of basketball has ever seen. A guy the size of Rudy Gobert but 50 lbs heavier that can run a 40 yard dash as fast as Antonio Brown with a vertical of Dennis Smith Jr and stronger than Shaq would have no problem being a force in today’s game that allows contact by the offensive player. Hope you enjoyed this post. Here’s some more rare photos and videos I found of Wilt.
