NBA special: Chris Webber interview with Oscar Robertson

Here is an important man, a gold medalist, an American NBA Champion, a Hall of Famer, one of the NBA's 50 Greatest, an unprecedented multi-talented artist and a fearless pioneer, his legacy is so great that it must be called great, here is Oscar Robinson, the great o. Let me talk a little about your game. I have a video of you in high school jumping touching the top of the square blocking the shot. It is not like this? They're going to slow it down. They're going to slow it down over time. you, but I'm number 14 when we saw some poor young men think about it, we don't think the boys in your mistake were so sure, but you give six five and your elbow touches the rim, you're at the top of the slide I could jump pretty good never seen your donkey said you're Duncan okay there's one time just to show you could push one let us talk about the whole practice when I was in high school you said you know what show in the state I never forget one time I was going on the court, I actually did little things that Marques Haynes did with dribbling, yeah, falling, laying down, I went behind my back, the whistle blew, he said, listen, if you ever do that again, you'll never play for me and now I .

I know why, yeah, we called the Globetrotters one time and I'm sure the guy drilled the ball behind my back in a basketball game, the press would say little clowns in the corner, that's all they would have said. I wrote a little scouting report on me and your game. I would like to read it to you, but this is what I saw with my own eyes on the tape. Triple threat with the live dribble. You explode, you change speed, great, you were fast, but it seemed to me that you were faster than you worked faster, so you used to push and keep going, but then if you slowed down, it was like when you slowed down, you were faster. boom out the pick and roll game is unstoppable you know the way you use the butter in the truck I was like you post move your butt to the left push them to the side and come back with the but you Berkeley and then you have to go to Wayman Tisdale I couldn't help it, liar, yes, so good at creating space, you know that, obviously, but Jordan, the baseline jumper, was so heavy that he faded, let me tell that story we had in the gym, that you had a main court and baskets. the side is fine, so you couldn't shoot from the front because that's where all the guys played.

I missed my shot from the side. I shot so many side shots in the gym it was amazing and I didn't realize how there would be a precursor for me shooting side shots from the corners, but that's not where I started doing it because of this gym we had, it was a gym where you know once they played on the main court there was no room to shoot, you can only shoot on the side, you were methodical, well actually I wasn't, you know, I mean there are a ton of books about position. I said to look at the guys so he turned green and I saw a lot of guys who were older and I was. playing in the park when I make moves I wonder how they could do it so well they are doing it for them once you leave they tell you to start preparing the boys can I?

I think we used to do it when you come into a game that you've never seen him play, guys, before you do certain things, see what you're going to do well. Remember years ago, when I was in high school, we played in the all-star game against Kentucky, that a guy named Kelly Coleman, his dad, was like, "Oh, well, fifty points a game." so I didn't know who he was and he comes into the world, get ready to jump for a ball and he said, "I'm not going to beat you fifty tonight." I was at that Kentucky game every year.

I see, you know what? I know I said I beat the best dad, talk is cheap that's all and I think he's got six points yeah you can get mini. I've been with a lot of guys, you know, they talk and, e

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ly when you play in the park, they talk a lot. but he's gone now so I'll give you 50 points oh come on man he hasn't been the instructor and he didn't know you had a brother who used to talk about everything you've seen everything you know. I've seen all that my whole life you know and I always tell people you know you think you're so cool that there's always someone out there that has your watch, but if you have the fundamentals and you play basketball instinctively and you react to what's passing then I can handle it I said no me and then I'll put in a charge I should go to the basket I didn't think anyone could stop me from getting to the basket they double teamed when they double teamed I just passed the ball to the open guy if you couldn't make shots free as well as you did, you would have been as good because you could have been aggressive going to the basket.

I mean, your free throw percentage is very difficult for you in the book you run. yourself, most of the time you get mad at yourself, you miss the free throw, I wasn't when I started, my coach shot him in the hand, I couldn't do it, man, so we started, sure don't do it. hand in hand, I managed to miss a lot of you, you know, because you know, I mean fight, a lot of shots were right. Oh, free throws, man, you hit the jump shot and you shoot the ball, but you never work on free throws, so I have energy.

Good job. free throws forever I was in Iraq there is no free throw work not only was it a mental thing but it was a motor type operation why are you there boom you just let it go you know it's going in so all those things like that take practice In my opinion, at the time, the '60s were the new dawn of sports because when Russell came from reading his book, I understood that the game was a big man touching the microphone in the middle, passing it to the gods, cutting and crossing, but When you came in it was no longer about underneath jumpers.

I mean, you were actually in the era of the underhand and overhand jump shot, you moved on to the overhand jump shot and then I see you do a crossover. I say this to my nephew all the time. They are really good guards. shoot one and two dribbles because when you drive to the hole you can stop anyone, but I still think that you, Kobe and Jordan, Kobe enjoyed in my time, the ones that I really knew how they mastered it along with the pump fake, just simple. two dribbles up and down faking well, I don't think people teach that anymore if you look at college basketball today, guards don't investigate, they don't understand, they'll get the zone, they pass the ball everywhere. the city goes down to about five seconds to have camaraderie there you gotta get the ball in, create, attack, create, they can move that's why they play zone because they can't protect you basketball today it's a zone defense, that's when you get three- dunker shooters I don't think you win unless you have it in gifts you have to enter to win I am very happy and appreciate the players I played against with their skills because I think they made me a better basketball player Oscar Robinson consistently performed unrivaled performances, even more impressive considering the teammates he played with and against during the Golden Age of basketball.

They taught me to put the ball in, to catch the ball, people guard it to keep the court balanced, to keep the game under control, but not me. I was taught that since I started playing basketball and then I ran into these great players like Kareem, but no, you know, it's a different type of game, you know, I've always said it, always tell Russ, I said, you know, I said that the greats were the I go back against the best because in all the games I played with Bill Nye that also gave you, you never lost and Kareem, when I met him, you know he was emerging as a big star, you know, I could see the potential in everyone, remember to prepare, they want it. see green game, I mean, you know a giant guy could run, he could shoot the hook, yeah, with certain things that Ackerman was doing, you know, he had experienced it before, like it didn't go to his left, that's yours, your left. hand sometimes that's pretending to go back fall there it's a little jump shot that fades I said this I said you have your aerial hook there's no one who can get to that there's one little thing you know Kareem was smart smart person great passer that's open a Once we were planning, I cut, they faked the ball phone, so one time it happened involved, we played the Lakers, then I missed a little layup at halftime from the guy, he laughs and like crazy, so you blow your lip, that's it, yeah, you know.

Why I said hello I never expected anything good today, but Corrine was a great pass, a great debt pass because I think we knew that a more talented basketball player you get so many double teams that you have to learn how to eliminate double teams. of you and how cool it was to do that, after he came into the game, Wow, a lot of guys today have a double team and they don't know what to do with their double teams that were coming. I know it. who is defending has to know those things, but sometimes he says what are the guys playing today let me ask you this.

I know you can't predict and ghosts can't play, but I shot Kareem and we'll see what they have. in the comment and how they were different. I don't think any of those guys stopped Green from Sheila's hooks and they tried, yes some came close, like Nate Thurmond who did a great job on Kareem, but Maddie still has those little Wilton Shaqs. It would have been interesting because I think Shaq powerfully built up what he was strong talking about, I mean, but hey, he just went to put up those little flippers and dunks and all that, you can't keep him out from under the basket, I'm sure.

There's been a lot of talk about Shaq rushing past deletions. Well, the problem is, it's better that he never knows. You know it was a good game. It was in Bengali. I don't know much about his game. You say he was a great flyer. You say he could deserve it no good healthy could shoot the jumper could go to the basket you keep going to the basket and if you want to get there if you want to get there they could get there no what I don't understand is the press how I've left Elgin, he has a great basketball player.

I think what happens today is these sports journalists walk into a room on this show. The current players, of course, some of the guys are great players. They said they watched Larry and Magic and watched these guys play. but no, they didn't see Elgin, they should have seen him do something, I mean, here, boy, when your 30 average is 37 points a game and about 15 rebounds, he just knew, huh, I wish we could go back on the time, but you can't do it for whoever they say, the best forward of all time, you know it won't be where this other one will score 30 points, you get zero, I need 30 29, no, that's not to send a guy who played, He's not a good player, so I think you could play with a lot of guys.

I mean, I think fundamentals are a real key for a player. You can plan for a big guy. I've always said you know, if he's that good, we'll see when. throw to the ground I would like to see Elgin play against these guys today if you didn't have the fundamental sounds of them you would turn it over with your naked guard Elgin, can you give me an example of a guy? I don't know how good he is. was that he played in his era but he played for my team in the low market and if he was better, we know, I also name someone, take a guy like Gus Johnson, okay, yeah, I thought it was, I thought it was a play excellent here at Western.

Civ even the best rebounders I've ever seen together. I'm telling you they were able to go for it, okay and they were a tough man, but you know he played in Baltimore, he didn't keep up and get the praise that a lot of players do. I'm going to say who played in New York, yeah, and hey, you can check who was the better player. I thought he was better than many players who were ranked ahead of him, right? I mean, he was able to play financed by the media prancer tell me a little about Zeke and Donut tell me a little about yourself and Jerry West Jerry was an interesting person, a great guy, by the way, I don't know, first I started calling him, he Zeke called anyway and he started calling me. donut, of course, yeah, that's funny, it was like my donut, I guess, oh, I thought, okay, it makes for a great friendship to develop and then talking to mr.

Wesson and listening to his comments, it is clear in his mind that you are, by far, the best. No, I appreciate it. Yes, another great play. The first time you start playing. A team is crazy. You're going to get better. Aren't you into the people? You are planning to do better and you have to face that challenge. Are you on this exchange? I am very happy and appreciate the players who played against what their kind of skills believe made me a better Kunze basketball player. They called one day they said why did they call everyone babysitting baby they treat me this ball tomorrow that's a little baby but I'll tell you another I said I think you should look at my contract Oscar Robinson's career in Cincinnati was spectacular Rookie of the Year perennial NBA MVP, but as the '60s closed, Robertson was on the move, they didn't realize, you know, they didn't even read the contract because they didn't realize they couldn't raise him right, it was ironic that when Bob Cousy came here, I thought about moving the team from Cincinnati to Kansas City, I wanted to changeto Baltimore for Gus Johnson and I think Gus Johnson was injured there, so in other words, he just wanted to get rid of me and the papers were going crazy. about that I won't change because I hadn't done anything and you know old Kunze thought one day they said why he called everyone who took care of Babel to change you to hook this up with Baltimore I'm still a baby but who else did I say I said I think you should look at my contract.

I never heard from him since I heard from some of the lawyers, of course they called my lawyer at that time. I said: what do you want to go to? So they tricked us with a fungicide there. walking I read an article, I went back and did some research, you came back after a 12 game injury, you had a triple-double and the article said you show signs of your growth. I wish I showed those signs because I love that you have to understand that then and in this climate here this is what you will receive all the time.

They just said that as a black athlete, you are held to a higher standard. They want you to win, you know, I mean, no, they don't want you to play well and go, go, agent 3. They want you to be 12 or older They want you if you're in the game They want you to produce at all costs They said I'd done anything for 10 years and you know it didn't matter what they said, but when the newspaper I started to sign what were the Thomases that were made and then I said that's it, that's it for me, I think I said I never, I never cried, I never I went after the loose ball, yeah, it was just, I mean, after everything I've done for them.

Was you? You've never had a rug burn in ten years and feeling like for them, yeah, this is what I'm thinking. People are starting to believe that stuff, man. I was telling my wife. You should know what I don't. I never play your game. You know, this is it for me, so I went from there to the walking course. I'm in Milwaukee, we want a championship and I see on the cover of a big magazine three pictures of me fading away, my God, like I was going to come out then. The damn guy, the writer who wrote it, come up, I want to do an

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, I said, man, stay away from me, this is how you talk to yourself and it seems like you know the people who piled up and Powell and suddenly it becomes a truth. and you say, okay, if that's what you want to do, they resent that you're a star, you didn't go home to live with your wife and kids, they visit you, you go to the ballet and the opera, and that may be able to drive you When you're around kings and queens, they don't know what to say about you, they'll work on things, I said, I'm pretty, I don't know, you're not, you're not my friend, why should I? come and smile and smile well, I said, you know, I said where I live is what I do with my family and but I didn't like it because they try to take advantage of you because they could from that point. in I just want to talk to them, that's what they really hated, yeah, more than anything.

I look at the ceremonies where we are much bigger in the NBA. I remember seeing Kareem in the rocking chair. I remember Tom Malone buying a nice motorcycle, how was it? retirement my daughter had been walking the Bucks came to see me they said they wanted to have this day for me so I thought if I went home I thought you know what I won't play you're against it what do you mean this is not a day this is retirement but to heaven I said and you know, I said, you know how sad it is that men have to come and tell me they're going to say we don't have a day for Oscar, so I kept going.

You know, I have often been asked on different occasions about certain highlights of my life and it goes without saying, and one of the biggest ones I have ever had. My family. I deeply appreciate everything you have done for me. Now the gifts are lovely and everything that has been. connected to the big day has been fantastic. I just like to say that getting the orders is very good as an athlete, to be honored as a great athlete. I think the most rewarding thing a lighthouse can have is having its friends with it. When it is celebrated on a day like this, I think it is a reward far greater than anything I have ever seen.

It is worthwhile material in my life. I enjoyed it and I hope other people don't play anymore, but so they have a day and but in their mind it was a going away party, which is fine, I guess I didn't know what they were doing. Without soul, there is no legacy of greatness in Milwaukee, none because you are not there. Lew Alcindor is not there. There is no one that you had there if we do not have ties of who are the greatest if in the family I do not know who my grandfather was and how great he was or my father is a missing link there and how Can I be a winner in Milwaukee If no one in Milwaukee is everyone, neither the owner nor the people?

So how can they tell me if you're not there? People don't respect certain players when it comes to what they can do for a team I've been invited to Sacramento the most for games and different functions, but it's not like I've been to Milwaukee, maybe my walking figures don't need it , If you don't need anything, you can walk, he hasn't been good. Since this is your left, I never forget, we went to the Olympics and I was with Jerry West, you know, and I just couldn't leave. The kids were born in Bellsburg, Tennessee, and to play for your country, that's it, then we'll all go to Rome. it happened so fast you don't understand it for a while in 1964 the world was changing the United States was at war in Vietnam President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law which abolished racial segregation in the United States and Martin Luther King received the Nobel Prize of Peace The Beatles arrived in the United States causing a storm and creating a new fan base in the new country. 1964 was a busy year for Oscar Robinson, who was receiving praise for advocating for players' rights and traveling to several countries to showcase the NBA on a global scale, including on the first official trip by the State Department, the government and Could you tell me who accompanied you and what they do?

Cousy, Casey Jones and I, Russell, Jerry Lucas, we headed Heinze, we went to whip Yugoslavia. to Romania, Poland and Egypt, I think if I can remember, we would stop and play one or two games when we got there, it didn't have to be like a six-week tour, we played everywhere and that was because people just liked it. loved it, you know, it was a tour that you know is harder, it's kind of where we went, the word in front of us kept growing and growing and growing, but it was an interesting trip because it saw different people from different walks of life and in most friendly people, I mean the only problem we really had was one night in Yugoslavia when they didn't put our flag under theirs, of course, for the game and Auerbach ran us off the field and the Ambassador for the US left the arena, I guess, I guess he didn't even have the guts to stand up and do that, but you know, you know, I'm just back, yeah, well, no, damn cigar, they didn't put our flag on high.

I'm not playing, oh I love this, as much as the Tazer boys, he shaves and he's sticking too, write it down, but they're done, we go back out and play. Have you ever taken the time to look up at the sky and say "I can"? I can't believe where I'm coming from and I'm done, even though I said a lot because I told you once, I never forget, we'll wait until the Olympics Niles with Jerry West, you know, I just couldn't believe the kids were born and Belle's Burg Tennessee. You could play for your country that's it man we're going to get Rome and you know we have a game to play and we went to Lugano Switzerland what did you do?

You didn't take a train or the Alps, but all night they enter the kingdom to play. It happened so fast you don't understand it for a while, you know it's my first time for Holly. I had a coin, tell me the best man, she said, he tells you the best, he will tell you that he will tell you that he knows your son, tell me the best basketball player in the world, it is the 50th anniversary of your MVP. I didn't know you were voted league MVP and the players had to vote yes, that has to be one of the best awards you've ever received because that meant the people you were beating.

But they had to pay tribute, instead of there being no politics, I think it meant a lot to get that, but you know, okay, I just said this era during those days it's very, very difficult for the guard to be MVP of the league. in the '60s, I mean, we had a very difficult MVP, the other nine were great guys, it was very, very difficult the way things evolved, because until Russa came along you didn't even have guys that blocked shots, you had a many sinners who were important people with very field goals and blacks like Russell, he blocked the shot, then we come, he just revolutionized the game, he actually saved the NBA.

I think so, 50 points a game one year, man, and then they rule the world trying to get it to the right market and then I found him with Los Angeles and he won a championship, but you know that's what happened in those days, but, but, it's really something to see how things happen and what and why they happen. It's all-star weekend the pomp circumstance the adulation ISM celebrating I remember going to Cleveland and meeting you and the big fifty, you know, the all-star game is so big, but fifty years ago it was a very different deal, right? could you talk a little?

About that, fifty years ago we had an official here in Boston and we had a meeting with the players association before that to try to get CEO Larry Fleisher to represent us in informal meetings with the owners and their representatives and they turned him down. Kennedy, I think he was the president of the NBA basketball executive registry, rejected it, so we had a meeting and in the locker room we had both teams in the East and West End, they told us the situation and that since he had no representation and the owners and owners decided that they would not meet with us, that we should not even play the game that Doster really is, our game is not, it is not a programmed game, you had to play it, you know they would like it. the planner, but I don't pay for that, maybe you do now, years ago, you didn't get paid any money for an all-star game, but anyway we met and started talking about what we didn't and then here.

Certain people from the NBA came in, our back came in and he was threatening people and cussing us out with a cigarette and then some PR people came in and the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers came in and threatened everyone and there was just a series of threats like that one and how are we going to run basketball and the TV was ready to go to the game that was supposed to start at 8:00 and then at 8 o'clock there was no warm up at all and it got very hectic there for a long time time and finally, you know, you know, some guys were totally 50/50 for us and we weren't, so we just thought okay, if you're not with us, you know, we appreciate it, we appreciate it, if you leave it, leave the locker room for everyone to leave, no, but no one left.

In the end we all agreed that the owners and the players, hey, we will play the game and you have our representative, Larry Fleisher, to represent us and meetings, even though the game started and it was not mentioned in the game the confrontation that just happened probably not , I mean, I'm sure they wouldn't want that on the airwaves, certainly, when you get ready to sit in that locker room, oh, I was myself, I mean, because I mean. I've been in a lot of meetings with owners all about this and for something like that that didn't mean anything, it's almost like having a lawyer represent you in informal meetings and they said no, but some of these people who are lawyers themselves, like that that they had a legal advantage over us and then talking about different things, it's just a medical trope, they want to control everything we did and I'm glad we did that.

I'm glad you took that stance when you're black. I'm sure you understand the situation in the United States. You don't think you're different from anyone. You don't do the same things as them. Sometimes you make mistakes and sometimes you don't. You do great things. Oscar Robinson made history from an early age. a high school phenom at Indy Apple, he led Crispus Attucks High School to back-to-back Indiana state titles in 1955 in 1956, the first for an all-black team. All championships are significant. Some mean more. Could you talk a little? about what it was like to win those two championships at Crispus Attucks, could you talk about the pride it instilled in your city as the first all-black team?

The borders of the country still defeated us, which was a great feat, I mean you. I'm glad about that, but I mean, I know you earned it and you were a part of it. I didn't know how big a feat it was. You got on fire trucks. We were going downtown. I guess the mayor is there. They greet you and then. return tickets to this Northwest Black Community Center well I didn't know the difference you know I didn't get laid you hear they felt like they didn't want us in town because they felt like we were retiring which is the cydia but but To be honest, there was some black and white, I mean, that's all it really was, you know, other than the round-skinned guy we were like everyone else, we won, we went to school, we played ball and, luckily for us, We won basketball games and stuff. they put us in acategory 4, they had to write about us that said something good about us, you know, because our coach let us do anything with him.

He was great in the all-black high school years, but our coach was great because he had been there. whites and we weren't and he knew you know what was there twitter twitter tuck you know you had to be a gentleman on the court at all times after you won the championship you were depressed yes it's hard to forgive them for this I try but I Weren't we savages ? We were a group of civilized and intelligent young people, by the grace of God, who met with some basketball players. We just won the biggest game in Indianapolis basketball history.

They took our innocence from us. How can I forgive them for that? Finally I left the bonfire and celebration lying on the living room floor and turned on the television. My dad stood behind me without asking the question, but worried, I said dad, they don't want us, that's true and this. It's after the happiest moment of your childhood life because the first time it happened I wasn't anywhere, but I went a second time, I mean, when you're black, I'm sure you understand the situation in America, you do the same things they do. , sometimes you make mistakes or sometimes you just sometimes don't do something. great things, but people think that's your devil, you know, you grow horns, all that, you don't know, you just start thinking about it, you know, I didn't really understand that a lot of things were happening because I went from being an all black school guy, he was a standard form.

I didn't know what kind of basketball they had. I just wanted to get an education because in my high school no one mentioned professional basketball now when I was wearing gloves and playing college basketball. All they talked about was getting an education because they felt that was the way out. They had a lot of problems, you know, and improving your life, you know, being smart, learning to speak and talking to people. When I think about you, I think about you now in a different way than I ever thought because I knew that you helped the NBA like, for example, she said here we were always second class hotels, the teams refused to send their coaches to road trips.

I can't believe it but this is where you really get hurt along the way, what is true, we don't have it, they would have an orthopedic medical team present, yes what you say, here you said it and it's funny because I laugh at you when I read, but you said all I wanted to do was have a contract where if I got hurt I would still get paid. I'm guaranteed, we're going big. Oh, like basketball players, we now have guaranteed contracts. Now you do it. Years and years ago. That's it, yeah, quite a few years ago, very few guys went to the training room to work, man, yeah, one of these players didn't get paid for the preseason.

Heck, yeah, and you can get hurt in those games and you weren't guaranteed. They are really working to free her and almost get her okay and this is really amazing. I didn't realize they were getting off a plane flying all day, getting in there for the 30 plan at 6, going straight to the arena. just tell me how bad the conditions were and how blessed we are now, thinking that if you say are you going to play in New York, we would get on the first plane going to New York and wake up, it's five or if it's 5: 15 they went out to 6:30 we hadn't been on that flight get up there and sit down go to sleep and all that get up and around 8:00 and then go play and get up a little bit on the next one unless I came home when you talk about no have train you say all you have is cold ice Align well I should take my own ankles I can take my own legs put a figure eight on them it was cool when you got hurt and it hurts you're growing up in Cincinnati you mean you're just playing with that.

I mean, then I went to Xavier University and found out what they're training to work, but you went, exactly so it wasn't even The team coaches, again, you still have to go find your own man. Well, they paid and everything was nice. It was very good. Baldwin, you used ice and heat three times a day. Is it fair for me to say that you are Obamacare? of the NBA well for what the guys are getting, I think that's probably true because before that they didn't have a coach, they didn't have an orthopedic guy coming to a game, you know, and then they have any of those. things and and for the baby to stay in first class hotels and now everyone has a private jet that used to be, they move some tourists to first class for a while, it means you can flourish certain planes, so that meant a lot to the guys too , but I think it's the best, you know me.

I mean, it made the guys you already know go from just being nobody to suddenly people starting to write about travel and stuff, oh yeah, the years, two guys. careers because you think about the stories and I mean, you think about gospel. I played five six seven more years. I wonder what the average was when you played and you know, in terms of health, what the reserve clause is that you fought so hard to give him. Up, Fester, if you got a contract, if she played three years, they had rights to you forever, they wanted to do it, but now, when the Osprey Robson case came into effect, everyone can seem like they can't do that anymore, if you want to go to another team, you could.

See, they could match the kidnapping offer you can still go wherever you want to go you didn't have to go back to that team and it's fair to say that the Oscar Robinson case affected other sports. I think so because I have never forgotten that one year when I had an agent Jaidev around we wanted my lawyer and then Sandy Koufax and John Jericho got him, the lawyers represented them in the contract, but I think that led to that kind of thing, since you know, where people would be represented by agents and all that so they can get the best deal possible because a lot of other owners would write things in a contract and you know, unless you get a trade, I would look at it, I mean, you know, because The money part is very simple.

I said I'll pay you If they gave you a basketball, they can counter your contract. They have different ways of doing it, but Oscar's operations of the case propelled people to a different man of light. I mean, I'm torn now if anyone can make the best weapons, like movie stars, rock stars. I think what you did at the Oscar Robinson was lost. These are my words. I think he transcended sports. I think you are fighting for athletes' rights. You know my dad from Detroit worked at the auto factory for 35 years. I know what the union protected and did for him, so when I look and talk to older players and younger players about what the conditions are. they were like it was almost like you had opened them.

I appreciate that you have given me a lot. It wasn't exactly those, all with you, although he had you like with you, but you know, but he made a big difference. I played against the best, the best. in the world and most of them in the Hall of Fame. I think that plan against these guys gives me a badge of honor. Oscar Robertson has shaped the modern game of basketball in many ways. Today, the living legend keeps an eye on the youngsters and Following in his footsteps, I'm going to bring in a couple of players and ask them about a couple of things on the Los Angeles Clippers right now.

Who can play Blake Griffin II? I mean, he might know the highlights of this world, but that makes him a target. for the physical exam, yes, do you have any advice? What advice did you give Kareem? I'll be sure to call Chris Paul after this. I'll tell you what she said. Would you encourage a guy like that to stay with your great friend? You encourage him to just be nice and let the media tell you what to do, but you can't be nice because people expect you to win, e

special

ly that team today has another problem with that.

You have to be almost like a psychologist. Some guys can do it. You don't need to go down there you know some can and you have to understand which ones you can get to no one to stop you because I've played with a lot of guys and look at the stats they have for rebounding that's cool man come on and What I would do is funny I mean, I wouldn't do it. I would throw him the ball on offense. I would put it in a play a lot because I felt like if she got your worst player on offense, you would win, so we had I played it in Milwaukee per se, where I think most look toward the green and would always put the other guys on the game.

I would make sure they get shots when guys are throwing the ball enough, it'll work for you, yeah, yeah, so I. I always knew that the first ten years of your career playing well you don't have the biggest market, people give you a sign, ladies, they talk about you, they didn't respect you when they traded you at the end. Carmelo Anthony is in the same position. I feel like I've been so full other players would have been there if they said Denver Carmelo was oh he's the reason he came out ma'am well he every time they got in trouble he would throw the ball to score Billy.

I look at all this. The energy around it is just negative, but I would give it to my mom to film my last shot in New York. He will always be the bad guy. They may never really appreciate it. What would you say to NOLA? I think it shouldn't generate too many. comments about what he's going to do, he said, if he's going to do it, I'll do it privately, just go ahead and play because you can't end it there. I mean, they're not going to win games and he can't win with the press. It just seems like they want him to do everything, I mean you get what's not 10 of the other 12 guys on the team, what are they doing?

Maybe they can't pick players well, do you ever think about that? I want to attach this thing to you. Let's say a guy only had 30 points and his team loses, is he an All-Star to you? Yes, what's more, a lot of people, he's an All-Star and you were winning records, he has nothing to do with us, man. I don't think that's the case because here you are coming out now, if you find yourself in a situation where you have a great team and you don't perform well, this is a different story, but you are going to position yourself pretty well where the team is.

It's not that good and you put up those numbers, they're double- and triple-teaming you doing everything that's the curse of big markets. Do you have any advice for Kevin Durant being in Oklahoma City? Well, first of all, let's go back to the system they had about the draft, I think a player whose depth should have the right to say "hey, I don't want to go here, go there." I'm glad I played in Cincinnati, but I still think that some players maybe every sentence should have the It's true that I don't want to go where to leave what a 70 is because what does it mean?

No Simpson, a guy, a great player, let's see what purgatory they'll come out of unless you make a trade or something. Some archers are important to everyone. -star in my opinion, he's a top 10 guy, right date starting AWS, you're not going to get there, he launches and launches in Portland, plug the negative, you'll never be able to do it, there's only one that's really a incomparable player when it comes to The Best and I'm talking about the great Oscar Robertson. You know, this has been one of the best conversations I've ever had. It's just a couple of dates and I'll let you go, Chuck Daly, if he and Michael played at the same time.

At that point there would be a big argument about who is the best John, what is Chuck like, he is the best I have ever seen, Satch Sanders, even flat. I'll kick your ass. Jerry West, the best player I played against, period and the last thing Magic Johnson said. I never knew how good Oscar was until I tried to do it. I believe she will get rid of your curse. I think you were so good that unless you try to do specific things in specific areas, you will bounce around no matter your size. I was underneath shooting, it doesn't matter until you try to do it.

I don't know if you can how much I truly appreciate it because I will try and I appreciate it because I couldn't. I've always said this, you know, I've asked about this, what do you think about this? You know, people said this that you weren't that good. I played against some of the best guys in the world. Chambers Russell, Jerry West, elevators, Bob Pettit and Dave Barnett and Dave Bing's famous quotes, etc., so I played against the best guy, the best guys in the world and most of them in the Hall of Fame. I think that plan against these guys gives me a badge.

His honor said I paid this guy who had full games to play defense. He could shoot. off the dribble, you know, I mean, and they were real and you can, you played them 13 times, right, and sometimes when you have more teams ten times, that meant a lot, that meant a lot to me and when I see people on TV to talk of everything. this guy this guy could have done this they don't know I know this I could play against anyone if I played against Jordan or Kobe or LeBron I wouldn't take it as a personal challenge I knew what I had to do as a player team as a team as a shooting guard for this team I know what my team had to do.

I never tried to face any great player. I have a personal challenge because that's not the way basketball is played. Basketball is agame for a group of five players. and sometimes three or four on the bench, that's where you can win and lose. Not everyone played the same way and now everyone has your heart, but I'm sitting in front of you. I'm telling you, thank you. honor you, I know you were just a normal man, a great man, but I thank you for not knowing what you were going through back then, I called my father and my grandfather, Cowboys, Stoica, strong man, do it, don't complain, I didn't talk to you about anything.

I won't brag, it should have been done, it won't give me any credit and I'm proud too. I am proud to know them and defeat them and in moments of weakness, take a little from them. I'm proud. I shook it, hey, I appreciate you. I got upset. Nice to see you.