He made other players better. His numbers are even better historically because there was no 3 point shot in his day and carrying the ball (palming) was not permitted. Double dribbles and traveling were actually called in college and pro ball unlike current trends. This triple threat playmaker was Rookie of the Year in 1961, NBA All Star MVP 3 times, and actually averaged a triple double over his first 5 seasons. No basketball player is even close to this mark. Oscar led the league in assists and scoring in 1967-1968 and along with Tiny Archibald, are the only two players to ever accomplish this feat statistically. He led the NBA 6 times in assists per game, essentially proof of his court vision being better than anyone in basketball history. Additionally he led the NBA in free throw percentage twice and averaged .485 field goal percentage over his NBA career. The 9th highest point total in NBA history belongs to Oscar, as well as his having a league high 77 forty point games (remember no 3 pointers).
die for the country during the Boston Massacre of 1770. Though there is some dispute amongst the top 10 players (Bird, Magic, Alcindor/Jabbar, Wilt, MJ, etc.), the Big O certainly was the most versatile all around player ever. Oscar was 6 foot 5 inches tall and weighed 220 pounds, Oscar attended and graduated from Crispus Attucks, the all Black HS in Indianapolis. He grew up playing on dirt courts where bragging rights and play came from a polished “game.” His sophomore year saw Crispus Attucks lose a playoff game to Milan (“Hoosiers”) in 1954. His last two years in high school the TEAM won two state titles and sported a 62-1 record over that span. Following a recruiting war, Oscar shined at the University of Cincinnati: player of the year, scoring titles (33.8 career PPG), and All American three straight years (1958-60). The Division I Player of the Year award is now named after Robertson. The truly sad part of Oscar’s career is the racism he encountered. Indiana, home of the KKK, was a very ugly place to live as an African American–especially as a basketball superstar. Oscar confronted endless racial slurs and the inability to eat, bathe, go to the restroom and travel within specific areas of the state. In his speeches and books, it is obvious that this was a motivating, yet highly bothersome force upon him. His “game” however, transcended every ounce of racism.
Oscar Robertson. Credit: Michael E. Keating, Cincinnati Enquirer.
Oscar’s off court legacy is the Oscar Robertson suit which was settled with the 1976 ABA–NBA merger. This allowed free agents the ability to negotiate with varying TEAMS for their services. He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980. A large 9 foot bronze statue of Oscar Robertson stands in front of the Cincinnati Bearcat home court. He is an all around good guy and donated one of his kidneys’ to his daughter, Tia, for lupus related renal disease, allowing her to avoid dialysis. Rising from a segregated neighborhood with poverty, divorced parents and tremendous racism at every turn, Oscar was truly one of the very best Americans ever as a person and athlete. Entrepreneur and philanthropic efforts in Cincinnati and nationally following his basketball career have provided Oscar a full life.
Jerry West and Oscar Robertson receive congratulations from the Russian and Brazilian captains after winning the Gold Medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
He led the 1960 Olympic Gold Medal winning basketball TEAM. His entrance into the NBA came with the Cincinnati Royals. Oscar went on to become an 11 time All NBA player (9 first string awards), won an NBA title with Milwaukee in 1971—his first title since high school. His averaging a triple double in the 1961-1962 NBA season (30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game), remains perhaps the most notable achievement in basketball history. Robertson was easily the most consistent player in NBA history on the court. 16
Sports historians are in shock while studying Oscar’s statistics from high school, college and the NBA. Old film clips of Oscar reveal his shot to be a precursor of Rick Mount’s perfect Hoosier form. Oscar Robertson stands out as the ultimate TEAM basketball player; would have been a great Harlem Globetrotter; and is anything but dull as he describes himself. Though his Cincinnati Royal TEAM seemingly underachieved for years, they played amidst a Boston dynasty that had 10 players just beneath Oscar’s level. The early NBA