He didnt often hear the term wingspan, finally understanding how special his measurement is when he got to the NBA. He was right then; he blocked four or more shots four times in his first six NBA games, led the league in blocks three times, and still tops the all-time leaderboard in swats nearly 20 years after his retirement. Dude was a chiseled-from-granite gazelle with rocket boosters in his heels, a legit Defensive Player of the Year who could fit into any style or tempo. Youre able to deflect the pass or block shots.. Like all massive 5s, hed have to prove capable of defending in space and handling jitterbug guards on switches in the pick-and-roll. Plus, a Salt Lake City Recap. Combine that with what would assuredly be a significantly curtailed workload in the age of load managementWilt averaged an absurd 45.8 minutes per game for his careerand youll get fewer mythological stat lines. He is named to the NBA's 50th and 75th-anniversary teams. Rewards Domination Rewards. He claimed to be around the 6ft 11 mark, and on his twitter in 2015 still saying "I am 6'11"" .. "I love it now.it took me a while to get used to standing out in the crowd, looking awkward, feeling uncomfortable. He was already in America, having come over from Nigeria to enroll at the University of Houston, and he went to a Rockets game. Every asset that a player has might make up for something else. Thats kind of a rule of thumb. The next day, the reporters ask me, You were at the Rockets game, what do you think? I told them, I think I could block four shots I saw.. He has been going with a center by committee based on matchups. I was with the Boston Celtics when Russell came into the league, Lakers Coach Bill Sharman told the Los Angeles Times. While the Shaq we know bemoans the disappearance of dominant back-to-the-basket bigs, the 2020 model would need to be capable of getting his points in other ways in a league where post-ups have largely been excised from the playbook altogether. 1 overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft. 3x NCAA All-Tourney. Former American Basketball Player. They can control the basketball, they can do things with it. Im a big believer in that., More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball, This March 25, 2018, photo shows Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert in action during an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, Calif. From executives and scouts to coaches and analytics types, teams are paying closer attention to wingspan when considering players _ especially with what long arms can mean making a defensive impact. If somebodys short, hopefully theyre quick. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. But Waltons history of injury didnt keep the Portland Trail Blazers from making the gangly ex-Bruin the No. Warriors 7-foot center JaVale McGee went through only a handful of pre-draft workouts for NBA teams, hardly a prized prospect after a career at Nevada. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. The Sixth Man award almost always goes to the NBAs highest-scoring bench player. According to Ramsay, I was speechless. The explosive Russell Westbrook is 6-3, with a wingspan of 6-8, which helps him be one of the best rebounding guards in history. Wellat the risk of disrespecting a stand-up dude for the second time in the space of one columnlets ask David Robinson, against whom Sabonis held his own when the Soviet Union nearly knocked off Team USA in the gold-medal game of the 1986 FIBA World Championship, and when the USSR did defeat the Americans in the semifinals of the 1988 Summer Olympics (despite Sabonis playing shortly after recovering from his first Achilles rupture): Legendary big-man coach and talent evaluator Pete Newell told Sam Toperoff of The Atlantic Monthly in 1986 that he thought Sabonis could conceivably become the greatest player in the game and he would have taken the Lithuanian over Patrick Ewing in the 1985 draft if he had played for an American team. A half-century ago, Pink Floyd unleashed a classic that still lingers on the Billboard charts and in college dorms to this day. From Wilt the Stilt to Hakeem the Dream, we pay homage to the big men who ruled their erasbut would have been even more fun in this one. Its possible that version of Sabonis wouldnt be a generational sensation in the modern game. The NBA playoffs begin Saturday, and an extra inch of reach can lead to a blocked shot or steal that might alter a series or a season. Wingspan is one detail Warriors coach Steve Kerr takes seriously and might consider when deciding on lineups and rotations for the defending champions. People followed him on Twitter. Youre able to deflect the pass or block shots.. Bill Walton, Former ABC/ESPN/NBC Basketball Announcer, NBA All-Star Basketball Player, UCLA All-American, and one of the fifty greatest players in NBA history, provides a place to meet and greet fans. J, who pumped in 40 points in Game 6. Today, the tallest of the Deadheads, the man whose wingspan could be seen towering over most others . Determined to get back into uniform, Walton ignored the skepticism of doctors who said he would never play again. Ive always been tall. As Lakers teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Jerry West put it in his autobiography, West by West: Wilt was very self-conscious about his size and strength and he was reluctant to be viewed as a villain. Paolo Banchero leads the way as the Kia Rookie of the Year chase begins to head for the finish line. I'm a big believer in that.". Hakeem likely couldve become a passable 3-point shooter with enough commitment. His foot deadened by a painkilling injection, Walton attempted a comeback in the playoffs against the Seattle SuperSonics. Like many other NBA greats, Walton went on to call games on television in 1991. Im a big believer in that., Donate to the newsroom now. His old national teammate Sarunas Marciulionis emphasized in Basketball: A Love Story that Sabonis hadnt yet fully developed his face-up game, his 3-point shot, or his court vision before playing in Spain following the 88 Olympics, so a younger model wouldnt necessarily have resembled a more explosive version of the finished product. Thats kind of a rule of thumb. 1 Pick, and QB Movement Updates With Jeff Darlington. One of the benefits is his ability to corral and slam home lob passes that are high and might be off target. That is not the case for young players. Once limited to descriptions of birds, wingspan has become one of the most important measurements for basketball prospects over the past decade. Wingspan. The wingspan sure helps a lot of people," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said . (OK, I agree: That was a very Bill Waltonass thing to say.) Any time you think youre too small to make a difference in the world youve never spent the night alone in bed with a mosquito. Yet each visit he made, among the first things measured was his wingspan, 7-6. Press Esc to cancel. Some of the best players Kerr faced had incredible reach. Warriors 7-foot center JaVale McGee went through only a handful of pre-draft workouts for NBA teams, hardly a prized prospect after a career at Nevada. While playing only 19.3 minutes per contest, he averaged 7.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.1 apg and 1.33 bpg. With the arrival of Ramsay from the Buffalo Braves, the Blazers built a precision offense around playmaker Lionel Hollins and the awesome frontcourt of Walton and intimidating Maurice Lucas. I see opportunities that should be rejected, but it scores. Walton had a bulging medical file before he even reached collegehe suffered multiple lower leg fractures and underwent knee surgery while still in high schooland struggled through broken bones in his spine and knee tendinitis at UCLA, resulting in another knee surgery before he joined the Blazers. Given his love for the spotlight, his polarizing on- and off-court presence, and his sensitivity to blowback, how would a figure as towering as Wilt Chamberlain play in the social media era? Career (468 games, 1974-87): 13.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 blocks per game, 52.1% FG, 66.0% FT. In fairness, though, ONeal absolutely could be the sort of force worthy of a steady diet of post entries. Yeah, I found that out once I bought my first suit, the 6-foot-5 McMillan, a 12-year pro now coaching the Pacers, said with a chuckle, realizing his arms stretched more than 3 feet each. John Mayer on Walton's mentorship. When Bill Walton dominated at UCLA in the 1970s, no one ever measured his wingspan from fingertips to fingertips and arms outstretched. The staggering array of injurieswhich would require some three-dozen surgical procedures over the yearscost Walton three full seasons in what should have been his prime and kept him from ever experiencing the sort of professional success for which he seemed destined while starring for John Wooden. The 76ers had a chance to pull out Game 6, but both Julius Erving and George McGinnis missed medium-range shots that would have sent the game into overtime. We've seen him block guys at the rim and also get his hands on some basketballs off the dribble.". Raised in France, Gobert kept growing from ages 15-19. He has been going with a center by committee based on matchups. Those are my five, but theres always room for more time travelers, so lets hit a few honorable mentions: Vlade Divac (1989-2005): Bigs who can pass, forever and ever, amen. Yet each visit he made, among the first things measured was his wingspan, 7-6. A pioneering sixth man, Kevin McHale won three titles with the Celtics in the 1980s. Its legit. Most of us have the same wingspan as our height. In the 1973 NCAA championship game against Memphis State, Walton made 21 of 22 shots and scored 44 points a performance considered by many to be the greatest ever in a Final Four game. In the playoffs the Celtics lost only three of 18 games, defeating the Houston Rockets and their Twin Towers, Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon, in the Finals in six games. Its nothing that I heard about until I got to the league, or right before I got into the league, theyre like, Wed like to measure your wingspan. They dont really bring it up to us about that in college or high school.. "If your wingspan is more than your height, that's kind of abnormal. After several Celtics said they liked the idea of having Walton as a teammate and as a backup for workhorses Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, Red Auerbach made the deal happen. Its much more important than your height, Kerr said. If your wingspan is more than your height, thats kind of abnormal. I would actually love to play in this NBA, he told Jackie MacMullan and Kirk Goldsberry. He led the league in both rebounding and blocked shots, averaging 14.4 and 3.25, respectively. He played without pain for the first time in years, and he seemed happier than ever. If somebodys short, hopefully theyre quick. Wingspan is one detail Warriors coach Steve Kerr takes seriously and might consider when deciding on lineups and rotations for the defending champions. How would the fresh-out-of-the-box version look? By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. But the Celtics Brogdon is mounting a well-rounded campaign that hearkens back to some of the earliest Sixth Men. All You Touch and All You See: Dark Side of the Moon at 50. Assuming an unfamiliar supporting role, the 33-year-old Walton was playing with the excitement of a college kid. If your wingspan is more than your height, thats kind of abnormal. Portland's entire offense ran through him because he was such an exceptional passer for a center and he was a terrific defensive anchor. Career (1,045 games, 1959-73): 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists per game, 54.0% FG, 51.1% FT. No player from the past feels harder to wrap your mind around than Chamberlain. Coaches marvel at players with long arms, figuring they will more easily grab rebounds, block shots, steal passes and shoot over defenders. In todays game, though, with post-up play largely marginalized as teams look to work from the perimeter and attack defenses in space, would Chamberlain still be a high-volume source of offense? He is socially active on social networking sites. You guessed it: The one who turned the 1984 draft into prom night. In recent seasons, Warriors high-scoring All-Star Kevin Durant has become more determined to use his 7-5 wingspan to make more of an impact on defense. My name is Giannis Antetokounmpo., Career (470 games, 1995-2003): 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.1 blocks per game, 50.0% FG, 32.8% 3FG, 78.6% FT. By the time Sabonis finally came to the NBA in 1995, he was already 31 years old with a pair of ruptured Achilles tendons and a litany of leg and groin injuries rendering him a pale imitation of what he once was. A lot of basketball players don't, though, they have wider wingspans. As the NBA celebrates it's 75th Anniversary Season, get to know dozens of star players who helped make the NBA what it is today. Then came what many felt was the death knell of Waltons career. If somebodys short, hopefully theyre quick. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. In 33 games for the Clippers, Walton averaged 14.1 points, the fourth-highest total of his career, while shooting .528 from the field, a career high at the time. He claimed to be around the 6ft 11 mark, and on his twitter in 2015 still saying, it's a strange oneI do think he could look near 7ft, but maybe he really did measure under it and simply rounded off to 6ft 11 rather than up to the 7ft. Then, in February, after a 113-92 trouncing of Philadelphia, Walton was forced to the sideline with an injured left foot. Waltons satisfaction with capturing his second championship and winning the Sixth Man Award was immeasurable. Durant, the reigning NBA Finals MVP , is quick to point out that his length allows him to make up for other areas, including being far leaner than most NBA players. The wingspan sure helps a lot of people, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said . Oakland, Calif. 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