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Originally Posted by Saccopoo
Blocks and steals weren't tabulated until Wilt retired in '73-'74. As well, the 3 point shot came in '79-'80.
In addition, Jordan played in what was arguably the most watered down league talent wise with perhaps the best coach of all-time. (Four new expansion teams in '88 in the Hornets, Heat, T-Wolves and Magic.) Robertson was going against a future Hall of Famer nearly every single night and was fighting for rebounds against Chamberlain, Russell, Reed, Pettit, etc.
I'm not saying that Jordan sucks, but Robertson's numbers are absolutely astounding. 25.7 ppg and 9.5 assists per for his 14 year career?! Add 7.5 rpg. That's insanity sauce.
The one thing that Robertson suffers from is the same thing that Wilt does - the lack of multiple championships (Robertson has one, Wilt had two). And they suffered from the same fate - The Lakers and Celtics.
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I have never put MJ on the top of the list from a numbers perspective. Not even an ability standpoint. I don't care about total championships. There has never been a closer in the history of sports like MJ. In any sport.
Even if the talent in MJ's era was watered down, the players were still extremely athletic compared to the Robertson era. And there were enough really good teams to make each playoff run a challenge. Not to mention Jordan typically faced elite defensive guards most nights. So the talent comparison between era evens out more than you think.