"HE WAS SO INCREDIBLY TALENTED" - BOB LANIER SAID KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR GAVE HIM THE MOST PROBLEMS
Back in the 1970s and 80s, the NBA, primarily played in the paint, featured an incredible array of dominant big men. Many of them faced off against the legendary center Bob Lanier, who was able to stand his ground at times.
However, according to the Hall of Famer himself, one particular big-man opponent posed a real challenge. This revelation came to light when 'Dobber' discussed with SLAM Magazine, which center from his era was "the toughest to guard."
"I have to give my nod to Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] as the toughest to guard," Lanier responded. "I had to give up five or six inches to him and he was so incredibly talented."
Wilt vs. Kareem
When discussing the greatest centers of all time, other than Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain usually also comes up. These multiple MVP winners and Hall of Famers are still compared and weighed against each other.
Therefore, Wilt and Kareem were unsurprisingly the first ones to come to Lanier's mind when he made his decision during that interview. However, there was a specific reason why he ultimately chose the latter.
"I was fortunate with Wilt because I came along as he was nearing the end of his career and was trying to lead the league in assists instead of scoring, which I didn't mind at all," 'Dobber' said laughingly.
'Dobber' praised both
It was mainly a matter of timing as both Lanier and Abdul-Jabbar entered the league around the same time, as the number-one picks in the 1969 and 1970 Draft, respectively. By then, Wilt, who retired in 1973 with the Los Angeles Lakers, had already been a dominant force in the basketball world for quite some time. However, even in his later career stages, 'The Big Dipper' remained an absolute powerhouse, as noted by Bob.
"You still had to go through the rigors of training to box him out and shoot over him, which was no picnic," he asserted.
Shifting back to Abdul-Jabbar, 'Dobber' highlighted one factor that made his iconic performances with the Bucks and Lakers even more memorable.
"Everything ran through him, so he had the ball in his hands 95 percent of the time when it mattered," Bob remarked.
Ultimately, both Kareem and Wilt deserve their due recognition, as does Bob. During their illustrious careers, the Hall of Fame trio combined for an impressive 40 All-Star appearances and undoubtedly had a profound influence on the generations of big men who came after them.
2024-06-15T15:50:34Z dg43tfdfdgfd