NBA: 5 thoughts from ESPN’s top 74 all-time greats list

2. We need to have an honest conversation about the Wilt Chamberlain era

Rank: 6 

It’s refreshing to see Wilt Chamberlain in a top 10 all-time NBA list considering there’s been a level of pessimism about his dominance from fans in his era. Sure the teams and talent pools were diluted in the 1960s because of gradual recognition of the game and racial integration within the NBA, but if the league was an avenue in which everyone could get a bucket, then there wouldn’t be only a handful of players we idolize from it.

Chamberlain stood above the rest from a statistical and productivity standpoint, and you can arguably make the case he was ahead of his time. They’re individuals just as athletic and talented a Wilt in today’s game, but his grace and skill allowed him to average 50 points and 25 rebounds in a season for a reason.

The dilemma with his sixth-best standing ranking wise is he wasn’t the most clutch in championship situations. He collected only two rings in six NBA Finals appearances and his second ring was when he was in the twilight of his playing career with the Lakers. He was dominant enough to lead the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors to a final twice while also playing second-fiddle with Jerry West during his playoff runs with the Lakers.

Yet, the historical skinny on Wilt is in the biggest games, he couldn’t consistently eclipse Russell and the Celtics. Due to that, it’s hard to have him over the likes of Larry, Shaq, and Duncan who during their times were the elite level of competition you had to cross to win a title.

More times than not, they weren’t cross consecutively in their prime like Wilt was. Chamberlain is a top 10 all-time great, but realistically, he probably fills the list out at 10.