Story & Photos
GOAT
BY PETE ROBBINS
crowning a
T
here are few sports records that can’t be
broken. One of the few that comes to my
mind is Cy Young’s record of 511 pitching
wins. That’s 20 a year for 25 years. Unless something drastically changes about the modern
game, eclipsing that is impossible.
Over the course of the 1961-62 season, Wilt
Chamberlain averaged over 50 points a game.
Unlike Cy Young’s record, that one could be beaten,
although it seems highly unlikely. Chamberlain owns
the second, third, fifth and seventh highest single
season scoring averages as well. The next highest
mark owned by a baller other than Wilt was Elgin
Baylor’s 38.3 in that same 1961-62 season. The
highest single season average in the past 30 years
was Michael Jordan’s 37.1 in the 1986-87 campaign. That’s a monstrous gap; but in a perfect storm of circumstances it could be breached.
While those records may not be broken, the public’s perception of the greatest player of all time is subject to debate and change. Ask many modern day fans who the greatest pitcher was, and perhaps they’ll say Nolan Ryan or Sandy Koufax or even Greg Maddux.
Ask a basketball fan in the ‘70s or ‘80s to name the greatest player of all time, and they might’ve said Oscar Robertson or Dr. J. That gave way to Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and of course Michael Jordan. LeBron James has the potential to eclipse them all. These are matters of opinion, with no clear winner – except in each voter’s subjective mind.
is the “Greatest of All Time” a temporary title?
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