[Wilt Chamberlain after he scored 100 points.]

Why Wilt is No. 1

Don't get me wrong. I think Michael Jordan was a great player. Certainly, he's on my all-time starting five. Maybe he's the best all-around player ever.

But His Airness wasn't, in my opinion, the most dominating player in NBA history. Knowing what I know, were all the best players of the league's past and present to come out of college next year, and were my team to have the No. 1 draft choice, I would choose -- Wilton Norman Chamberlain.

Why you say? Nobody could dominate a game like Wilt, not even Jordan. Chamberlain was bigger (7-1 vs. 6-6), stronger and probably as athletically gifted.

You doubt it? Consider these lifetime stats.

Points: Chamberlain, 30.1; Jordan, 30.1
Rebounds: Wilt, 22.9; Michael, 6.2
Assists: Chamberlain, 4.4; Jordan, 5.3
FG Percent: Wilt, .540; Michael, .497
FT Percent: Chamberlain, .511; Jordan, .835

One thing that really annoys me when discussing Chamberlain's career is people who say something like, "Yeah, but, there weren't any other big men in the NBA then to stop him."

There was, of course, Bill Russell, considered one of the greatest centers in league history. (Chamberlain consistently outplayed him.) Here are some other big men Wilt tilted with over the years: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Zelmo Beaty, Walt Bellamy, Tom Boerwinkle, Mel Counts, Dave Cowens, Connie Hawkins, Bob Lanier, Bob Pettit, Clifford Ray, Willis Reed, Nate Thurmond and Wes Unseld. Every one of those guys would be starting in the NBA today. Several of them are in the Hall of Fame.

Also keep these things in mind when considering the Chamberlain-Jordan debate.

Wilt scored 100 points in a single game. Michael's best is 69.
Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game one season. Jordan's best season average (37.1) would be fifth on Wilt's list.
Wilt averaged more than 27 rebounds per game two seasons. Michael's best average is 8. Chamberlain never averaged less than 18. I can't see anybody ever scoring 100 again in an NBA game, nor averaging 50 for a season or 27 boards. You wouldn't make up numbers like that for lack of credibility.
Wilt's high assists-per-game average in a season was 7.8. Jordan's, despite being a semi point guard, is only 8.
NBA teams were still making serious offers to Chamberlain in his late 40s. Do you really think any team will be trying to get Jordan to come back and play for them when he's 49?
Chamberlain enjoyed a successful second career as a professional volleyball player. He had offers to be a pro soccer goalie and to box Muhammad Ali for the then-princely sum of $500,000. Michael was a sub-par minor league baseball player for one summer who might end up on the senior golf tour if he really, really works at it.
Jordan played basketball at North Carolina. Wilt played for a storied program as well, Kansas, where he also was a Big 8 championship high jumper with sprinter's speed who lettered in track before he lettered in basketball.

Jordan is a better free throw shooter and he won more championships, granted. But to me, Wilt is the one.

Wilt wrote two amusing autobiographies "Wilt; just like any other 7-foot Black millionaire who lives next door" and "View from Above." I also recommend Gary Pomerantz's "Wilt, 1962" about Chamberlain's 100-point game.

[Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell go at it.]

Now, if you haven't seen it already, visit my home page, with links to lots of interesting places and information about me, my life-sized wax statue of bridge great Ely Culbertson and the annual International Othersports Festival my friends and I hold.