Milwaukee Bucks: All-Time Greatest 15 Man Roster

Oscar Robertson – Point Guard

It says all that you need to know about Oscar Robertson’s impact on the game when you stop to consider that he was already in decline by the time he came to be a Buck, yet his play in Milwaukee was still nothing short of outstanding.

In order for a team to win, you have to make the weakest link strong. – Oscar Robertson

Robertson’s Bucks were a team loaded with young talent ready to break out. He was the one who was already a superstar, and on course to becoming a bona fide legend of the game, and in that respect his role may actually have been more important than anyone else’s on the team.

Robertson was the old head who had to not only guide his teammates, but also understand when was the right moment for him to step up and take control and when he just needed to get out of the way and let the likes of Alcindor and Dandridge get to work around him.

Robertson discussed this in an interview with Jay Sorgi of WISports.com last April:

"I scored a lot of points before I came here.  I realized what was needed, and so I adjusted my game for us to win more basketball games here. It’s all team basketball to a point. Eventually, someone is going to have to shoot the ball and to score in a one-on-one situation.  The offenses that are set up, it’s almost like a lot of pick here, move here, do these things.  Sometimes, certain people don’t get the ball.  Fortunately for us, we had an offense that went into the pivot, went to the forward, went to the other guard, and we just worked it that way."

Robertson is best know by many NBA fans today for his incredible individual statistics, and his eye for a triple-double (averaged one for the 1963-63 season), yet it was this type of attitude that made The Big O the ultimate winner.

In Milwaukee for four years, Robertson racked up over 4,500 points, 2,100 assists and 1,400 rebounds. Most importantly though, he was the addition that helped to push Milwaukee over the edge to claim their first title.

His championship winning teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar feels that Robertson has a legitimate case for being the greatest player ever:

"LeBron is awesome, MJ was awesome, but I think Oscar Robertson would have kicked them both in the behind. He had all the skills. He could rebound and box out guys four and six inches taller than him. He was ruggedly built. He had fluid, quickness, and just understood the game. No flair, he just got the job done every night. Who’s going to average double figures in points, assists and rebounds?"

When you consider his contributions in both Milwaukee and Cincinnati, it’s tough to argue against Robertson’s case too.

Next: Ray Allen