Ya know why nobody cares to remember that the Lakers used to be called the Detroit Gems? Because we didn’t steal a moniker that is/was synonymous with a different city.

Jerry West was pulling up on his shot like they are doing today. Didn't know he was that good.

LA Stars or LA Bears? State logo or state notoriety?

Love the guy starting at Utah but not a power forward. Great highwire act with Danny Vranes also at Utah part of the legendary Wacky WAC. Thanks!

If he could have got that ring with Barkley he might have been let in

Dude blocked a in lot of shots and grabbed alot kof rebounds

Go blue

When Dave Debusschere was on the Knicks they beat the Celtics twice in the playoffs in the 70s and won 2 championships. When Debusschere left the Knicks never won another championship.

If Schrempf played in this era , he would be better than Jokic and Donic combined together. Extremely solid player!!!.

The 1983 team is one of the best teams ever go sixers.

Every one had problems guarding kareem and the great john havlicek in this era

Fewer and better teams. Can we go back in time and save the league?

Wait that whistle guy at Bulls invented triangle offense. Built around be like Mike.

Russell dominating in this early photo. Looks a bit overwhelmed instead.

They needed Jackie moon to turn things around. Also, it’s sad the Minnesota lost two cool team names. Lakers and north stars are better than their current names and some of the best in nhl and nba. Minnesota could have the best group of team names including the Vikings & twins if the original teams didn’t leave.

They had Jim Chones in the pivot. That's something. Riles would grab him later as we all know.

As a teenager in the 70/80s, I was a huge Sixers fan. I loved watching Dr. J, but Bobby Jones was my favorite, even had his Secretary of Defense poster!

Great video. Great tribute. Thank you

show basketabs being scored or blocks only cut this vid

ignore this audio this was jordan level of athleticism but didnt get the shots slowbee or jordan or le brown got a monster plays abused by coaches n refs who would call tikytak shit they let kareem run rampant with total bs rememebr lakers 8s n bulsl given all titel byref same as diet jordans n mahmos n wallce lol in nfl all roids and porn is rubber extenders

I like Dr.J, but Hondo was more clutch

John Havlicek was the best team player I have ever seen. The consummate professional on and off the court. I wish I knew what happened to his poster that hung on my wall.

If the Lakers have not pick Los Angeles as there new home base after Minneapolis, they would had called Kansas City,MO home

Why choose? They were the 1960 Olympic backcourt...

I admired them both - but for me West was more tenacious and seemed to play with more intensity - and - motivation. > Just a '''super competitor''' ! --- Hondo ( Havlicek ) was another highly motivated '''super competitor''' - like West - in my view - both on offense --&-- defense !!!

Dr J saved the league. But Hondo was an animal. Dr J was the integrator of the NBA ABA merger. Hondo was a player was a Mamba like mentality player. He carried Boston to 8 rings.

The Big O did so much, particularly with the Royals. He was a very big guard - but was so subtle, especially on his assists. He rarely made a mistake. Oscar's image would be different in an era of constant TV coverage. Jerry West scored more, and was flashier. Both All Time Greats. That was my first NBA game attended, at age 13, Oscar versus Jerry.

Both were Studs

I get about ten minutes before my eyes start closing and his voice drones into annoying noises .

Bird never made the, "Why you guys putting a white boy on me?", complaint when Bobby Jones guarded him. I'd be curious to know Bird's stats when he went up against BobbyJ.

Jerry West was my favorite player and I think Oscar was the best.

Both are incontestibly top 5 at their positions= pg and sg

West cause he didn’t have an attitude

People say and I believe “truth is stranger than fiction”.

Don't forget that the Lakers came back from 17 down to tie game 7 in 1969. How? Chamberlain parked his worthless ass.

"If you've missed anything" ????? Yeah, what you missed is The Big O makes a lot of the expert's short lists for the GOAT. West makes none. That about sums it up.

For the complete story of the ABA by the people who lived it, please read Terry Pluto's "Loose Balls." It is an amazing read, with all of these adventures and more told in first person.

you'll get through this man, one day at a time, just try to keep your mind on the bright side of things

In my view, Jerry West MADE the LA Lakers! He teamed with Gail Goodrich to make a truly dynamic duo!

After 40 years of watching, studying, NBA. I perfectly understand Dr J's all-time starting 5: Oscar, West, Baylor, Wilt and Russell. My starting five, is all about 80's and 90's players: Magic, Jordan, Bird, Olajuwon and Kareem. Imagine these two teams coliding each other! Bob Petit, Hondo Havliceck and Cousy would come out the bench, and Thomas, Dr. J and Barkley would've been the reserves of the 80's and 90's squad.

Henry Finkle

Man, hearing Sid Hartman's name brings me back, not that I'm THAT old. He died just a few years ago, at a cool 100 years old. By the time I really knew who he was, he was a crotchety old sports journalist with outdated ideas. I knew he played some sort of role with the Lakers, but had no idea it was as big as it was. I mean, he was just a journalist as far as I knew. Good video!

Jerry West, and Oscar Robertson were on the 1960 Olympic Basketball Team, and both could play both ends of the floor.My point is pick your poison.

This explains why the LA Lakers only 12 NBA titles. Not 17.

Not a goddamn thing would change. Auerbach would fleece some team for another All-Star center and the Celtics would win nine championships in 10 seasons. He was, is and always will be the No. 1 reason for their success.

Jim Chones broken foot was devastating. The team was so exciting and Joe Tate on the radio was magical. It was an awesome time to be 11 years old and a Cavs fan.

Thank you for this tribute! As a 62-year-old, I really appreciate young people like yourself who have a great appreciation for players of the past. I'm a huge Celtics fan, and John Havlicek has always been my favorite player. But I love guys like Jerry West as well. When I was a kid shooting baskets in my driveway, I always pretended I was Jerry, Hondo or Oscar Robertson going up (barely) for the game-winning shot. I also have many basketball cards from that era as I collected them from '70 to '75. Now I'm so looking forward to your upcoming Celtics video. Keep up the great work.

I see a number of people say they saw both play and think that West was the best overall. I saw them both as well.... I can remember when Sport magazine ran a cover story on Jerry West with the headline "Is West the Best?". My answer: no. The reason Jerry West repeatedly said that Robertson was the best all-around player is because he was being honest. Both were great players, but all-around -- and with the exception of Lebron -- the Big-O has been unmatched. Remember, he was not only an almost unstoppable scorer, he was getting all those rebounds at a time when all the big guys were standing around the basket and all those assists when the assisted player had to score without taking a dribble... watching Oscar Robertson play was like watching a great artist, orchestrating the flow of the game in a way that few have ever matched while putting up all those numbers with a supporting cast that at times had a serious lack of depth... West was a great player...and a great basketball mind. You should respect his opinion that Robertson was the better all-around player... he is right about that.

For me the Big O

if Chones doesn’t get hurt….Cavaliers would have won, IMHO, the NBA title…