Who's the Best Player you've ever seen?

[DeeCee]

It could have been a pick-up game or someone we've seen on TV...

I've told most of you guys that I went to an HBCU...we get a lot of guys from the North to come down to attend school...(Conn., NY/NJ, DC/MD, etc...)

There was this crew from New York that was down at A&T when I got there. My cousin told me that they were 'old-heads' that had been down at A&T for awhile.

There was this guy named "Lunk" that had his right arm cut off just above the elbow...he was all-city in New York...crazy handle...

There was this guy named Kenny that was a pretty good player...great passer, pretty decent ball-handler...

But this guy named 'Pretty AL' was FREAKIN' INCREDIBLE!!! Al was 6'2" and was a pure BALLER!!! This guy could do everything except shoot really well...he had a nice 'J' but I've seen ballers with better J's than his...

He had Kenny Anderson type handle and crazy ass 'Ups'...Some guy took a jumper from the corner and Al caught his shot just before the peak of its arc and threw it in the stands. I looked at my cousin as we walked down court and he said, "Terrance, as good as you think he is, he was 10 times better when he got to A&T." Al threw a 3 quarter of the court bounce pass through heavy traffic and my brother blew the lay-up because he was laughing so hard...Why was he laughing? With all that traffic, he couldn't believe the ball had gotten through...This guy had court vision, dribbling skills, could shoot, could jump...he was SOOOO silky smooth...

The worst part, as good as he was on the court with the ball, he was just as good off the court with the chicks...hence the name, Pretty Al...he was phuckin' sickening!!!!

I've been lucky to see a lot of pick-up ball being played as well as a lot of organized ball...believe me, when someone tells you that not all the best Ballers made it to the NBA, they're right...Pretty Al is a prime example...

[Bill4KU]

Deecee, I guess you mean other than myself. I have not seen anyone unknown like pretty Al that I would put on my list, but I was honored to see the Big O in person and Wilt and Elgin Baylor and they were all the greatest in their own right. My altime favorite players were Bill Bridges and Woody Saulsberry. You get bonus points if you even know who Woody was. LOL

[DeeCee]

I don't recall Woody, Bill...

Pretty Al was definitely the best Play-Ground legend that I've seen...

As far as organized ball...

I saw Jordan when he was a senior in high school...but I was in the 4th grade and I only remember him making a half-court shot in that game...but my brother tells me that he stole the ball three straight time from our point guard and he had two dunks in about a 7 second span in that game...

I saw Stackhouse vs. my brother's high school team...he was just a freshman, but a good player even then...

As far as the all around best player I've ever seen...(even on TV)...I'll have to ponder this one for awhile and get back to you...

[Bill4KU]

Woody was a pro player back in the 50s and early 60s. I can't even remember who he played for, but he had a line drive shot that somehow or other went in. He was not an all stare, but for some reason he was my favorite player as a young teen. Bill Bridges was a great rebounder from KU and had a good pro career. I think that my vote for all around greatest player might be Elgin Baylor, even though everyone tries to give that honor to MJ. Elgin was a player before his time. In todays game he would excell, but he played in a time when it was more important to be a team player. IMO

[wescoe]

The best performance I've ever seen was Paul Pierce.
I was at a KU game vs. Oklahoma and KU went on a 16-0 point run, all scored by PP.
When Calvin Sampson called the time out he went out and slapped PP on the arse

[Bill4KU]

Wilt Chamberlains 100 point game will probably never be topped. I am one of the few on this board (or any other) that remembers that feat.

[txheel98]

I know it's not college b-ball, but saw Reggie Miller go off for 54 points against the Charlotte Hornets back in the 90s. It was amazing! I think have only missed 4 or 5 shots during the game!

[Poleon]

I remember Wilt and his 100 point game. Impressive. However, just like Shaq, he couldn't hit a free throw to save his life. That Lew Alcinder kid from Power Memorial in New York was pretty good. I think he grew up into Kareem Jabbar. Oscar Robertson was fabulous and averaged like a triple double for a season, but the best all around player in my humble opinion was Bill Russel of San Francisco and the Celtics. He battled Wilt in College and in the pros and was the kingpin of the famous Boston teams.

[Bill4KU]

Can't argue with a triple double for an intire season, unless you consider average over 50 for an entire season. I would say, best scorer Wilt in his day, best defender Russell, best all around player Big O.

[txheel98]

I got to see Jordan play as a young kid in Carmichael. That was a special place. A lot like Cameron Indoor is now.

[txheel98]

Let me rephrase that I got to see Jordan, Perkins, and Worthy play in Carmichael. Actually Worthy is an alumni of my high school so we got to see him play pickup games whenever he came home to see his family.

[buike24blue]

Michael Jeffrey Jordan...the best all around player ever...a great scorer and a great defender....but everyone knew that.............AND KOBE IS NOT THE NEXT JORDAN!!!!!!!

[Bill4KU]

Just thought of a player few of us have heard of, but since this is a college basketball board, a guy named Bill Sharman once scored 100 points in a college basketball game. We would have to list that as one of the greatest games by a college player. He also played pro for a few years. Poleon, help me out on this. Do I have it right?

[Poleon]

Okay, lots of useless trivia from Poleon on Bill Sharman. I remember him not as a player, but as a coach. He coached the Lakers for about five years in the 1970s. I googled him and discovered that he was one of the first modern point guards and played for the Boston Celtics from 1951-1961. His college team was Southern Cal. I could not find anything about him scoring 100 points in a college game, but that doesn't mean that he didn't do it, just that I couldn't find it. Interestingly he is in the basketball hall of fame and as a coach won championships in the CBA, ABA and NBA I believe it was. Bill Sharman, a man for the ages. Born in 1926 just nine years before Poleon!!!!!

[wordjockey]

I'm not as old as Poleon or Bill, but the best I've seen in person, while they werre in college, was Pistol Pete. I also have seen Admiral Robinson play for Navy in a UKIT. Pete had 62 in the game I saw (they never beat UK while he was there) and Robinson had 54, I think.
Others: Bernard King, Ernie Grunfield, Shaq, & pretty much any SEC player since the late 60's. I saw Jordan play in person as a pro, but I don't think that counts. I had Atlanta Hawks season tickets in '84 and '85, but it jsut got too expensive.