Oscar Robertson won a ring with six-time NBA MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor), forwards Bob Dandridge, McCoy McLemore, Greg Smith, Bob Greacen and Bob Boozer, guards Jon McGlocklin, Lucius Allen, Marv Winkler, and Bill Zopf, and center Dick Cunningham. The squad beat the Baltimore Bullets (now Washington Wizards) 4-0 in the NBA finals in only their third year in the league.
Oscar Robertson’s Wasted Prime
After being selected as the first overall pick of the 1960 NBA draft, Robertson went on to have arguably one of the best rookie seasons in league history averaging 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds along with a league-high 9.7 assists.
His impressive form in his maiden campaign not only earned him the 1961 NBA Rookie of the Year award but also his first selections to the NBA All-Star squad and NBA All-First Team. The three-time NCAA season scoring leader then upped the ante in his 1961-62 season by becoming the first player in NBA history to average a regular-season triple-double of 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game.
The two-time Helms College Player of the Year then went on to average a triple-double (30.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 10.6 assists) in 451 games over five seasons. Despite Robertson’s consistent stellar performances, the Royals failed to build around him and subsequently suffered three first-round exits and failed to make the playoffs entirely in another of his 11 seasons with the franchise.
Oscar Robertson’s Blockbuster Trade to the Milwaukee Bucks
The Royals’ nonchalant attitude towards building a contender continued to affect their performance which further depleted its already struggling fanbase. In a last-ditch effort to repair their image, they brought on former Boston Celtics point guard Bob Cousy as their head coach in their 1969-70 season.
Cousy’s tenure however proved unsuccessful as the Royals only managed to win a paltry 36 games despite the six-time NBA champion’s brief return to action alongside Robertson. Further reports at the time claimed that the 1957 NBA MVP, who was then 41 years old and well past his prime, was jealous of the attention that Robertson was receiving hence their failure to develop the necessary chemistry they needed in the Royals’ backcourt to win.
The doomed experiment coupled with a continued failure to make the playoffs caused Robertson’s relationship with the Royals to deteriorate beyond repair. The development led the team to inquire about possible trades for their star with a number of teams including the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks.
Then-newcomers Milwaukee Bucks ultimately won the Big O sweepstakes and acquired the triple-double king ahead of their 1970-71 season in exchange for point guard Flynn Robinson and power forward Charlie Paulk. The move paid immediate dividends as the Bucks went on to win the 1971 NBA title powered by exceptional play from Robertson and a young Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).
What Awards Did Oscar Robertson Win?
Robertson was arguably the NBA’s first all-round player with a height of 6’5 or less as he was capable of affecting the game on both ends of the floor with high-level scoring, rebounding, and assisting. Unlike most NBA players who find their groove and reach their prime after a couple of years in the league, the former University of Cincinnati standout was great right out of the gate.
After securing an All-Star selection along with the NBA All-Star Game MVP and NBA Rookie of the Year awards in his rookie season, Robertson went on to make another 11 consecutive All-Star appearances and to win another two NBA All-Star Game MVP trophies proving that he was indeed one of the top players of his era. This fact was further echoed by his selection to the NBA’s 35th, 50th, and 75th-anniversary teams.
While some pundits accused Robertson of being a selfish player who was only interested in scoring, statistics prove that the 2018 NBA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient was quite the opposite having led the league in assists for six seasons (1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, and 1969).
The three-time UPI College Player of the Year nine All-NBA First Teams and two All-NBA Second Teams. His two greatest crowning moments are nevertheless undoubtedly his 1964 NBA MVP and 1971 NBA World Championship wins.
Who Were the Players Oscar Robertson Won a Ring With?
The players that Oscar Robertson won a ring with were:
- Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – the 19-time NBA All-Star, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history led the league in scoring and was both the regular season NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP in their championship season.
- Bob Dandridge – the two-time NBA champion was a key player for the Bucks averaging 18.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 50.9% shooting.
- Jon McGlocklin – the former shooting guard/small forward was the premier sharpshooter in the Bucks’ starting lineup and averaged 15.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 53.5% shooting (second to only Lew Alcindor).
- Greg Smith – the ex-power forward/small forward rounded off their starting lineup with averages of 11.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game on 51.2% shooting.
- Bob Boozer – the one-time NBA All-Star averaged 9.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game on 45% shooting.
- Lucius Allen – the third overall pick of the 1969 NBA was a reliable secondary playmaker averaging 7.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.
- McCoy McLemore – the power forward/center was a dependable backup with 4.7 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.1 per game.
- Gary Freeman – the former power forward averaged 3.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists on 50.8% shooting.
- Marv Winkler – the ex-point guard averaged 2.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in three games for the Bucks that season. He also had a perfect (100%) free throw percentage.
- Dick Cunningham – the former center averaged 2.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in just shy of 9 minutes per game.
- Bill Zopf – the former point guard received hardly any playing time (7.5 minutes per game) and put up 2.2 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.
- Bob Greacen – the ex-small forward played only two seasons in the NBA. He was one of the skilled passers on the Bucks with 6.5 assists per game along with 2.5 points, and 3.0 rebounds.
- Jeff Webb – the former shooting guard chipped in 2.2 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 10.3 minutes per game.