September 4, 2025 • 21 mins
On this episode of The Jimmy Rex Show, Jimmy sits down with one of the greatest to ever play the game, NBA legend Oscar Robertson. Known as “The Big O,” Oscar is a 12x NBA All-Star, league MVP, and the man who forever changed free agency in professional basketball. He shares his journey from growing up on a farm to leading the first all-Black state championship team in Indiana, dominating college basketball, and ultimately leaving an unmatched legacy on and off the court.
Oscar and Jimmy dive deep into how the NBA has evolved—from grueling 47-minute nights in his era to today’s massive supermax contracts and load management culture. They talk about how player salaries skyrocketed because of trailblazers like him, what it takes for a team to become a champion, and whether the modern game has become too soft. He also shares his perspective on GOAT debates, his favorite players to watch in today’s league, and what it meant to win gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics alongside fellow legends.
This powerful conversation is a rare chance to hear directly from one of basketball’s all-time greats. Tune in as Oscar Robertson opens up about life, lessons, and the lasting impact of his career.
00:00 Introduction
01:43 The legacy that Oscar left on the game
03:44 How Oscar got into the game
05:34 Getting into coaching a little
06:55 Oscar's impact on how free agents are treated today
08:55 How Oscar's game would translate to the modern NBA
10:30 Post NBA life
12:33 Looking back on his career
16:40 What Oscar is focusing on now in life
17:48 Most cherished moment in his career
18:47 Oscar's thoughts on the GOAT debate
20:12 Outro
Oscar and Jimmy dive deep into how the NBA has evolved—from grueling 47-minute nights in his era to today’s massive supermax contracts and load management culture. They talk about how player salaries skyrocketed because of trailblazers like him, what it takes for a team to become a champion, and whether the modern game has become too soft. He also shares his perspective on GOAT debates, his favorite players to watch in today’s league, and what it meant to win gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics alongside fellow legends.
This powerful conversation is a rare chance to hear directly from one of basketball’s all-time greats. Tune in as Oscar Robertson opens up about life, lessons, and the lasting impact of his career.
00:00 Introduction
01:43 The legacy that Oscar left on the game
03:44 How Oscar got into the game
05:34 Getting into coaching a little
06:55 Oscar's impact on how free agents are treated today
08:55 How Oscar's game would translate to the modern NBA
10:30 Post NBA life
12:33 Looking back on his career
16:40 What Oscar is focusing on now in life
17:48 Most cherished moment in his career
18:47 Oscar's thoughts on the GOAT debate
20:12 Outro
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello, and welcome to another episode of The Jimmy Rex Show. Today,
on the podcast, I have one of the all time
great college basketball players, and that is not hyperbole, the
one and only the legend himself, mister Oscar Robertson. Not
only was he a twelve time NBA All Star, he
was also the MVP, but he is essentially the person
that forever changed the game and how free agents were
(00:22):
treated and how they acted. Most people say he's either
number one or two greatest point guard to ever play
the game, and such a pleasure to be able to
sit down with him. Truly one of the all time legends.
He was also a Player of the Year in college
basketball multiple times and scoring Champion and just again literally
changed the game of basketball and business after basketball as
(00:43):
we know it. So with that, let's get to the
podcast with NBA legend twelve time All Star Oscar Robertson.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Bucked Up Supplements.
You guys, you know, doing these athlete podcasts it can
be a little bit draining sometimes because I usually do
five or six in a day. I got to la
and take advantage of my opportunity to be able to
(01:03):
get these amazing guests, and when I'm doing it, I'm
trying to stay hydrated, but I'm also trying to stay
in shape, and so Bucked Up Protein they come with me.
I actually found them at a gas station out there
and took a few every single day while I was
doing these podcasts. So as you listen today's podcast, just
remember that it is sponsored by Bucked Up Protein Anywhere
Bucked Up Products, per Soula Oscar. Good to have you
(01:32):
on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
You know, it's interesting. You have so much history, so
many things to talk about with somebody like yourself, and
I would love to hear more. You know, start out
with how do you feel, as you know, as you
kind of get into this part of your life, how
do you feel about your legacy that you leave on
this world or in this life that you've had so
far on the game of basketball and otherwise.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I don't think that much about the legacy and whatnot,
because you know, I mean, I did what I did,
and I'm sure that a lot of players before me
did not in other sports. So it just it's just
the time you hear you take to try to take
advantage of it.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
MM hmm. I like that, just kind of more living
in the moment, the present.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
That's true. I mean, and I'm happy to players are
are making a lot of money now. I'm happy for
them because they won't have to worry about money in
the future. You know, you know that they could they
could have the yachts and go to places and take
their mouthers and follows on trips and whatnot. That's years ago.
You could well neighbor do that because you couldn't make
You didn't make any money.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
So even when you were done planning, you had such
a decorated career and it was money, you still didn't
have enough money to just kind of be able to rely.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I had some, but we started I started an old
company in Cincinnati, so so, but I want to do
that all along anyway. But you didn't have the opportunities
that they haven't today. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yeah, I mean nowadays, you know, the average players making
eleven million dollars a year, whereas.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
So we're making what eventually you're going to see a
hundred million dollar basketball player. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I think this next year, the next contract to be
almost eighty million, the next super contract.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Yes, that's true. Indeed, Yeah, isn't that amazing?
Speaker 1 (03:00):
It's just just amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Then, guys, don't they play with thirty six minutes thirty
five minutes in a game. They can't play forty eight
When I played, I played forty will play more than
anybody Wildn' build, and I've I averaged about forty seven
minutes a game myself.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Well, it's interesting because back when you guys played, you know,
you didn't have any of the comfortable things about I
mean from the way you traveled to the way that
you recovered and now it. But you all seemed like
you were always healthy. Nowadays, everybody's getting hurt all the
time and they're getting pampered. I don't know if there's
something to that or not.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Well, I think it's the way you grew up. I
mean I grew up on a farm in the summertimes. Actually,
you know, you worked, You got up early in the morning,
we worked out, We worked in the fields, hay corn,
whatever you had to do, cattle.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
How did you discover basketball? Did you have somebody that
kind of taught you the game or did you have
to teach it yourself?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
When I went I moved in APIs when I was
maybe four or five years old, and when I got
into about nine or ten, I started watching other guys play,
and my brother played basketball at the high school, and
so that's where I got into it, to be honest.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Because you really, I mean, you were the trail player
when it comes to basketball. I mean from being the
first team I believe you were the first collegiate team
to ever uh with all black players to be able
to get to the finals or that was in high
school hig school? Yeah, sorry, in high school.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
That was in high school. We won a championship in
nineteen fifty five, first black team in the history of.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
The state, any state, right, Yeah, it wasn't.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
But you know, but an ironic thing about that championship
we played a Gainst, another all black team from Gary, Indiana.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
You know, somebody was going to win it.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yeah, it's right, right, somebody was going to win it.
It was ironic, but it was it was nice. It
was it was you know, it's just just just the
thing that you take advantage of. It was happy for us,
you know that the city was happy, but everybody was happy,
you know, because we won a championship for the city
of Indianapolis. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Well, and you, I mean, you you know, played your
college career. Now they named the player that your trophy
after you. It's got to be that's got a feel
pretty cool, pretty special to have that that name, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
But it's funny thing about player of the year. When
I played, they would they would tell the the the
coach that your player of the year. They didn't tell
the player. Oh he would tell you. He said, Oscar,
you you may play of the year.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Just that nonchalant.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
I mean, it wasn't it wasn't a real big thing,
but it is now. Yeah, I think that it shows
that television and sports writers and whatnot, they know a
lot more than what the players, what the players did
and the sports writers did years ago.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Yeah, well, you got into coaching a little bit, I
think in the early two thousands. Did you enjoy doing
that as as being a coach or did you enjoy
more kind of from there?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
You played a coach, you know, because you know, you
know the things about coaching you get to you get
to have a lot of restraint because you get to
understand the player's athletic ability and when he doesn't can't
do certain things, you can't get mad at him. But
you know, but but it's a it's a it's a
it's a it's a delicate thing. Some guys have just
made the coach and I don't think I was.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Well, they say this for a lot of the players
that were elite, elite, it's hard for them to be
coaches because the things you want to teach them to do,
they just like you said, they can't.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Let's see, Well, I think what happened years ago and
when you said that, is that a lot of a
lot of guys who got into coaching but not good players.
They were guys who got cut from teams, but not
so so and and when and there was a jealousy
thing when a guy said, like Jerry west coach and
when like when Jerry started coaching, guys didn't like, oh
(06:32):
he's they's got Jerry Westbank because he was a great player.
You know that wasn't true. You know, I mean, either
you can coach and win, and sometimes even great coaches
don't win, don't last long.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
You have to win basketball games, football, baseball games. You
know it just it's not like you know, years ago,
you played for the love of the game. That's not
true anymore.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah, well, you and you were playing in the NBA
when you first got I mean, you were really one
of the trailblazers. Again for free agents and for people
being able to, you know, get these higher salaries. Did
you ever imagine that your you know, impact would be
to what it is today with the game or you're
getting these genormous contracts.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
No, I did. I was. I was talking to a
friend of mine the other day in Milwaukee. I said, Man,
isn't it amazing that that the guys come in and
make fifty million? Some guys are making thirty five million dollars?
You never heard of them? I said, But you know,
but but it's great. I mean, I mean because you
know what I mean. I mean, I struggled with my
family over money. Wasn't not because I wasn't making any money,
(07:29):
to be honest, And I said, but they don't have
to do that. But but it's it's it's just the
way things have evolved. Well, and the Dodgers gave this
one a tiny one hundred million dollars, didn't.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
He seventy million? Yeah, but this seven hundred million for
ten years.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Well, so it just it's just but see, I think
that's great because what people don't realize when he makes
any million, what is the next guy going to make? Right,
So everybody said is going to be increased.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Yeah, yeah, and it needs to be happy for him
one dred percent. So for you as a former basketball player,
you you know you're known as a lot of people
put you at the top of the list of the
greatest point guards of all time.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
I'd like to hear you say that they pick other paper,
but it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
I'd love to hear your top five best point guards
of all time.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I really couldn't pick them, but you know a lot
of guys that it just when guys played and how
they interacted when they got in the ball game. It's
difficult to pick great.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Your who's your favorite players to watch over the last
fifteen twenty years.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
I'd like to watch Lebron and Carry some other players.
I'd like to watch certain things play and I don't
see how well they played together, and well, let's they
take see when I watch the team. I wanted to
take advantage of of what's going on. If I'm playing
a game and you scoring, I wouldn't through to the ball
to anybody else for a while. Then if you know,
(08:46):
let you be hot. Yeah, that's what I thought. If
you're hot, you to have the ball. But I don't
think guys think that anymore. I don't think they think
that anymore.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Do you think that your game would have translated to
the modern game just like uh? I mean, because you
were kind of a score and a rebounder and an
assis guy. You were really that first triple double guy.
Obviously your game would translate in any era. But how
do you how do you think the modern game would
have affected your game versus when you played?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Well, I don't think it would have affected my game
at all, because when I look at basketball games, they
they said a high pick. They don't set low picks anymore.
When the sinners, it's always high pick. Guy's go one
on one. Hell, that's all I did all my life. Yeah, yeah,
that's all I did.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Did you ever have somebody that you just really just
that nemesis or that person that you just hated playing
against because they were there have a.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Lot of guys that, you know, I mean, after you
start playing that they see what you're doing, you know,
they try to make adjustments. It stops you, and so
guys would hold push and but you got used to.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
It what made you so great at basketball?
Speaker 2 (09:47):
I just just loved the game, and I worked at
I watched the other guys play when I came up
and watched what they did with the basketball games. I
wasn't afraid to make mistakes when I first started playing,
because those things got better and I and I would
always let the game come to me. I didn't try
to force myself on the game. I didn't. I didn't
go out with the idea of that that I'm going
(10:08):
to make a lot of shots. I just went out
in the game and whatever happened. That's where you play.
But it is different today. You guys, some guys go
you know, they're going to shoot the ball when they
get it.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
That kind of seems like a good metaphor for life, right,
like just kind of allowing it.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Well, I think so, I think so. I think you're
right about that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Is it difficult not to be overly competitive in other
areas of life when you've been so competitive in sports
and then you know that's obviously that's done. How do
you adjust your life to not have to feel that
stress all the time of.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
It's difficult because you don't have control of certain things
in life. Like when I went into business as opposed
to basketball. When I played basketball, I had control of
myself to be able to play and put up numbers
and whatnot. In business, you depend on so many people,
and then you depend on the guy you're selling to.
He might he might say, okay, I need you to
(10:56):
cut your prices. Well, because as it happened to mean,
we were doing business with a uh selling with a
lot of products for them. I won't tell you the
name of them because they wouldn't like it. Sure, and
every year they want to tempercent decrease. That's what hell
I said, in four or five years, you take all
my profits. But that's what they ask. But that's what
(11:16):
was going on. You know, they would always these companies
would make a lot of money. Then they'd force a
supplier to give them, give them benefits, get cut your prices.
You know our urs, we're gonna take your business. And
and they did that, they got away with it.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Did you find it difficult to be able to know
who to trust after you're playing game because everybody wants
her attention, everybody wants.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Something from you. Well, I trust a lot of people,
some of them I shouldn't have. But you know that's
that's that's that's neither here nor there now, I mean, uh,
and I would say, this is some of your friends.
You know, everybody's not your friend? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Is that? I bet is in the position you were in,
you have to really decide who's going to be in
your circle or not, because.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Well, you know, when I got mean most most of
the people that I associated with my wife, and she
she she would start she she was more social, social,
sociable than I was, to be honest. And she was
in a lot of a lot of organizations and clubs
and women's clubs, and she did a lot for the
universities and banks and whatnot. So and then and she
(12:20):
was artistically minded and I wasn't at first, but.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
You get to learn that real colch of course, Yeah,
what I mean, what would you do differently? Looking back
on your life and just everything that you did it?
Was there anything you would do differently today?
Speaker 2 (12:40):
I don't know who who knows? You know? I mean,
I mean, uh, there are a lot of ups and
downs in anybody, in anybody's life, you know. Uh, I'd
like to I'd like to have done a lot of
things a bit differently as far as far as going
to going to different teams. See, I think I think
that when you when you when you play basketball and
football and you go to certain teams, it all depends
(13:02):
on the team you go to. How well you gonna
do it. I never won but one championship until, like
I we got with the Koreem I mean, our team
was not gonna ever win any championships. At Cincinnati, they
were not gonna win any championships. But I was there.
I'm out of college. They expected me to be the
savior for this team. I said, well, wait a minute,
(13:23):
what about this, What about the guys you already got
on the team. I said, I'm just out of college
and I don't I don't know the guy. I don't
know what's going on yet. That didn't matter to them.
They wanted me to save their franchise, you know. And
we played. We've got presentable, We've won a lot of games,
but we could not get the right players on our
(13:45):
team together, and I ought to win.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Yeah, it's interesting how much it just is fate right
wherever you get drafted. It's not like inn either career
where you get to pick what company you want to
go work for. You're told this is the company you're
going to go play for.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Well, it's in sports today here here Again. I don't
know about football, but all the great teams always make
a trader somewhere, right, They're gonna make a trade to
get to get the better players, right, and and that's
the way it goes. You know, basketball is the same way.
You know, Russell went to Boston, Boston champion, Shack goes
to l A, Kareem goes to l A. But La
(14:18):
got almost got everybody wanted to be honest, they being
to let him do that.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
What do you think about the Luca thing that just happened?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
They just I think he's one of the luckiest guys
in the world to come out number one draft chords
and and not go to Washington or where else. Who
else is bad in basketball? Brooklyn?
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Brooklyn and then go to Brooklyn. He went to went
to Dallas. Great situation for him for Cooper Flag with all.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Those lither great players that got down there, they're gonna
be healthy.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
They're gonna be tough to be Yeah, that's gonna be
a good team. What about the Lakers, you think they
got a future right now here in LA with the
Lebron and Luca donchich Or do you think they need
to make some memors.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
I think I think that they played pretty well at times,
but there's a there's too much talk about the lake.
Isn't what they're gonna do? You know, I just wait
and see, you know, you know, you know, I never
forget once when I was starting to play basketball, and
I heard this guy on this team was so great,
and there was a guy named Norman Allen, the older guy,
(15:15):
and I said, no, boy, these guys are these guys
that I don't know? We could play against them? He said, Oscar,
remember one thing, you can't tell until they tossed the
ball up. And so I always remember that whenever I
played against anybody, they said, this guy is the greatest
thing is to slice cheese. We'll see me toss the
ball up. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Well, and based on your record and how you performed,
I'm guessing you didn't have too many problems on that.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
There are a lot of great players. I paid against
a lot a lot of guys are very tough, good
offensive players and defensive players. They pushed. But you got
to make adjustments. You know, you got to get used
to it. You know, you can't you can't complain about it. Guys,
push it hold you just hold, push him back.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Do you think the game has gotten a little bit
too soft today? That I mean when you guys played,
it was pretty rough, but.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
It was a lot rougher, a lot rough than it
is today. Yeah, but you know it's it's it is
what it is, and people like it. You know, they
like them shoot the long shots and make those shots
and whatnot. The game is really what the people like
if they like it, if you can win some games
or great things, great things in your city.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Yeah, did you play growing up? Did you play other sports?
Where you just always basketball?
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Played all of them, ran track, baseball and football too.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Did you ever wish or think about maybe if you'd
gone the route of baseball or football.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
I had a bit I could have gone to play baseball.
I had a contract, but I didn't. I didn't want
to play baseball basketball. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Yeah, I mean, good choice, but I think I did
so for somebody like you. You know, you get to
this point in your life, how do you decide where
you're going to put your time and attention at this point? Like,
where do you put your focus on things?
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Now? Well, my my family, my daughters. Yeah, and what
they're trying to do and what they want to get
out of life and whatnot, and uh so some other
things you know, you know, when you get you know,
things happened to you. You know.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Yeah, was that a difficult part of being a professional
athlete and just not having as much time maybe as
a normal person would to just be with family.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Well, that's true. But you know, I was very fortunate
had a lovely wife because when I went into the
Hall of Fame, I thanked her for raising my kids
because I was out playing ball all the time, you know, golfing.
Played one week, you played three games, sometimes you play
four games, come back and just I was just she
did the job. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Yeah, well it's one of the benefits again of that
is you get to have now so much time where
you get to spend that time with family.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Yes, it's very helpful.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Yeah. Did you when you were playing basketball, was ever
a you know, a moment that stands out to you
as like a favorite moment or maybe your most cherished
moment as a player.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
We went to the Olympics sixty right nineteen, said great,
you and Jerry West's terry dishing of bell. I mean
Jerry Lucas. It was. It was a wonderful time.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Where was those Olympics out in Rome? In Rome?
Speaker 2 (18:05):
You know before you go, you don't, you don't, You
don't know the significance of what Olympics is all about.
But see all those athletes from all over the world run, playing,
running and playing for that country just just to win
a just to win a gold medal or ribbon or something.
This is not that amazing. Yeah, and become friends and
they know each other from Olympics to Olympics, and it's
(18:27):
just just wonder just a wonderful time, wonderful, wonderful situation
in the world.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Some people say that was the best basketball team ever
put together.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Well, they said it was a very good basketball team,
and they also said the team that played with later
on that was a better basketball team. But you can't tell,
you know, Yeah, I don't think they could have beat us. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Do you ever get asked the question, you know, who's
the all time go Lebron or Michael Who? Oh?
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Yeah, the time?
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Who do you think is the all time?
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Ull? I might? I might. I think algend Beta is
a picky a basketball player. Then never said I think
these are all great basketball players, and you never don't
know who the greatest is in the world is, you know, Yeah,
I mean it's it's just it's great talk. And I
think it's wonderful that you get on the radios. But
now you talk about these guys because Lebron is to
play at forty two. Yeah, it's amazing. And Jordan, what
(19:17):
Jordan did with the championships. But they got to get
other players. You know, I don't know the guy's name.
We played for the Lakers, he played for San Antonio,
who played for Houston. You know, they never take them.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
He's got eight or nine.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Robert Orry, he's got with eight rings, you know, whenever
say anything about it. Tom Tom Sanders with the Celtis,
he might have nine or ten rings.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
So you've got to because Bill Russell had I think
he had.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
Eleven or twelve. Yeah, he's crazy, and he joined the
Celtius in nineteen sixty. Tom Sanders, I mean, I mean,
it's just a lot of great ball players that that
are covered up because it didn't make sense to talk
about him pet years ago, and they didn't talk about
them very much at all.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Sure, well, Oscar, such a pleasure to have you on
the podcast. Congratulations on a wonderful life and career, and
just thank you for being on the show. Thank you
appreciate it all righty sir, thank you again for listening
to the Jimmy Rex Show. And if you liked what
you heard, please like and subscribe. It really helps me
to get better guests, to be able to get the
type of people on this podcast. It's going to make
(20:22):
it the most interesting. Also, want to tell everybody about
my podcast studio, The Rookery Studios, now available in Salt
Lake City and or in Utah. If you live in
Utah and want to produce your own podcast, we take
all of the guests, work out of it for you
and make it so simple. All you do is you
come in, you sit down, you talk, and leave. We
(20:43):
record it, edit it, even post it for you. If
interested in doing your own podcast, visit our Instagram and
send us a DM Rookery Studios or go to our website,
The Rookery Studios dot com
Hello, and welcome to another episode of The Jimmy Rex Show. Today,
on the podcast, I have one of the all time
great college basketball players, and that is not hyperbole, the
one and only the legend himself, mister Oscar Robertson. Not
only was he a twelve time NBA All Star, he
was also the MVP, but he is essentially the person
that forever changed the game and how free agents were
(00:22):
treated and how they acted. Most people say he's either
number one or two greatest point guard to ever play
the game, and such a pleasure to be able to
sit down with him. Truly one of the all time legends.
He was also a Player of the Year in college
basketball multiple times and scoring Champion and just again literally
changed the game of basketball and business after basketball as
(00:43):
we know it. So with that, let's get to the
podcast with NBA legend twelve time All Star Oscar Robertson.
Today's podcast is brought to you by Bucked Up Supplements.
You guys, you know, doing these athlete podcasts it can
be a little bit draining sometimes because I usually do
five or six in a day. I got to la
and take advantage of my opportunity to be able to
(01:03):
get these amazing guests, and when I'm doing it, I'm
trying to stay hydrated, but I'm also trying to stay
in shape, and so Bucked Up Protein they come with me.
I actually found them at a gas station out there
and took a few every single day while I was
doing these podcasts. So as you listen today's podcast, just
remember that it is sponsored by Bucked Up Protein Anywhere
Bucked Up Products, per Soula Oscar. Good to have you
(01:32):
on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
You know, it's interesting. You have so much history, so
many things to talk about with somebody like yourself, and
I would love to hear more. You know, start out
with how do you feel, as you know, as you
kind of get into this part of your life, how
do you feel about your legacy that you leave on
this world or in this life that you've had so
far on the game of basketball and otherwise.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I don't think that much about the legacy and whatnot,
because you know, I mean, I did what I did,
and I'm sure that a lot of players before me
did not in other sports. So it just it's just
the time you hear you take to try to take
advantage of it.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
MM hmm. I like that, just kind of more living
in the moment, the present.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
That's true. I mean, and I'm happy to players are
are making a lot of money now. I'm happy for
them because they won't have to worry about money in
the future. You know, you know that they could they
could have the yachts and go to places and take
their mouthers and follows on trips and whatnot. That's years ago.
You could well neighbor do that because you couldn't make
You didn't make any money.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
So even when you were done planning, you had such
a decorated career and it was money, you still didn't
have enough money to just kind of be able to rely.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I had some, but we started I started an old
company in Cincinnati, so so, but I want to do
that all along anyway. But you didn't have the opportunities
that they haven't today. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yeah, I mean nowadays, you know, the average players making
eleven million dollars a year, whereas.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
So we're making what eventually you're going to see a
hundred million dollar basketball player. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I think this next year, the next contract to be
almost eighty million, the next super contract.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Yes, that's true. Indeed, Yeah, isn't that amazing?
Speaker 1 (03:00):
It's just just amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Then, guys, don't they play with thirty six minutes thirty
five minutes in a game. They can't play forty eight
When I played, I played forty will play more than
anybody Wildn' build, and I've I averaged about forty seven
minutes a game myself.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Well, it's interesting because back when you guys played, you know,
you didn't have any of the comfortable things about I
mean from the way you traveled to the way that
you recovered and now it. But you all seemed like
you were always healthy. Nowadays, everybody's getting hurt all the
time and they're getting pampered. I don't know if there's
something to that or not.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Well, I think it's the way you grew up. I
mean I grew up on a farm in the summertimes. Actually,
you know, you worked, You got up early in the morning,
we worked out, We worked in the fields, hay corn,
whatever you had to do, cattle.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
How did you discover basketball? Did you have somebody that
kind of taught you the game or did you have
to teach it yourself?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
When I went I moved in APIs when I was
maybe four or five years old, and when I got
into about nine or ten, I started watching other guys play,
and my brother played basketball at the high school, and
so that's where I got into it, to be honest.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Because you really, I mean, you were the trail player
when it comes to basketball. I mean from being the
first team I believe you were the first collegiate team
to ever uh with all black players to be able
to get to the finals or that was in high
school hig school? Yeah, sorry, in high school.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
That was in high school. We won a championship in
nineteen fifty five, first black team in the history of.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
The state, any state, right, Yeah, it wasn't.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
But you know, but an ironic thing about that championship
we played a Gainst, another all black team from Gary, Indiana.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
You know, somebody was going to win it.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yeah, it's right, right, somebody was going to win it.
It was ironic, but it was it was nice. It
was it was you know, it's just just just the
thing that you take advantage of. It was happy for us,
you know that the city was happy, but everybody was happy,
you know, because we won a championship for the city
of Indianapolis. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Well, and you, I mean, you you know, played your
college career. Now they named the player that your trophy
after you. It's got to be that's got a feel
pretty cool, pretty special to have that that name, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
But it's funny thing about player of the year. When
I played, they would they would tell the the the
coach that your player of the year. They didn't tell
the player. Oh he would tell you. He said, Oscar,
you you may play of the year.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Just that nonchalant.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
I mean, it wasn't it wasn't a real big thing,
but it is now. Yeah, I think that it shows
that television and sports writers and whatnot, they know a
lot more than what the players, what the players did
and the sports writers did years ago.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Yeah, well, you got into coaching a little bit, I
think in the early two thousands. Did you enjoy doing
that as as being a coach or did you enjoy
more kind of from there?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
You played a coach, you know, because you know, you
know the things about coaching you get to you get
to have a lot of restraint because you get to
understand the player's athletic ability and when he doesn't can't
do certain things, you can't get mad at him. But
you know, but but it's a it's a it's a
it's a it's a delicate thing. Some guys have just
made the coach and I don't think I was.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Well, they say this for a lot of the players
that were elite, elite, it's hard for them to be
coaches because the things you want to teach them to do,
they just like you said, they can't.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Let's see, Well, I think what happened years ago and
when you said that, is that a lot of a
lot of guys who got into coaching but not good players.
They were guys who got cut from teams, but not
so so and and when and there was a jealousy
thing when a guy said, like Jerry west coach and
when like when Jerry started coaching, guys didn't like, oh
(06:32):
he's they's got Jerry Westbank because he was a great player.
You know that wasn't true. You know, I mean, either
you can coach and win, and sometimes even great coaches
don't win, don't last long.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
You have to win basketball games, football, baseball games. You
know it just it's not like you know, years ago,
you played for the love of the game. That's not
true anymore.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah, well, you and you were playing in the NBA
when you first got I mean, you were really one
of the trailblazers. Again for free agents and for people
being able to, you know, get these higher salaries. Did
you ever imagine that your you know, impact would be
to what it is today with the game or you're
getting these genormous contracts.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
No, I did. I was. I was talking to a
friend of mine the other day in Milwaukee. I said, Man,
isn't it amazing that that the guys come in and
make fifty million? Some guys are making thirty five million dollars?
You never heard of them? I said, But you know,
but but it's great. I mean, I mean because you
know what I mean. I mean, I struggled with my
family over money. Wasn't not because I wasn't making any money,
(07:29):
to be honest, And I said, but they don't have
to do that. But but it's it's it's just the
way things have evolved. Well, and the Dodgers gave this
one a tiny one hundred million dollars, didn't.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
He seventy million? Yeah, but this seven hundred million for
ten years.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Well, so it just it's just but see, I think
that's great because what people don't realize when he makes
any million, what is the next guy going to make? Right,
So everybody said is going to be increased.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Yeah, yeah, and it needs to be happy for him
one dred percent. So for you as a former basketball player,
you you know you're known as a lot of people
put you at the top of the list of the
greatest point guards of all time.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
I'd like to hear you say that they pick other paper,
but it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
I'd love to hear your top five best point guards
of all time.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I really couldn't pick them, but you know a lot
of guys that it just when guys played and how
they interacted when they got in the ball game. It's
difficult to pick great.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Your who's your favorite players to watch over the last
fifteen twenty years.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
I'd like to watch Lebron and Carry some other players.
I'd like to watch certain things play and I don't
see how well they played together, and well, let's they
take see when I watch the team. I wanted to
take advantage of of what's going on. If I'm playing
a game and you scoring, I wouldn't through to the ball
to anybody else for a while. Then if you know,
(08:46):
let you be hot. Yeah, that's what I thought. If
you're hot, you to have the ball. But I don't
think guys think that anymore. I don't think they think
that anymore.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Do you think that your game would have translated to
the modern game just like uh? I mean, because you
were kind of a score and a rebounder and an
assis guy. You were really that first triple double guy.
Obviously your game would translate in any era. But how
do you how do you think the modern game would
have affected your game versus when you played?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Well, I don't think it would have affected my game
at all, because when I look at basketball games, they
they said a high pick. They don't set low picks anymore.
When the sinners, it's always high pick. Guy's go one
on one. Hell, that's all I did all my life. Yeah, yeah,
that's all I did.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Did you ever have somebody that you just really just
that nemesis or that person that you just hated playing
against because they were there have a.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Lot of guys that, you know, I mean, after you
start playing that they see what you're doing, you know,
they try to make adjustments. It stops you, and so
guys would hold push and but you got used to.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
It what made you so great at basketball?
Speaker 2 (09:47):
I just just loved the game, and I worked at
I watched the other guys play when I came up
and watched what they did with the basketball games. I
wasn't afraid to make mistakes when I first started playing,
because those things got better and I and I would
always let the game come to me. I didn't try
to force myself on the game. I didn't. I didn't
go out with the idea of that that I'm going
(10:08):
to make a lot of shots. I just went out
in the game and whatever happened. That's where you play.
But it is different today. You guys, some guys go
you know, they're going to shoot the ball when they
get it.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
That kind of seems like a good metaphor for life, right,
like just kind of allowing it.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Well, I think so, I think so. I think you're
right about that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Is it difficult not to be overly competitive in other
areas of life when you've been so competitive in sports
and then you know that's obviously that's done. How do
you adjust your life to not have to feel that
stress all the time of.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
It's difficult because you don't have control of certain things
in life. Like when I went into business as opposed
to basketball. When I played basketball, I had control of
myself to be able to play and put up numbers
and whatnot. In business, you depend on so many people,
and then you depend on the guy you're selling to.
He might he might say, okay, I need you to
(10:56):
cut your prices. Well, because as it happened to mean,
we were doing business with a uh selling with a
lot of products for them. I won't tell you the
name of them because they wouldn't like it. Sure, and
every year they want to tempercent decrease. That's what hell
I said, in four or five years, you take all
my profits. But that's what they ask. But that's what
(11:16):
was going on. You know, they would always these companies
would make a lot of money. Then they'd force a
supplier to give them, give them benefits, get cut your prices.
You know our urs, we're gonna take your business. And
and they did that, they got away with it.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Did you find it difficult to be able to know
who to trust after you're playing game because everybody wants
her attention, everybody wants.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Something from you. Well, I trust a lot of people,
some of them I shouldn't have. But you know that's
that's that's that's neither here nor there now, I mean, uh,
and I would say, this is some of your friends.
You know, everybody's not your friend? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Is that? I bet is in the position you were in,
you have to really decide who's going to be in
your circle or not, because.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Well, you know, when I got mean most most of
the people that I associated with my wife, and she
she she would start she she was more social, social,
sociable than I was, to be honest. And she was
in a lot of a lot of organizations and clubs
and women's clubs, and she did a lot for the
universities and banks and whatnot. So and then and she
(12:20):
was artistically minded and I wasn't at first, but.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
You get to learn that real colch of course, Yeah,
what I mean, what would you do differently? Looking back
on your life and just everything that you did it?
Was there anything you would do differently today?
Speaker 2 (12:40):
I don't know who who knows? You know? I mean,
I mean, uh, there are a lot of ups and
downs in anybody, in anybody's life, you know. Uh, I'd
like to I'd like to have done a lot of
things a bit differently as far as far as going
to going to different teams. See, I think I think
that when you when you when you play basketball and
football and you go to certain teams, it all depends
(13:02):
on the team you go to. How well you gonna
do it. I never won but one championship until, like
I we got with the Koreem I mean, our team
was not gonna ever win any championships. At Cincinnati, they
were not gonna win any championships. But I was there.
I'm out of college. They expected me to be the
savior for this team. I said, well, wait a minute,
(13:23):
what about this, What about the guys you already got
on the team. I said, I'm just out of college
and I don't I don't know the guy. I don't
know what's going on yet. That didn't matter to them.
They wanted me to save their franchise, you know. And
we played. We've got presentable, We've won a lot of games,
but we could not get the right players on our
(13:45):
team together, and I ought to win.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Yeah, it's interesting how much it just is fate right
wherever you get drafted. It's not like inn either career
where you get to pick what company you want to
go work for. You're told this is the company you're
going to go play for.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Well, it's in sports today here here Again. I don't
know about football, but all the great teams always make
a trader somewhere, right, They're gonna make a trade to
get to get the better players, right, and and that's
the way it goes. You know, basketball is the same way.
You know, Russell went to Boston, Boston champion, Shack goes
to l A, Kareem goes to l A. But La
(14:18):
got almost got everybody wanted to be honest, they being
to let him do that.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
What do you think about the Luca thing that just happened?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
They just I think he's one of the luckiest guys
in the world to come out number one draft chords
and and not go to Washington or where else. Who
else is bad in basketball? Brooklyn?
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Brooklyn and then go to Brooklyn. He went to went
to Dallas. Great situation for him for Cooper Flag with all.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Those lither great players that got down there, they're gonna
be healthy.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
They're gonna be tough to be Yeah, that's gonna be
a good team. What about the Lakers, you think they
got a future right now here in LA with the
Lebron and Luca donchich Or do you think they need
to make some memors.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
I think I think that they played pretty well at times,
but there's a there's too much talk about the lake.
Isn't what they're gonna do? You know, I just wait
and see, you know, you know, you know, I never
forget once when I was starting to play basketball, and
I heard this guy on this team was so great,
and there was a guy named Norman Allen, the older guy,
(15:15):
and I said, no, boy, these guys are these guys
that I don't know? We could play against them? He said, Oscar,
remember one thing, you can't tell until they tossed the
ball up. And so I always remember that whenever I
played against anybody, they said, this guy is the greatest
thing is to slice cheese. We'll see me toss the
ball up. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Well, and based on your record and how you performed,
I'm guessing you didn't have too many problems on that.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
There are a lot of great players. I paid against
a lot a lot of guys are very tough, good
offensive players and defensive players. They pushed. But you got
to make adjustments. You know, you got to get used
to it. You know, you can't you can't complain about it. Guys,
push it hold you just hold, push him back.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Do you think the game has gotten a little bit
too soft today? That I mean when you guys played,
it was pretty rough, but.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
It was a lot rougher, a lot rough than it
is today. Yeah, but you know it's it's it is
what it is, and people like it. You know, they
like them shoot the long shots and make those shots
and whatnot. The game is really what the people like
if they like it, if you can win some games
or great things, great things in your city.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Yeah, did you play growing up? Did you play other sports?
Where you just always basketball?
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Played all of them, ran track, baseball and football too.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Did you ever wish or think about maybe if you'd
gone the route of baseball or football.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
I had a bit I could have gone to play baseball.
I had a contract, but I didn't. I didn't want
to play baseball basketball. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Yeah, I mean, good choice, but I think I did
so for somebody like you. You know, you get to
this point in your life, how do you decide where
you're going to put your time and attention at this point? Like,
where do you put your focus on things?
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Now? Well, my my family, my daughters. Yeah, and what
they're trying to do and what they want to get
out of life and whatnot, and uh so some other
things you know, you know, when you get you know,
things happened to you. You know.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Yeah, was that a difficult part of being a professional
athlete and just not having as much time maybe as
a normal person would to just be with family.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Well, that's true. But you know, I was very fortunate
had a lovely wife because when I went into the
Hall of Fame, I thanked her for raising my kids
because I was out playing ball all the time, you know, golfing.
Played one week, you played three games, sometimes you play
four games, come back and just I was just she
did the job. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Yeah, well it's one of the benefits again of that
is you get to have now so much time where
you get to spend that time with family.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Yes, it's very helpful.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Yeah. Did you when you were playing basketball, was ever
a you know, a moment that stands out to you
as like a favorite moment or maybe your most cherished
moment as a player.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
We went to the Olympics sixty right nineteen, said great,
you and Jerry West's terry dishing of bell. I mean
Jerry Lucas. It was. It was a wonderful time.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Where was those Olympics out in Rome? In Rome?
Speaker 2 (18:05):
You know before you go, you don't, you don't, You
don't know the significance of what Olympics is all about.
But see all those athletes from all over the world run, playing,
running and playing for that country just just to win
a just to win a gold medal or ribbon or something.
This is not that amazing. Yeah, and become friends and
they know each other from Olympics to Olympics, and it's
(18:27):
just just wonder just a wonderful time, wonderful, wonderful situation
in the world.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Some people say that was the best basketball team ever
put together.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Well, they said it was a very good basketball team,
and they also said the team that played with later
on that was a better basketball team. But you can't tell,
you know, Yeah, I don't think they could have beat us. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Do you ever get asked the question, you know, who's
the all time go Lebron or Michael Who? Oh?
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Yeah, the time?
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Who do you think is the all time?
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Ull? I might? I might. I think algend Beta is
a picky a basketball player. Then never said I think
these are all great basketball players, and you never don't
know who the greatest is in the world is, you know, Yeah,
I mean it's it's just it's great talk. And I
think it's wonderful that you get on the radios. But
now you talk about these guys because Lebron is to
play at forty two. Yeah, it's amazing. And Jordan, what
(19:17):
Jordan did with the championships. But they got to get
other players. You know, I don't know the guy's name.
We played for the Lakers, he played for San Antonio,
who played for Houston. You know, they never take them.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
He's got eight or nine.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Robert Orry, he's got with eight rings, you know, whenever
say anything about it. Tom Tom Sanders with the Celtis,
he might have nine or ten rings.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
So you've got to because Bill Russell had I think
he had.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
Eleven or twelve. Yeah, he's crazy, and he joined the
Celtius in nineteen sixty. Tom Sanders, I mean, I mean,
it's just a lot of great ball players that that
are covered up because it didn't make sense to talk
about him pet years ago, and they didn't talk about
them very much at all.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Sure, well, Oscar, such a pleasure to have you on
the podcast. Congratulations on a wonderful life and career, and
just thank you for being on the show. Thank you
appreciate it all righty sir, thank you again for listening
to the Jimmy Rex Show. And if you liked what
you heard, please like and subscribe. It really helps me
to get better guests, to be able to get the
type of people on this podcast. It's going to make
(20:22):
it the most interesting. Also, want to tell everybody about
my podcast studio, The Rookery Studios, now available in Salt
Lake City and or in Utah. If you live in
Utah and want to produce your own podcast, we take
all of the guests, work out of it for you
and make it so simple. All you do is you
come in, you sit down, you talk, and leave. We
(20:43):
record it, edit it, even post it for you. If
interested in doing your own podcast, visit our Instagram and
send us a DM Rookery Studios or go to our website,
The Rookery Studios dot com
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.