Oscar Robertson was a burly basketball technical genius of his time. He was a NBA pioneer of a sophisticated modern high post game which included pump fakes, reverse spin fakes, up and unders, turnaround and step back jumpers and step through floaters from the pivot. His high post game was deadly within 20 feet.

His passing style was similar to John Stockton, it was not uncommon for Oscar to throw blind one-handed lead passes from half court to open teammates on a fast break. And he was good at changing the pace of his dribble on a fast break like Stockton knowing where to go on the break to get the best angle for a pass or putting himself in the best position to finish around the basket.

Oscar was a rugged defensive rebounding guard and physical defender.

His game was definitely all steak and no sizzle…he didn’t have the flair of a Magic or Maravich. He was all about the fundamentals…you can call him the “Small” or “Mid-size” Fundamental.

Oscar didn’t run like a wide receiver or was acrobatic in the air. When one has the feel for the game like a Bird or Magic and a size advantage at his position, one doesn’t have to be.

Below are different games from the mid 60s to early 70s which shows Oscar in a deeper league talent-wise. All of the white stiff jabronies from the 50’s that Oscar went against in the first five years of his career were weeded out of the league or retired by this time.

1966 Royals vs Celtics — Game 4

1966 Royals vs Celtics — Game 5

1969 NBA All-Star Game

1970–71 Bucks vs Knicks

1971 Bucks vs Bullets — Game 4

And I’ll say this one last thing: Kareem played from ’69 to ’89 and has played with or against players from Oscar to Magic, West to Jordan, Tiny to Isiah, Dr. J to Dominique Wilkins, Havlicek to Bird, Wes Unseld to Charles Barkley, Elvin Hayes to Karl Malone, Wilt to Hakeem and he always praises Oscar as the one with the most skill and the player he admires most. That kind of perspective should count for something…