Who is the better Laker when it comes to Wilt vs Lebron?

[coastalmarker99]

Wilt as a Laker:

1972 NBA Champion

1972 Finals MVP

4x All-star

4 Finals Appearances in 5 years

4 Rebounding Titles

3x FG% Leader

1 All NBA second team

2 NBA All-Defensive First Team


Lebron as a Laker

2020 NBA Champion

2020 Finals MVP

1 assist title

4x all-star

1 scoring title if he wants it.

1 All NBA first team

1 All NBA second team

1 All NBA third team

[coastalmarker99]

I would give the slightest edge to Wilt in this debate because of his impact on the Laker's success from 1969 to 1973.

Average # of Wins for LAL in the 5 years preceding Wilt: 45

Average # of Wins for LAL in the 5 years with Wilt: 56

The third-worst record LAL had with Wilt (55-27) was better than the best record LAL had without Wilt in the 5 years prior (52-30).

In the 5 years with Wilt, the Lakers made the Finals 4x in 5 years and won once.


Two of their Finals losses were G7 losses.

In the 5 years without Wilt, the Lakers made the Finals 3x in 5 years and didn’t win once.

However only one of their Finals losses was a G7 loss.



But I would say Lebron easily has the best individual season out of the two due to how great his 2019-2020 season was.

[coastalmarker99]

In a hypothetical scenario in which Lebron replaces Wilt on his Laker teams from 1969 to 1973.


And likewise, for Wilt from 2019 to 2022, I wonder how both players would do.


I think Lebron wins 3 titles with Wilt's Laker teams in 1969 1970,1972

And I think Wilt wins one title with Lebron's Laker teams in 2020.

Wilt and AD would be a nasty duo, especially on defence.


Same for Lebron and West who would be a perfect fit for each other on offence.

[No-more-rings]

I feel like Lebron wasn't healthy enough in that span to pick him, even though 2020 Lebron is significantly better than any Laker Wilt version.

[MartinToVaught]

It's LeBron for me, mostly because the Lakers' ownership and front office have been a total dumpster fire (as opposed to the competent franchise Wilt got to play for) and he still dragged them kicking and screaming to far more success than they deserved. Wilt arguably underachieved on his mega-stacked superteam with Baylor and West.

[Colbinii]

Wilt, pretty convincingly.

[Rastas]

Wilt

[70sFan]

Wilt quite easily to me. LeBron has the best individual season here (2020) but 1972 Wilt is close and the rest is a massive gap for Wilt. 2021 James was still very good, but not sure if better than 1973 Wilt. I certainly wouldn't take 2022 James over 1969 Wilt.

[70sFan]

It's LeBron for me, mostly because the Lakers' ownership and front office have been a total dumpster fire (as opposed to the competent franchise Wilt got to play for) and he still dragged them kicking and screaming to far more success than they deserved. Wilt arguably underachieved on his mega-stacked superteam with Baylor and West.

It's hard to call it a superteam when Baylor was so past his best. With name counting, LeBron plays with Westbrook and Melo this year and nobody should hold it against him.

Elgin was not as bad as these two, but he wasn't really a superstar which was visible in the playoffs.

I won't even mention a fact that Wilt missed basically full season with Baylor and he played through injury in the playoffs.

[falcolombardi]

i think is close as players but wilt achieved more succes beyond their single title runs

[SkyHookFTW]

Wilt and AD would be a nasty duo, especially on defence.


Same for Lebron and West who would be a perfect fit for each other on offence.

Assuming AD is healthy, which sadly is a risky assumption.

[feyki]

Wilt has one more year, but Lebron better on 4 years average and Wilt better on total.

[Eagle4]

Wilt easily.

[Eagle4]

It's LeBron for me, mostly because the Lakers' ownership and front office have been a total dumpster fire (as opposed to the competent franchise Wilt got to play for) and he still dragged them kicking and screaming to far more success than they deserved. Wilt arguably underachieved on his mega-stacked superteam with Baylor and West.

Wilt had to face off the greatest team of all time and least still reached farther than Lebron who couldn't even make a play-in tournament with 3 other top 75/HOFs on his team.

[coastalmarker99]

It's LeBron for me, mostly because the Lakers' ownership and front office have been a total dumpster fire (as opposed to the competent franchise Wilt got to play for) and he still dragged them kicking and screaming to far more success than they deserved. Wilt arguably underachieved on his mega-stacked superteam with Baylor and West.

Wilt, West, and Baylor are all-time greats.

But when Wilt joined Lakers in 1968-69, their ages were:

32 Wilt

34 Baylor

30 West

This was in an era when 30 was old for NBA players.

Still despite that fact you often hear about 1969-73 Lakers (especially Wilt) "choking," able to "only" win one ring.

1969 and 1970 Finals losses have been discussed over and over.

In fact, the 1969 to 1973 Lakers lost only once to a team w/ a lower SRS.

1969: Celtics had higher SRS.

1970: Knicks had much higher SRS (22 best ever) and 14-win better record.

1971: Bucks had much higher SRR (best ever) and 18-win better record.

1973: Knicks did have worse SRS & 3 fewer wins.

[coastalmarker99]

It's LeBron for me, mostly because the Lakers' ownership and front office have been a total dumpster fire (as opposed to the competent franchise Wilt got to play for) and he still dragged them kicking and screaming to far more success than they deserved. Wilt arguably underachieved on his mega-stacked superteam with Baylor and West.

It's hard to call it a superteam when Baylor was so past his best. With name counting, LeBron plays with Westbrook and Melo this year and nobody should hold it against him.

Elgin was not as bad as these two, but he wasn't really a superstar which was visible in the playoffs.

I won't even mention a fact that Wilt missed basically full season with Baylor and he played through injury in the playoffs.

Baylor was a shell of his former self in 1969 and 1970.

From

1959-63 (5 yrs):

Baylor

Averaged

32.0 PPG

16.7 REB

4.4 AST

195 WS/48

26.1 PER

But in 1963 & again in 1965, he hurt his knee.

1964-72 (9 yrs):

24.2 PPG

11.4 REB

4.2 AST

112 WS/48

20.2 PER

Due to his knee injury, he went from historic superstar level (1960-63) to just All-NBA level (1964-after).

I think the Lakers get at least two to three rings from 1965 to 1971 if Baylor never suffered his knee injury.


it must have been so frustrating for West that as soon as he enters his prime years as a player.


That Baylor suffered a near career-ending injury and is never quite the same player after that.

[SinceGatlingWasARookie]

I vote Wilt.

I also think no Lakers Rings 1970s Kareem was better than LeBron.

LeBron gets a pass for no rings on the Pre Heat Cavs because the teamates were never better than mediocre. I think the best young LeBron Cavs team had average teamates not bad teamates but LeBron needs slightly better than average teammates to win a championship. Every star needs better than average teamates to win a championship.

1970s Kareem did not have average teamtes. Without Kareem they were a bad team just like most of LeBron's teams were bad teams if you remove LeBron.

A star winning a championship with average teamates is only possible in a down year with no 60 win teams. Maybe the star with average teamates can beat one 60 win team but he won't beat two 60 win teams.