How many great men have achieved more and enjoyed it less than basketball genius Jerry West, a giant figure in Southern California sports history who has died at age 86?
> drafting 17 year old high school player Kobe Bryant, whom he pretty much stole from, IIRC, John Calipari
West stole Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets, who had drafted him at 13 then traded his rights to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. Where Calipari falls into the mix was that at the time he was the head coach and de facto general manager of the New Jersey Nets. The Nets had the 8th pick in the draft and Calipari also wanted to draft Bryant. Therefore, Bryant let it be known a la John Elway that he would never play for the Nets. The Nets didn’t call his bluff and instead drafted Kerry Kittles out of Villanova.
For this, among other reasons, I was not saddened even a bit on January 26, 2020.
I think you're giving credit to Sharman for something Alex Hannum had already done in Philly. Several years before setting the record for consecutive wind in LA with Wilt playing a more Russelesque center, the 76ers had set a record for the most wins in a regular season and won the NBA Championship. ('Course this itself was two years after Hannum had set a record for LOSING games, with Wilt as center for the first half of the season, his last as a Warrior. And he season before the Warriors had been in the finals. Go figure.)
...I will add that West was on record saying he was 6'4.5" tall, so his sleeve length was not as extraordinary as Chick Hearn made it sound. Photographs of him with, e.g., the 6'5" Oscar Robertson confirm that he was considerably taller than 6'2".
> drafting 17 year old high school player Kobe Bryant, whom he pretty much stole from, IIRC, John Calipari
West stole Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets, who had drafted him at 13 then traded his rights to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. Where Calipari falls into the mix was that at the time he was the head coach and de facto general manager of the New Jersey Nets. The Nets had the 8th pick in the draft and Calipari also wanted to draft Bryant. Therefore, Bryant let it be known a la John Elway that he would never play for the Nets. The Nets didn’t call his bluff and instead drafted Kerry Kittles out of Villanova.
For this, among other reasons, I was not saddened even a bit on January 26, 2020.
I think you're giving credit to Sharman for something Alex Hannum had already done in Philly. Several years before setting the record for consecutive wind in LA with Wilt playing a more Russelesque center, the 76ers had set a record for the most wins in a regular season and won the NBA Championship. ('Course this itself was two years after Hannum had set a record for LOSING games, with Wilt as center for the first half of the season, his last as a Warrior. And he season before the Warriors had been in the finals. Go figure.)
...I will add that West was on record saying he was 6'4.5" tall, so his sleeve length was not as extraordinary as Chick Hearn made it sound. Photographs of him with, e.g., the 6'5" Oscar Robertson confirm that he was considerably taller than 6'2".