“Wilt Chamberlain is a loser…there is no way you can compare him to a pro like Bill Russell or Jerry West”: Rick Barry says the former Lakers legend was not clutch

Rick Barry calls Wilt Chamberlain a loser in his autobiography, Confessions of a Basketball Gypsy. 

Wilt Chamberlain is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most dominant players in basketball history.

Wilt Chamberlain is without a doubt one of the best big men to ever play the game. After all, he has the accolades, statistics, and dominance to back him up.

When it comes to accolades, Chamberlain is certainly no slouch.

He is a Hall of Famer, a 13-time All-Star, a seven-time league scoring champion, an 11-time rebound champion, a one-time assist champion, a two-time NBA champion, a 10-time All-NBA selection, a two-time All-Defensive team selection, a one-time All-Star Game MVP, a four-time MVP, and the 1959-60 Rookie of the Year.

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Chamberlain literally owns the NBA record book, with 72 records (68 of which he holds by himself). He doesn’t just barely break the records, either, as he’s been ranked first, second, and third on several occasions.

Wilt has two NBA titles to his name despite appearing in six NBA finals. Wilt won titles with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Rick Barry claims Wilt Chamberlain is terrible in big games and does not want to face the pressure

Rick Barry is well-versed in Chamberlain. He faced the dominant center in the 1967 NBA Finals when his Warriors were defeated in six games by Wilt’s 76ers.

Wilt once said, “Nobody cheers for Goliath,” and that may have summed up the majority of his career. Wilt was the league’s most dominant player, breaking records that were deemed unbreakable.

If you were this good and scored all these points and grabbed all these rebounds, it is obvious that there is no yardstick to measure one’s insurmountable greatness. Despite this, he does not appear to command the same level of attention as Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James.

Wilt can’t be a loser with such greatness and fame surrounding him, can he? Rick Barry, on the other hand, referred to him as such.

Also, read – “We don’t need LeBron James!”: Cleveland Cavaliers secure their first winning season without the King, since 1997-98

“I’ll say what most players feel, which is that Wilt is a loser…He is terrible in big games. He knows he is going to lose and be blamed for the loss, so he dreads it, and you can see it in his eyes; and anyone who has ever played with him will agree with me, regardless of whether they would admit it publicly”.

“When it comes down to the closing minutes of a tough game, an important game, he doesn’t want the ball, he doesn’t want any part of the pressure. It is at these times that greatness is determined and Wilt doesn’t have it. There is no way you can compare him to a pro like a Bill Russell or a Jerry West…these are clutch competitors.”

Wilt’s losing record in the finals certainly supports Rick Barry’s statement. But for everything else Wilt has done, is it a little harsh on the league’s most unstoppable force?