It's never easy or perhaps fair to compare the accomplishments of athletes from different sports and from different eras and taking nothing away from Westbrook's historical season, however, statistically the Big "O''s 1961-62 was arguably better. He averaged more assists (+1), rebounds (+1.8) and while his points per game was .8 less than Westbrook, his field goal percentage was 5 points higher. Unfortunately for Wilt Chamberlain, his accomplishments were so oversized that it's difficult to put them into perspective. No one will ever come close to averaging 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds per game in a season let alone in the same season.
You might want to consider the following - some of these are a little out of fashion now but remarkable nonetheless:
The obvious: Bobby Jones and the Grand Slam of 1930
Horse Racing: Ruffian in either 1974 or 1975 unbeaten, never headed and at least equalled the race record on every occasion until her tragic death. Surely the greatest female athlete of all time.
Athletics: perhaps my all time pick Paavo Nurmi in 1924. he ran 25 races ranging from 800m to 10,000m and won them all. He picked up 5 Olympic Gold medals in Paris including the 1500m and 5000m in less than 2 hours. he knew he would be able to do this because he had tested himself earlier that year in Helsinki by running races over both distances in the space of an hour. On that occasion he set world records both times.
The obvious: Bobby Jones and the Grand Slam of 1930
Horse Racing: Ruffian in either 1974 or 1975 unbeaten, never headed and at least equalled the race record on every occasion until her tragic death. Surely the greatest female athlete of all time.
Athletics: perhaps my all time pick Paavo Nurmi in 1924. he ran 25 races ranging from 800m to 10,000m and won them all. He picked up 5 Olympic Gold medals in Paris including the 1500m and 5000m in less than 2 hours. he knew he would be able to do this because he had tested himself earlier that year in Helsinki by running races over both distances in the space of an hour. On that occasion he set world records both times.
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Steve Carlton, 1972, Philadelphia Phillies. He won 27 games (and lost 10) with a team that played worse than .400 baseball. He won 46% of the team's games. He led the league in ERA, shutouts, complete games, strikeouts, you name it. He did all of this with an awful, awful team.
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Frank Robinson, 1966!! Traded by the Reds to the Orioles during the off season, Robinson had what I feel is the greatest and most satisfying year of any athlete I've witnessed since I started following sports in 1960. Triple crown and a series sweep of the Dodgers. Robinson just doesn't get the respect he deserves. All we hear about is Yastremski and his asterisked triple crown in 1967 (Killebrew tied him for the HR crown). Robinson won it outright the year before,won the series, and nobody ever mentions it.
Honorable mention to NY Yankee Ron Guidry 1978.
Honorable mention to NY Yankee Ron Guidry 1978.
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Champ Bailey in 2006 for the Denver Broncos. Thrown at only 35 times all season (just over twice per game) but still defended 21 passes, tied for the league lead with 10 interceptions, and only allowed 4 receptions all year. Also had 98 tackles (84 solo) which was third on the team behind 2 linebackers meaning he was in on most every play and not just keeping one receiver out of the game. 6 of his 10 interceptions also came inside the Denver 4 yard line with 3 in the end zone so he was clutch too.
And yet somehow he was passed over for defensive player of the year or MVP. Still he managed to have more than double the interceptions as receptions conceded. Any cornerback that manages more picks than receptions given up has had one of the best years ever by an athlete.
And yet somehow he was passed over for defensive player of the year or MVP. Still he managed to have more than double the interceptions as receptions conceded. Any cornerback that manages more picks than receptions given up has had one of the best years ever by an athlete.
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Sometimes an athlete in a team sport has something that could be called "presence" as well as "pre-sense" if such a person not only seems to be omnipresent but has a sense of just where to be when.
Pick the springtime at Syracuse: 1988, 1989, or 1990.
College sports' best single season by an athlete may have been one of these three because of one Gary Gait.
[BTW, SU also won the National Championship in each one of these three years.]
Pick the springtime at Syracuse: 1988, 1989, or 1990.
College sports' best single season by an athlete may have been one of these three because of one Gary Gait.
[BTW, SU also won the National Championship in each one of these three years.]
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Oscar Robertson had 5 years in a row where he was within a few tenths of a percentage point of averaging a triple double. NBA teams were scoring around 115-120 points per game back then, are around 105 right now so there's that. Westbrook is a great player, though he hasn't come close to matching what Oscar Robertson did.
Wilt Chamberlain. And no one else is even close.
Sorry, yoking Bare Ruth with Bonds is simply wrong.
Whatever anyone things of Bonds (and I think an utter cheater and fraud), Ruth's accomplishments stand alone.
The fact that Ruth himself hit more home-runs than all other TEAMS speaks for itself! (And I believe this happened several times.)
Not to mention, his records as a pitcher, some of which stood for decades!
"He hit 54 home runs, not only more than any other player, but also more than any other team in the American League."
Whatever anyone things of Bonds (and I think an utter cheater and fraud), Ruth's accomplishments stand alone.
The fact that Ruth himself hit more home-runs than all other TEAMS speaks for itself! (And I believe this happened several times.)
Not to mention, his records as a pitcher, some of which stood for decades!
"He hit 54 home runs, not only more than any other player, but also more than any other team in the American League."
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This article, for some reason, is overlooking Simone Biles. Biles dominated the women's gymnastics world championships from 2013 to 2015, winning an unprecedented three all around medals consecutively. She is the most decorated American gymnast of all time, taking the title from Shannon Miller, and hasn't lost a competition since 2013. 2014, 2015, and 2016 could all contend as her "best year," but I'll stick to 2016. Biles won four golds in Rio, which is the first time this has been accomplished since the change in the code of points in 2006 (which has a difficulty score as well as an execution score, meaning Biles was competing some of the most difficult routines of all time - and was doing them with better form than her competition).
Big omissions are both the 56-game hitting streak by Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams’ .406 season-ending batting average are two records likely never to be broken. During the streak DiMaggio hit .408 and .356 for the season. Williams started a 23-game hitting streak of his own and hit .489 during the streak. Both in 1941
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WAYNE GRETZKY and the Cricket player.... Most dominant all time.
Joe Lewis as Heavyweight Champ goes 7-0 in 1941. 3KO's 3TKO's, 1DQ. Current day champs only fight once a year.
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So many missing names. Tommy Heinsohn, Kobe Bryant, Patrick Ewing, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Bill Russell, and how about Isaiah Thomas' season this year? And don't forget about the Great Eight, Alexander Ovechkin!!!
The first paragraph fails to take into account the fact the Robinson's triple double season was not discovered until several years after 1962 when the NBA started to pay more attention to stats.
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Last Year Rachel Atherton had a perfect season in the Downhill Mountain Biking World Cup.
These are the toughest, fastest and most brutal tracks in the world. No one in the history of the sport has ever had a clean sweep.
I would definitely put her as a contender here.
These are the toughest, fastest and most brutal tracks in the world. No one in the history of the sport has ever had a clean sweep.
I would definitely put her as a contender here.
Magic Johnson 1979-80. Won the NCAA title with Michigan State, then joined the Lakers title winning season, which he capped off by deputizing for Kareem as center in the Finals.
Let me know when Westbrook can play center, too.
Let me know when Westbrook can play center, too.
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C'mon, how could you forget Alan Smith who led the Toucan Terribles to the 1974 World Marbles Championship at Tinsley Green and won the individual championship as well. Not only did he singlehandedly defeat the Rams by knocking out 25 Marbles in a row on his own, he defeated the arguably best player of all time (Len Smith, his father, who had won the individual championship 12 times -- still a record) by the score of 13 - 0. It still boggles the mind.....
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Thank you for including a couple of women athletes in the discussion.
I also throw into the discussion Edwin Moses, Eric Heiden.
I also throw into the discussion Edwin Moses, Eric Heiden.
Only two women mentioned? Typical of sports coverage (and all other media coverage of news, culture, etc). What about skiers Lindsey Vonn & Mikaela Shiffrin? Both have had dominant seasons. Serena Williams? Simone Biles? It would be great to see sports writers thinking outside of their male shaped boxes once in a while. NYT Sports coverage leaves a lot to be desired.
The egregiously missing woman was s Steffi Graf, golden grand slam in 1988. All four majors plus Olympic gold.
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Carl Yastrzemski, 1967. Last triple crown achieved during the most extraordinary pennant race I've ever witnessed. In team sports it's not just how well you do, and no baseball player has ever had a better year. More important is how much your play elevates the performance of your teammates.
Now that that's settled I can carefully hunt for more articles on this site that don't threaten me with a self-inflicted concussion - involuntary forehead slaps - make me break things or howl at a volume so high I terrify the dog.
Now that that's settled I can carefully hunt for more articles on this site that don't threaten me with a self-inflicted concussion - involuntary forehead slaps - make me break things or howl at a volume so high I terrify the dog.
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What about Bob Gibson 1968?
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You are right - he should be on the list. And Steve Carlton in 1972.
The name I most often see omitted from these lists is Jim Thorpe who as a collegiate football player for the Carlyle Indian School almost single handedly brought that team to national prominence. He also served as almost a virtual one man track team for Carlyle in both High School and College. I think both of these feats exceed Westbrook's monumental accomplishments of the basketball court.
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What about Edwin Moses and the 400 meter hurdles. I believe he won over 100 races in a row over a period of at least 5 years. He was dominant.
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Good Morning: Surely softball pitcher Joan Joyce must have had a season also deserving serious consideration.
For a GUARD, the triple double is overrated. When a guard consistently goes for rebounds, it is at the expense of his defensive responsibilities. Magic Johnson rebounded because he was essentially a point forward - his rebound led the most explosive fast break ever.
Ken Morrow, 1980. College season at Bowling Green coming off being named college hockey's player of the year, then the Miracle on Ice Olympic Gold Medal, then joining the NY Islanders in time to win the first of Four Stanley Cups in a row.
Marco Van Basten, 1988-89: The season started the summer of 1988 with Holland winning their only major trophy, the European Championship, scoring five goals, including one for the ages in the Final. He, at AC Milan, helped them, with no small help from countrymen Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, to win its first Scudetto in eight years, and he won the Ballon d'Or, and scored twice in the 1989 European Cup Final as Milan dominated. 10 months, the biggest club and country championships available, a domestic title, and the personal gong in the Ballon d'Or.
Marco Van Basten, 1988-89: The season started the summer of 1988 with Holland winning their only major trophy, the European Championship, scoring five goals, including one for the ages in the Final. He, at AC Milan, helped them, with no small help from countrymen Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, to win its first Scudetto in eight years, and he won the Ballon d'Or, and scored twice in the 1989 European Cup Final as Milan dominated. 10 months, the biggest club and country championships available, a domestic title, and the personal gong in the Ballon d'Or.
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The fact that you would even compare wilt's season to any others underscores the incomprehensible nature of his achievement. It's as if people downplay it because it couldn't really have happened. I hadn't realized he played all but 8 minutes of the season. BTW, he never fouled out of a game in his career.
In his prime, Wilt was the most dominant athlete ever in a team sport. Partly because he was 10 years ahead of his time. Before wilt, nobody thought a man that big was capable of such skill - he was an anomaly until Kareem came along 10 years later, after which big men really began to realize the potential.
Russell you ask? He was not a "big man"
In his prime, Wilt was the most dominant athlete ever in a team sport. Partly because he was 10 years ahead of his time. Before wilt, nobody thought a man that big was capable of such skill - he was an anomaly until Kareem came along 10 years later, after which big men really began to realize the potential.
Russell you ask? He was not a "big man"
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Just confirms how lucky I was to have spent the better part of my youth and young adulthood watching Henderson and Bonds perform at their best. I'll never forget seeing Rickey at his best in game 2 of the 1989 World Series just as I'll never forget Bonds' 3 homer game in the early '00s that I also was lucky enough to witness in person.
The greatest season in sports history undoubtedly belongs to Lou Boudreau, player-manager of the Indians in 1948. Told by team owner Bill Veeck that he either win a World Campionship or be fired, Boudreau went on to hit a career high .356, second only to the immortal Ted Williams, hit a career high 18 home runs and drove in a career high 106 runs while playing in massive Municipal Stadium. Playing arguably the most important defensive position, shorstop, he led the entire major leagues in fielding (3.0 WAR). During a one-game playoff against the Red Sox for the pennant, he went 4 for 4 with 2 home runs, then, after managing the team to the pennant, led the Indians to their last World Series Championship. His overall WAR was 10.6, a figure that Barry Bonds only topped twice in his stellar career. Westbrook's season may someday be repeated or topped; Boudreau's season will never be topped.
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Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Leader of a team that was 200-1 to win American League pennant. Not only did he win the Triple Crown and MVP, but his defense won several games for a team that needed the last day of the season to clinch pennant.
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You have missed the most important one. Although I must join a fellow poster in nominating Edwin Moses. He won the Olympic gold medal in the 400 m hurdles in '76 and '84. He didn't win in '80 because we didn't send a team to Moscow. There was this Afghanistan thing then. (As there is now. Just that the military shoe is on the other foot.)
Over a ten year period (1977-1987) Moses won 107 consecutive races in the finals. Take that Russell Westbrook. He beat all comers. From every corner of the globe. That string of athletic dominance has never been equaled.
Which brings us to the Donald. His wins this past year? Yuge! Bigly! He came from so far back in the pack he was considered a political impotent. But did he win? Over all manner of candidates. There were enough Republican challengers that the race resembled an ant hive of contestants, running this way and that. All crowing that they could give more money back to the rich than the next one.
But they were masterfully belittled and befuddled by the one. The Donald.
In the final event even Nate Silver couldn't quantify the man's come-from-behindedness! The pollster gatherer supreme couldn't get his spreadsheets to put a number to this man that resembled the shocking results that came our way in November.
To top it off? His inauguration was attended by more humans than even live on the planet.
Go figure.
Over a ten year period (1977-1987) Moses won 107 consecutive races in the finals. Take that Russell Westbrook. He beat all comers. From every corner of the globe. That string of athletic dominance has never been equaled.
Which brings us to the Donald. His wins this past year? Yuge! Bigly! He came from so far back in the pack he was considered a political impotent. But did he win? Over all manner of candidates. There were enough Republican challengers that the race resembled an ant hive of contestants, running this way and that. All crowing that they could give more money back to the rich than the next one.
But they were masterfully belittled and befuddled by the one. The Donald.
In the final event even Nate Silver couldn't quantify the man's come-from-behindedness! The pollster gatherer supreme couldn't get his spreadsheets to put a number to this man that resembled the shocking results that came our way in November.
To top it off? His inauguration was attended by more humans than even live on the planet.
Go figure.
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Fun article. The biggest difference between Westbrook's season and most of these others is that the others did better at winning games.
The second biggest difference is that a triple-double is an artificially inflated statistic; it's not the best or most or most important, but just three numbers that the non-statistically inclined understand.
Secretariat was better than the field by 50 lengths. Michael Phelps was the best swimmer in the world. Westbrook often isn't even the best player on the court. Check out his record this year against the good teams. He did do a great Nike ad though.
The second biggest difference is that a triple-double is an artificially inflated statistic; it's not the best or most or most important, but just three numbers that the non-statistically inclined understand.
Secretariat was better than the field by 50 lengths. Michael Phelps was the best swimmer in the world. Westbrook often isn't even the best player on the court. Check out his record this year against the good teams. He did do a great Nike ad though.
Chamberlain, Robinson, Woods, Stewart, Westbrook, McLain, Phelps, Secretariat and everyone mentioned here are great, great athletes who excelled in extraordinary seasons.
But none can touch Joe Hardy's astonishing season with the old Senators back in '55! He shattered every major league single season hitting record! Why, some believed his gifts were practically supernatural. Whatever happened to this guy? Why, he just disappeared at the end of the season.
But none can touch Joe Hardy's astonishing season with the old Senators back in '55! He shattered every major league single season hitting record! Why, some believed his gifts were practically supernatural. Whatever happened to this guy? Why, he just disappeared at the end of the season.
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How about 1988, the year of Steffi Graf's Golden Slam?!
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Gretzky. Pick a season. [Almost] any season.
Not going to weigh in on best season, but I will simply point out that, not only did Secretariat win the Triple Crown, but 44 years later he still owns the fastest times for both the Belmont and the Kentucky Derby!!
Wayne Gretzky 92 goals in NHL season. Please.
Oh yeah, Hack Wilson too. 190 RBIs. Who's ever going to do that?
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No Usain Bolt? No Serena Williams?
This list needs more work.
This list needs more work.
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Babe and Wilt, the winners.
Denny McClain winning 31 games in 1968 has to be included. This was way after the era of such things. He also won a World Series game that the Tigers won. Of course Mickey Lolich won the other three games, one of the best all time Series.
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In 1919, the star pitcher of the Boston Red Sox was given only half his usual number of starts and went 8-5 for a team with a losing record. He also played in the team's other games that season, setting what were then all-time records for slugging average and home runs. The 24-year-old revolutionized a mature professional sport.
Maybe there have been "better" seasons, but has there been one that's comparable?
Maybe there have been "better" seasons, but has there been one that's comparable?
First of all - yes you are comparing apples vs. oranges. You cannot compare team sports with individual sports. What Westbrook did is amazing and will go down in history! It overshadows his impending MVP award. Your breakdown on Navratilova was a reminder of how dominant a player she was : 18 GS singles,
31 GS doubles , 10 GS mixed doubles (59 GS titles!!) making her the greatest female player ever! I would even go out on a limb and say Brady's 2016 season at age 39 & Super Bowl XLI performance was the greatest we've seen in team sport history! Just sayn'.....
31 GS doubles , 10 GS mixed doubles (59 GS titles!!) making her the greatest female player ever! I would even go out on a limb and say Brady's 2016 season at age 39 & Super Bowl XLI performance was the greatest we've seen in team sport history! Just sayn'.....
I would also like to add Jim Brown. I don't know what season in particular. But his overall records and stats in just 9 years are pretty amazing. Plus the fact that some seasons were only 12 games and 14 games. It's pretty widely excepted he was the best fullback ever.
Orange, NJ
Orange, NJ
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Fun article, but section on Roger Federer?
What list of great seasons would be complete without simply stated..."The Great One..."Wayne Gretzky...
Comparisons are odious. To each sport its own.
Accomplishments based in part of longevity, an athletes ability to stay healthy over time seem to me to be most deserving of praise.
Accomplishments based in part of longevity, an athletes ability to stay healthy over time seem to me to be most deserving of praise.
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To add to the glory of Secretariat's Triple Crown year, not only did he win all three races, but he set the course record in all three races, and his records in all three races still stand today, 44 years later. His winning times in the Preakness and the Derby may eventually be beaten, but his winning time in the Belmont, which he won by 31 lengths, should stand forever. Watch the video again- I defy you not to cry. I watched it on television as it happened and it remains the most thrilling sports memory of my life.
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Watch Haile Gebresellasie beat out Paul Tergat, Sydney 2000, 10K, I stayed up middle of the night to watch it, best finish ever, and he ran on a bad Achilles tendon.You will cry in the same way,to know that an athlete can have that much heart and dig that deep.
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Phil Taylor in darts. 16 world championships and 82 major titles over 2 decades. Read that again, he was the dominate player for 20 years! Michael van Gerwen in darts will need another 15 years to dominate to over take Phil Taylor.
What about Wayne Gretzky, how could he not be included on this list?
The Great One broke his own record of 212 points, set in '81-82, by scoring or assisting on 215 of his team's 426 goals. It was the fourth and final 200-point season of his career; he's the only player to get that many in a season, ever. Of the 13 seasons in which a player had 160 or more points in a season, nine belong to Gretzky. The next best player that year was Mario Lemieux, who had 141 points.
The Great One broke his own record of 212 points, set in '81-82, by scoring or assisting on 215 of his team's 426 goals. It was the fourth and final 200-point season of his career; he's the only player to get that many in a season, ever. Of the 13 seasons in which a player had 160 or more points in a season, nine belong to Gretzky. The next best player that year was Mario Lemieux, who had 141 points.
Lou Gehrig - 1931
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I only know three sports well enough to discuss.
In hockey, I'd nominate Gretzky's 1981-82 and Orr's 1969-70.
In baseball, Ruth in 1923 year followed by Ruth in 1920.
And in tennis, Laver in 1969 followed by Federer in 2006.
The ones that jump out at me from the article are Chamberlain in 1961-2 and Woods in 2000 but I don't follow either sport closely enough to argue the nuances.
And since the whole point is to choose one, I'll go with Gretzky's 1981-82 season, although I'm from Edmonton so, well, you know.
In hockey, I'd nominate Gretzky's 1981-82 and Orr's 1969-70.
In baseball, Ruth in 1923 year followed by Ruth in 1920.
And in tennis, Laver in 1969 followed by Federer in 2006.
The ones that jump out at me from the article are Chamberlain in 1961-2 and Woods in 2000 but I don't follow either sport closely enough to argue the nuances.
And since the whole point is to choose one, I'll go with Gretzky's 1981-82 season, although I'm from Edmonton so, well, you know.
Reading this and thinking about last hundred years of sports, I've got to go with Tiger, Navratilova and Steffi Graf. Greatest of all for one year? Tiger.
Martina, absolutely. Followed closely by the transcendent, incomparable Usain Bolt shattering records and bending minds in 2008
Westbrook is obviously an outstanding player. However,
1. He does not make those around him better, and form a better team.
2. He's an inconsistent shooter who does not frequently win the game at crunch time.
He's not Larry or Earvin or LeBron Or MJ. In addition, I would call Oscar Robertson more of a team player.
1. He does not make those around him better, and form a better team.
2. He's an inconsistent shooter who does not frequently win the game at crunch time.
He's not Larry or Earvin or LeBron Or MJ. In addition, I would call Oscar Robertson more of a team player.
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Westbrook's team finished sixth in the Western Conference. Basketball only has five players on the court and the team with the best player usually wins. All of the historic great seasons of (eg Bird '86, Jordan '95, Curry '15 and '16) were on 60 plus win, championship level teams. No player on a 47 win team could ever qualify as having a historically great season unless his teammates were all scrubs. Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams, Enos Kanter are all average or above average players in their roles.
You can't be serious.
What about the season that Wilt AVERAGED 50 points a game? (meaning that if he got 'only' 30 one night he had to score 70 the next to keep up the average).
Or about many of Kareem's seasons, where he utterly dominated, almost single-handedly.
Or some of Oscar's?
Or some of Bill Russell's best seasons, where he held Wilt in check (something no other mortal could eve do) in big games, scored, rebounded, and generally made the Celtics invincible.
History wasn't invented in the 2000s!
What about the season that Wilt AVERAGED 50 points a game? (meaning that if he got 'only' 30 one night he had to score 70 the next to keep up the average).
Or about many of Kareem's seasons, where he utterly dominated, almost single-handedly.
Or some of Oscar's?
Or some of Bill Russell's best seasons, where he held Wilt in check (something no other mortal could eve do) in big games, scored, rebounded, and generally made the Celtics invincible.
History wasn't invented in the 2000s!
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Bill Russell talks about the night he set the single game rebounding record at 55. "I got those one at a time, you know."
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Merckx, 1972 Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the Hour Record (9 other races that year), so pretty good. Or how about Merckx 1969, Tour de France (while capturing the points and the mountains) and like 30-odd other races. 1974 was a also a pretty good year, winning the Tour, the Giro and the World championships.
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You mentioned Breana Stewart but not Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, or Magic? Okay, NYT.
On Breanna Stewart:
“feeding the needs and egos of others"
is not the goal or measure of excellence of team sports whatsoever.
“nobody in Stewart’s sport, man or woman, has ever presented such a masterful body of work, inclusive of the pressure building from the three previous years.”
Her career really sounds amazing, but If the idea is that her physical performance in basketball is the most masterful of any basketball player in history, considering the accumulating pressure of success, that is ridiculous. Plenty of great basketball players have been at the highest level of mastery we conceive for the course of their entire careers; e.g. Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain. Dr. J also performed on a profound level despite having massive pressure.
On Secretariat:
“The great red beast dominated his season more personally, more one-sidedly, than any two-legged athlete ever has.”
“More personally”? I think not, I'm sure the horse does not compete as personally as many dominant runners, like Usain Bolt.
This article is really pluralistic but it is also really absurd in key places. Saying that the greatest basketball player ever is a female college player, who was not even the most accomplished pro as a rookie, then saying that a horse was the most personal dominant athlete. Seriously?
“feeding the needs and egos of others"
is not the goal or measure of excellence of team sports whatsoever.
“nobody in Stewart’s sport, man or woman, has ever presented such a masterful body of work, inclusive of the pressure building from the three previous years.”
Her career really sounds amazing, but If the idea is that her physical performance in basketball is the most masterful of any basketball player in history, considering the accumulating pressure of success, that is ridiculous. Plenty of great basketball players have been at the highest level of mastery we conceive for the course of their entire careers; e.g. Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain. Dr. J also performed on a profound level despite having massive pressure.
On Secretariat:
“The great red beast dominated his season more personally, more one-sidedly, than any two-legged athlete ever has.”
“More personally”? I think not, I'm sure the horse does not compete as personally as many dominant runners, like Usain Bolt.
This article is really pluralistic but it is also really absurd in key places. Saying that the greatest basketball player ever is a female college player, who was not even the most accomplished pro as a rookie, then saying that a horse was the most personal dominant athlete. Seriously?
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The (unnamed) Times posits a question about the greatest SINGLE SEASON, then embellishes Breanna Stewart by adding the context of the three preceding championships? Epic Fail.
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I mean she has had an amazing career, but she is not the greatest basketball player in the history of basketball is she? Am I missing something?
I realize you are referring to a season, BUT. A track "season" is pretty hard to quantify so please shine a light on Edwin Moses. You will be impressed.
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I just added him. I know he won over 100 400 meter hurdle finals in a row and was never really pushed. DOMINANCE
Wardell Stephen Curry II had the best NBA season last year and was the first ever UNANIMOUS MVP.
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And was front and center as his team blew a 3-1 lead in the Finals. That guy? Um, no.
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Keeping with basketball-hard to compare across sports-hard to compare with a horse.
Probably the greatest single year in the NBA was Wilt, and as someone else pointed out, they didn't count blocks back then. But if the NBA doesn't give Westbrook the MVP-they're crazy. It is an historic accomplishment-and look that it took half a century to happen again-and he broke the big O's record. He played every game but the last-and I've never seen a basketball player with the sheer energy-the man looks like he's shot out of a cannon- the relentless competitive spirit as I've seen with him.
Hail, Westbrook
Probably the greatest single year in the NBA was Wilt, and as someone else pointed out, they didn't count blocks back then. But if the NBA doesn't give Westbrook the MVP-they're crazy. It is an historic accomplishment-and look that it took half a century to happen again-and he broke the big O's record. He played every game but the last-and I've never seen a basketball player with the sheer energy-the man looks like he's shot out of a cannon- the relentless competitive spirit as I've seen with him.
Hail, Westbrook
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It's not the best performance this year. Westbrook did his thing in the mostly irrelevant regular season. The performance is at peak hype right now.
In two weeks or a month, his team will be out of the playoffs and we'll see the real "best performances" of the season in the western finals or the championship.
He also got there because his teammates let him get a lot of "uncontested" rebounds to boost his average. Take away that and he's averaging 30-10-5, which is fairly incredible, but given his middling efficiency and mediocre defense, is actually less impressive than the 5 or 6 seasons LeBron has averaged 27-8-8 with very high levels of efficiency and playing tremendous defense as well. This year, a LeBron shot attempt was worth 10% more points than a Westbrook attempt. That's an enormous chasm. And Lebron's still a better defender, and yes, a better rebounder.
What Westbrook did is a cool statistical accomplishment. His team helped him get there, but I don't think you can say he ball hogged because they kinda needed it. But that context is important in recognizing how it produced outsized stats that aren't reflective of how great he truly is. LeBron over the past 10 years has been better every year than Westbrook is this year. Comparing him to the all time greats is absurd.
In two weeks or a month, his team will be out of the playoffs and we'll see the real "best performances" of the season in the western finals or the championship.
He also got there because his teammates let him get a lot of "uncontested" rebounds to boost his average. Take away that and he's averaging 30-10-5, which is fairly incredible, but given his middling efficiency and mediocre defense, is actually less impressive than the 5 or 6 seasons LeBron has averaged 27-8-8 with very high levels of efficiency and playing tremendous defense as well. This year, a LeBron shot attempt was worth 10% more points than a Westbrook attempt. That's an enormous chasm. And Lebron's still a better defender, and yes, a better rebounder.
What Westbrook did is a cool statistical accomplishment. His team helped him get there, but I don't think you can say he ball hogged because they kinda needed it. But that context is important in recognizing how it produced outsized stats that aren't reflective of how great he truly is. LeBron over the past 10 years has been better every year than Westbrook is this year. Comparing him to the all time greats is absurd.
3
Any wonder how Westbrook had such a prolific season? Look at the team stats and it's clear all that team does is feed him the ball and just about stand around. And Westbrook in turn sucks up all the ball time and thus stats:
-Only 3 other players in double figures scoring average, and all well less than half of Westbrook's average.
-Westbrook averages 10.7 rebounds per game. The next closest, Steven Adams, only 7.7, and it goes down fast from there.
-Westbrooks averages 10.4 assists per game. While awesome, the next closest,Victor Oladipo, averages only 2.6 assists. In fact, the #2-4 in assists, Oladipo and two other guards, average only 2.0-2.6 assists. And they're guards!!
-Only 3 other players in double figures scoring average, and all well less than half of Westbrook's average.
-Westbrook averages 10.7 rebounds per game. The next closest, Steven Adams, only 7.7, and it goes down fast from there.
-Westbrooks averages 10.4 assists per game. While awesome, the next closest,Victor Oladipo, averages only 2.6 assists. In fact, the #2-4 in assists, Oladipo and two other guards, average only 2.0-2.6 assists. And they're guards!!
1
Gee, as usual, Roger Maris gets the short end. 61 in '61, no steroids like Bonds, having to share the quest w/Mantle. A quiet man who was going after St. Ruth's record and as usual the Babe got the mention. How long before sports fans, knowledgeable sports fans, realize that Roger Maris is still the only player who can legitimately walk in Ruth's shoes? Not Bonds, not McGuire, not Sosa. Westbrook didn't face the pressure, the media glare. Few of those mentioned here did either. Maybe Aaron, certainly Secretariat.
4
Sorry, I can't agree. Maris batted 3rd; 4th was the Mick, who was hot that year, hitting, among other things, 54 homers. Maris saw a lot of balls over the plate because the pitchers didn't want to face Mantle. Mantle, I will suggest, had a better 1961 than Maris, home-run record notwithstanding.
No one other than a Joe DiMaggio will ever go 54 games without going hitless.
1
DiMaggio's hitting streak was 56. After going hitless against the Indians (great plays by Ken Keltner at third base), he hit in 17 straight.
2
No contest. In 1973-74, Ali defeated Ken Norton, Joe Frazier,and George Foreman, three of the best heavyweight fighters of all time.
2
Great article, appreciated the addition of Phelps greatly. But my question is, what happened to Roger Federer?
Randy Moss 2007 with New Enland
1
Randy Moss rookie season with Minnesota (1998) 17TDs 1300Yds.
How about Bobby Fischer's 20 wins in a row in 1971 against the world's top chess talent?
2
In 1972 pitcher Steve Carlton had 27 wins, 10 losses for the last place Philadelphia Phillies (59-97) accounting for nearly half of his team's wins. An incredible feat. No National League pitcher has won 25 games since.
1
What makes it so special, so much more terrific than, say, McLain winning 31 games a few seasons before, is that Carlton did this for an awful team - the Phillies won only 38% of their games that year.
1
If you're going to include triumphs of spirit as well as athleticism, you have to include Jackie Robinson in 1947 when he broke the color barrier; and Lou Gehrig in 1938, when he batted .295, hit 29 HR, and drove in 114 runs while playing with symptoms of ALS.
2
Everyone on the list, including Westbrook but excluding Bonds, are fine choices. Nobody beats Secretariat...
1
I'm not a New Yorker, but I think you overlooked a local candidate:
Dwight Gooden was 13.2 Wins Above Replacement in 1985, the best baseball season on that all-around metric since Babe Ruth's 1923.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/WAR_season.shtml
Gooden was 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA on a league-leading 276 innings pitched. He also batted .226 with 1 homer.
Doc was 20 years old.
Dwight Gooden was 13.2 Wins Above Replacement in 1985, the best baseball season on that all-around metric since Babe Ruth's 1923.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/WAR_season.shtml
Gooden was 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA on a league-leading 276 innings pitched. He also batted .226 with 1 homer.
Doc was 20 years old.
5
I'm going to go with Secretariat, because of all the athletes listed, he was the only one who didn't have a choice about whether to compete.
2
Hack Wilson, 1930, 56 homers, 191 RBIs.
3
The old one in me gives a nod to Hammering Hank but the part of me that feels young the way we all do when we watch the superbly gifted do something special is leaning towards Westbrook.
1
Please, you can't get consensus that Westbrook's the best player in the league. There are so many other players in the league who would be chosen before him, Lebron, Kyrie, Durant, Curry etc
2
I can't imagine a greater athletic achievement than that of Usain Bolt. He is the greatest sprinter in Olympic history.
Sorry, but I have to disagree. The greatest season of any athlete ever belongs to tennis player Steffi Graf. In 1988 she won the Calendar Grand Slam (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open), plus an Olympic Gold Medal. That's known as the Golden Slam, the craziest display of dominance in a single season. No other tennis player has ever done it -- not Rod Laver, not Margaret Court, not Martina Navratilova, not Roger Federer.
1
Steffi Graf, 1988: Golden Slam.
2
Bonds doesn't count. He was always good, but it wasn't until the steroids (and the accompanying oversized head) that Bonds became "the greatest." His steroid-enhanced performance deserves disdain, not praise.
2
Mark Spitz back in the day in '72: For ALL seven Olympic gold medals he won, world records were set by Spitz or the relay team he was a major part of. Ridiculous.
5
silly concept but fun.
did you include any aussie rules football players, canadian football league, how about donald bradman? or......
1950 yogi berra. bats .322, 192 hits, 28 homers, 124 rbis, in 666 at bats strikes out 12 (twelve!!!) times. t w e l v e times.....
1962 rod laver wins 22 tennis tournaments including the grand slam, turns pro in 1963 and misses the next six years of slams due to his pro status
1969, in the open era, laver wins 18 of 32 tournaments and wins the grand slam again. hard not to conclude that federer would be chasing him for most grand slams had he not missed 20 of them when pros couldn't compete.
1976 montreal canadiens lose just eight of 80 regular season games and won the stanley cup with 12 wins in 14 games over three rounds.
bayern munich 2012-13. one loss in the regular season, european cup winners, world club championship winners
mongolian yokozuna asashoryu wins the final tournament in 2004 and then all six in 2005 to become the first rikishi in the modern era to win seven in a row and all six in one calendar year.
and so on....
did you include any aussie rules football players, canadian football league, how about donald bradman? or......
1950 yogi berra. bats .322, 192 hits, 28 homers, 124 rbis, in 666 at bats strikes out 12 (twelve!!!) times. t w e l v e times.....
1962 rod laver wins 22 tennis tournaments including the grand slam, turns pro in 1963 and misses the next six years of slams due to his pro status
1969, in the open era, laver wins 18 of 32 tournaments and wins the grand slam again. hard not to conclude that federer would be chasing him for most grand slams had he not missed 20 of them when pros couldn't compete.
1976 montreal canadiens lose just eight of 80 regular season games and won the stanley cup with 12 wins in 14 games over three rounds.
bayern munich 2012-13. one loss in the regular season, european cup winners, world club championship winners
mongolian yokozuna asashoryu wins the final tournament in 2004 and then all six in 2005 to become the first rikishi in the modern era to win seven in a row and all six in one calendar year.
and so on....
1
Sumo is the toughest sport. Most retire before 30 and many go into something easier like mixed marshal arts or pro wrestling.
You probably know, but Bayern didn't even field the same forward in the 2013 Champions League Final as they did in the 2013 Club World Cup. They changed coaches in there. Also, lost matches to BATE Borisov and Arsenal in the Champions League.
Better than that was Barcelona's First treble in 2009.
Better than that was Barcelona's First treble in 2009.
1
i lived in japan off and on for 19 years from 1993-2012.
went to several basho in osaka.
arrived when akebono, taka, waka, musashimaru were nearing the top of their games and konishiki was on his way down.
it is a tough sport....toughest, well i'm not so sure.
endurance is a problem. no punching in sumo so you don't know if the guy can take a punch.
akebono, who was an american named chad rowan from hawaii, wasn't successful.
he was 6'8" and weight around 520 pounds. was pathetic when he tried outside sumo.
don't recall anybody else who rose to the top of other disciplines.
i loved sumo tho.
went to several basho in osaka.
arrived when akebono, taka, waka, musashimaru were nearing the top of their games and konishiki was on his way down.
it is a tough sport....toughest, well i'm not so sure.
endurance is a problem. no punching in sumo so you don't know if the guy can take a punch.
akebono, who was an american named chad rowan from hawaii, wasn't successful.
he was 6'8" and weight around 520 pounds. was pathetic when he tried outside sumo.
don't recall anybody else who rose to the top of other disciplines.
i loved sumo tho.
1
Love Russell Westbrook, but he is not the clear-cut league MVP. James Harden is challenging Tiny Archibald's record for most points created (scored or assisted on) in a season and has a plethora of statistics almost as gaudy as Westbrook's. No mention in a NY publication of Doc Gooden's epochal 1985 season?
1
I read this expecting you to at least tell me who Russell Westbrook is. I guess I've been hiding under a rock? Or maybe just not a sports fan.
Westbrook only led the league in category and no basketball coach would suggest Westbrook was a better basketball player this year than LeBron James, so why even have this discussion? He is not the best passer, not the best rebounder and not the best defender. He is only the best scorer because he shot so much more often than his competitors.
In comparison to Phelps, he would win the 200 Individual Medley, one other race and get a bronze at best in 2 others.
Westbrook does not match any baseball winning the Triple Crown, much less Rod Laver winning the pro tennis Grand Slam or Eric winning 5 Olympic gold medals at very disparate distances in 1980.
In comparison to Phelps, he would win the 200 Individual Medley, one other race and get a bronze at best in 2 others.
Westbrook does not match any baseball winning the Triple Crown, much less Rod Laver winning the pro tennis Grand Slam or Eric winning 5 Olympic gold medals at very disparate distances in 1980.
1
Classic sportswriting hyperbole. History will be very unkind to the Times for placing Westbook among these other greats.
And PLEASE: there is no need to include horses on this list. What next? Cats?!
And PLEASE: there is no need to include horses on this list. What next? Cats?!
2
You didn't even include Wayne Gretzky's 1981-82 season with the Edmonton Oilers when he scored 92 goals (50 goals in 39 games) and finished with 212 points!
As a result of this omission I deem your whole debate moot and irrelevant.
As a result of this omission I deem your whole debate moot and irrelevant.
4
Gretzky's greatest year, and the Oilers didn't even make the Stanley Cup Final...the Vancouver Canucks did. And Tiger Williams bullied Gretzky in a way he couldn't to Mike Bossy in the Final sweep.
2
This is a fun and informative article ... But as great as Westbrook is I still would not include him in the top ten of greatest guards ever. Which starts with Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Oscar Robertson & Magic ... Not yet anyway.
The Thunder are one of the teams to watch out for in the playoffs where Westbrook really excels. They just barely lost to the Warriors last year. With the right help at the right time from his teammates and some breaks going their way, they could make it to the finals.
Orange, NJ
The Thunder are one of the teams to watch out for in the playoffs where Westbrook really excels. They just barely lost to the Warriors last year. With the right help at the right time from his teammates and some breaks going their way, they could make it to the finals.
Orange, NJ
1
Um, don't we need to mention that Bonds was also jacked up on steroids in 2004, by all accounts? Don't we have a moral obligation to state this for the record, even if his accomplishment was remarkable despite it?
3
As an amateur golfer playing mostly against professionals Bobby Jones won 13 majors of 20 that he entered between 1923 and 1930. In 1930 he won all four majors. This accomplishment has yet to be replicated.
In his brief career he won more than half of the tournaments that he entered. He then walked away from tournament play at age 28.
In his brief career he won more than half of the tournaments that he entered. He then walked away from tournament play at age 28.
1
What a lovely article! Diversity, excellence, and Bobby Orr. As a captive New Englander I suggest 2 others whose excellence was so accepted that it permiated their careers; a single season is there for both, but who cares?
Carl Yastremsky and Bode Miller
Carl Yastremsky and Bode Miller
This triple double business is just PR. Wilt Chamberlain was a triple double machine, but stats were not big business back then. They didn't even keep track of blocked shots! Westbrook's "record" is the result of changes in record-keeping. Chamberlain routinely exceeded 10 blocked shots. People who have studied old film of his games have counted as many as 26 blocks in a game. He led the league in assists one year and often had 10+. And then there are steals. I wonder how many quintuples Chamberlain racked up.
Chamberlain is also in the Volleyball Hall of Fame, and won Big Eight track titles in high jump and the 440. His feats of strength are legendary.
Never has there been a greater athlete than Chamberlain.
If OK had kept Durant, Westbrook would not have had so many triples, but probably fewer turnovers and a better shooting percentage. His team would have won more games. He would be a better player with Durant, but not so famous. I do love watching him play, but let's be honest.
Chamberlain is also in the Volleyball Hall of Fame, and won Big Eight track titles in high jump and the 440. His feats of strength are legendary.
Never has there been a greater athlete than Chamberlain.
If OK had kept Durant, Westbrook would not have had so many triples, but probably fewer turnovers and a better shooting percentage. His team would have won more games. He would be a better player with Durant, but not so famous. I do love watching him play, but let's be honest.
5
What about football player Paulino Alcántara of the Philippines? From Wikipedia: "He made his debut for Barcelona at the age of 15 and remains the youngest player to play or score for the club. He scored 369 goals in 357 official and friendly matches for Barcelona, a club record that stood for 87 years.[2][3] After retiring as a player in 1927 at the age of 31, he became a doctor. He served as a club director between 1931 and 1934. In 1951, Alcántara became a coach and managed Spain for three games."
Bill Russell
1954-55 USF NCAA Championship
1955-56 USF NCAA Championship 1st undefeated NCAA Champion
Averaged 20 pts./game in both 1954-55 and 1955-56
12/1956 Olympic Gold medal
4/1957 NBA Championship.
1959-1966 8 consecutive NBA Championships
Just take from 3/56-4/57 as one season
NCAA Olympic Medal NBA title. Probably as tough at Triple Crown for the horses.
Plus he won 3 titles. Westbrook and The Big O didn't win squat in their seasons.
Won't even get into Bill vs. Wilt. I'll take Bill...any day....and Michael Jordan!
1954-55 USF NCAA Championship
1955-56 USF NCAA Championship 1st undefeated NCAA Champion
Averaged 20 pts./game in both 1954-55 and 1955-56
12/1956 Olympic Gold medal
4/1957 NBA Championship.
1959-1966 8 consecutive NBA Championships
Just take from 3/56-4/57 as one season
NCAA Olympic Medal NBA title. Probably as tough at Triple Crown for the horses.
Plus he won 3 titles. Westbrook and The Big O didn't win squat in their seasons.
Won't even get into Bill vs. Wilt. I'll take Bill...any day....and Michael Jordan!
1
614***Oscar Robertson won the championship with Kareem.
Maybe because it is possibly the ultimate team sport, football isn't represented here. I believe a glaring omission is Sammy Baugh's 1947 season. Led the league in passing yards, completions, attempts, completion percentage, passing touchdowns, interception percentage and passer rating. In one game that year, he passed for 355 yards and 6 touchdowns. On a 4-8 team! In 1943 he also led the league in punting, passing and interceptions - the only player to do that.
You cannot compare sports.
It is a fools errand.
And to claim that the Brazilian Ronaldo as having the greatest soccer year is laughable in 97-98 when he scored 25 goals in Serie A for Inter Milan.
Lionel Messi in 2012 scored 91 goals in a calendar year for club an country.
Breaking a 40 year old record of Germany's Gerd Muller who scored 85.
Messi had the best year by far and is the greatest player we have ever witnessed in world soccer. Period.
Russell Westbrook? Please. What are you his tailor?
It is a fools errand.
And to claim that the Brazilian Ronaldo as having the greatest soccer year is laughable in 97-98 when he scored 25 goals in Serie A for Inter Milan.
Lionel Messi in 2012 scored 91 goals in a calendar year for club an country.
Breaking a 40 year old record of Germany's Gerd Muller who scored 85.
Messi had the best year by far and is the greatest player we have ever witnessed in world soccer. Period.
Russell Westbrook? Please. What are you his tailor?
1
Marco Van Basten: From summer 1988-Spring 1989 won Euro 1988 with Holland, tournament Golden Ball, scored in the Final. Won Scudetto with AC Milan. Won European Cup with Milan, scored twice in the Final. European Footballer of the Year.
Franz Beckenbauer, 1974. Captained Bayern Munich to first European Cup. A couple of months later, captained West Germany to World Cup.
Franz Beckenbauer, 1974. Captained Bayern Munich to first European Cup. A couple of months later, captained West Germany to World Cup.
1
Kelly Slater won 5 consecutive world titles in surfing '94 -'98, He's won 11 world titles total. His most incredible season was 2008 when he came in 1st in 6 out of 11 events and 2nd in a 7th event. He completely dominated the tour most of whom were a decade younger than him at the time. Absolutely mind blowing. For over two decades in surfing there was Kelly and then everybody else. In many of the years he didn't win the world title, he came in 2nd. There's also 2010 where he placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in 8 out of 10 events.
This is a silly article, in a team sport winning is all that counts, not padding your stats. Lebron is a better player than Westbrook and proved that in the NBA finals last year.
2
Don Hutson. Ruthian stats for a pro football receiver,
Pete Maravich in 1970. Style, artistry, and lots and lots of points.
I nominate David Rudisha in 2011-2012 when he absolutely dominated the men's 800m in track and field.
I don't think Westbrook would have had such great stats this year if Durant was still at OKC. I also think they should take into consideration an athletes attitude when choosing MVP. He's a bulldog with an attitude. And a great athlete. Go Warriors!
1
If his achievement is the best ever, how come we are still arguing about who the NBA MVP is this year?
I don't want to be negative, and I do think Westbrook's achievement is right up there with one of the greatest single season performance in NBA history. But let's not get carried away and mark it as the greatest single season performance in sports history.
I don't want to be negative, and I do think Westbrook's achievement is right up there with one of the greatest single season performance in NBA history. But let's not get carried away and mark it as the greatest single season performance in sports history.
Rod Laver 1969
1
sandy koufax at his peak...
1
1965. Dominant season, with a perfect game (the opposng pitcher, Bob Hendley, gave up only one hit). Cy Young when there only was one in MLB, won the pitching "triple crown: wins, ERA, strikeouts). Struck out a record 382 batters. Only surpassed by Nolan Ryan, but still the NL record even 51 years later. Refused to pitch on Yom Kippur. Came back on two days rest to win game 7 of the World Series.
Koufax 1965: Triple Crown for pitchers, leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts, with an MLB record of 382. That record was eclipsed by Nolan Ryan in 1973, but remains the National League record 51 years later.
Pitched a perfect game, in which his own team managed but a single hit.
Won the Cy Young unanimously when there was only one awarded in MLB.
Refused to pitch game 1 of the World Series on Yom Kippur. Lost game 2. Won Game 5 with a shutout. Came back to pitch game 7 on two days rest and won the WS with another shutout. 2 shutouts in 4 days? Icing on the cake. All done in a championship season. Think Westbrook and the Thunder have a chance against the Spurs or Warriors? Wake me when they bring the trophy to OKC...
Pitched a perfect game, in which his own team managed but a single hit.
Won the Cy Young unanimously when there was only one awarded in MLB.
Refused to pitch game 1 of the World Series on Yom Kippur. Lost game 2. Won Game 5 with a shutout. Came back to pitch game 7 on two days rest and won the WS with another shutout. 2 shutouts in 4 days? Icing on the cake. All done in a championship season. Think Westbrook and the Thunder have a chance against the Spurs or Warriors? Wake me when they bring the trophy to OKC...
3
Quite frankly, I don't even think Westbrook should even be on this list....but what else is the modern day sports writer to do but wax poetic about today's overrated stars in their overrated, over indulged sports environment. The guy can't even shoot very well and he plays in a league that's average at best...except for the teams that are stacked up with the buddy system. No one will remember Westbrooks season, while the others will remain legendary for many years to come.
In ten years, a similar article will be written.. and Russell Westbrook won't even be mentioned... at least not for the 2016-17 season...
Perhaps overlooking the rather obvious point that the "Best Ever" only achieves discussion status if we are still talking about it in 25 years.
Wilt - Oscar - Tiger - the Babe - yeah they all clear the hurdle - the others - not so much.
Wilt - Oscar - Tiger - the Babe - yeah they all clear the hurdle - the others - not so much.
I still don't think anyone touches Barry Sanders senior year at OSU for the title of greatest single season ever.
11 Games Played
2628 Rushing Yards - all time record
37 Rushing TDs - all time record
That's an average of 238 yards per game on the ground and over 3 TDs.
Absolutely bonkers!
11 Games Played
2628 Rushing Yards - all time record
37 Rushing TDs - all time record
That's an average of 238 yards per game on the ground and over 3 TDs.
Absolutely bonkers!
2
It really is not that impressive when Westbrook's stats go up but the team's record is worse than previous years.
1
You forgot about Kelly Slater and his 11 world titles in surfing. One of the most dominant in a sport ever.. hands down..
It is pretty hard to put most of these in context. For example, if the photo of Wilt Chamberlain is representative of the average height difference between him and other players in the league at the time, then how impressive were his scoring records really? Generally speaking though, I think it is reasonable to assume that professional sports are now more competitive than they have ever been. The world’s population is much larger than ever, so there is a bigger pool of people to choose from to be professional athletes. Nutrition and training programs are now highly advanced sciences. Top athletes are now surrounded by highly-trained trainers. Statistical research enables players to fine tune strategies against each opponent. There is an extensive minor league, farm club, and college athletic infrastructure. Scouts scour the country and world more than ever and players are groomed and recruited more than ever, sometimes starting in elementary school. In the past, geopolitics kept the best athletes separated more then now. For example, the NHL or NBA had few Eastern European players during the cold war compared to now. Last, professional sports have become far more lucrative, attracting more people. Foe instance, a viable US pro soccer league has only recently become viable. For these reasons, professional athletics are much more competive now then ever and rising above ones peers is more impressive now than in the past.
2
Eddie Merckx could qualify for several seasons, but I'll pick 1970. Among the races he won that year was Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix, the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and 30 other races.
5
I just love (NOT) when the media compares achievements from different eras in sports. They are all spectacular.
However, the fact Willie Mays was not included on this list just invalidates this entire article. Seriously, WILLIE MAYS.....get real. Maron'!
However, the fact Willie Mays was not included on this list just invalidates this entire article. Seriously, WILLIE MAYS.....get real. Maron'!
Apples and oranges and prunes and kumquats. All these athletes are stupendous - and some of them aren't exactly household names. (For a measure of celebrity vs. gender achievement, consider Breanna Stewart.) But this wonderful piece overlooks what to my mind is the greatest single season by an athlete in recent memory: LeBron James's 2015-06 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's not a matter of raw statistics, impressive as LeBron's were. It's his promise to bring Cleveland its first championship in nearly seven decades; the unexpected, midseason firing of his coach, David Blatt; and the Cavs' insane toppling of the winningest NBA team ever after being down 3-1 in the finals, a triumph that wouldn't have been remotely possible without LeBron's leading everyone in points, rebounds, assists, steals, AND blocks throughout the series. As much as I love Westbrook, his Thunder won't be where LeBron promised he'd take the Cavs to - and did.
2
I had not realized how great Ricky Henderson was by the way. Also, I am so glad that Breanna Stewart was deservedly included.
3
I truly love this article-analysis. All greatness, though I do not understand race car driving. I however would choose Russell Westbrook from among the greats.
2
I'm more impressed with Roger Craig's 1963 season with the Mets than all those years Barry Bonds played while on steroids.
4
Basketball is a team game. The success of an individual player is only relevant in how it translates into the success of the team. It's all about winning. It may be easier to rack up impressive statistics with a bad team if you're the only good player on that team. Would Westbrook have had the same stats if Kevin Durant were still on the team?
14
Did you even read the article?
1
Karl Malone, Steve Nash, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barley, John Stockton, and Elgin Baylor were all-time greats, hands down.
Single event: Secretariat winning the Belmont by 31 lengths: total domination of a single event.
Single year: Wilt Chamberlin, 1961-62: total domination of an entire season/year.
Team/Era: Tie between the 60's Green Bay Packers, '50s - '60s New York Yankees and Montreal Canadiens.
Single year: Wilt Chamberlin, 1961-62: total domination of an entire season/year.
Team/Era: Tie between the 60's Green Bay Packers, '50s - '60s New York Yankees and Montreal Canadiens.
3
Good points, HapinOregon.
Just too bad Chamberlain's performance was not as superb in the postseason playoffs (for example, he averaged 35.0 ppg compared with 50.4 ppg during the regular season).
But, of course, the thing that stopped from making it a truly great season was this:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/196204050BOS.html
[As I'm not quite old enough, does anyone know just how this close Game 7 went???]
Just too bad Chamberlain's performance was not as superb in the postseason playoffs (for example, he averaged 35.0 ppg compared with 50.4 ppg during the regular season).
But, of course, the thing that stopped from making it a truly great season was this:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/196204050BOS.html
[As I'm not quite old enough, does anyone know just how this close Game 7 went???]
2
What about Oscar Robertson? Just for the record how many players got triple doubles this year. How many in Oscar's year. To be fair let's talk percentages because there are more players now.
7
The dirty little secret is that half of the "assists" that are doled out today would never have been counted in the Big O's day.
Assists are today's participation ribbons.
Assists are today's participation ribbons.
Hahaha! What a funny one, New York Times! Russell Westbrook's 2016-2017 season the best ever? Are you SERIOUS? This whole triple-double adulation is fake for anyone who knows basketball. Mr. Westbrook is a point guard, and who cares about how many rebounds a point guard amasses? No one does. It's like caring about how many steals a player has; most come from abandoning the player you're supposed to defend, and often result in an open shot as a result of your gamble. Take a look at how Mr. Westbrook's teammates fall off rebounds for him so that he can goose up his numbers. The plain fact is that, after losing Kevin Durant and trading James Harden Warriors last year, the OKC Thunder are desperate to keep Westbrook after his contract expires in 2019 and will do everything they can to keep him. Which includes puffing up irrelevant rebound statistics so that he may lay claim to the coveted triple-double title. A fake achievement for a talented, but sloppy player.
18
are you kidding? rebounds are extremely important to a team's performance and ability to win. If a point guard can help you out by snagging 10 a game that helps immensely..
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[[Consider the 2015-16 college season, when Breanna Stewart powered her Connecticut women’s team on an unbeaten run to an unprecedented fourth straight national title,]]
Women's basketball is ridiculous. A team going 111 games without a loss and the shock and disappointment when they finally do lose tells me that that system is completely screwed up.
Women's basketball is ridiculous. A team going 111 games without a loss and the shock and disappointment when they finally do lose tells me that that system is completely screwed up.
4
Barry Bonds is the most controversial selection here, but his selection draws a huge spotlight upon Greg Maddux, the pitcher who shares with his teammate John Smoltz the record for striking out Bonds-- both Atlanta pitchers struck out Barry Bonds sixteen times. Smoltz was an all-around great athlete, but Maddux had the 170-pound physique of your average C.P.A.-- with a similar calculating and exacting intellect on the mound. That Maddux was able to post two years of sub-2.00 earned-run averages in the mid-1990s, at the height of steroid abuse, speaks to his mastery of the art of pitching. Of course, all of the above is equally true for that other master of the mound, Pedro Martinez, who struck out scores of men who outsized the 160 pound, 5' 9" baseball genius from the Dominican Republic. Pedro averaged more than ten strike-outs per nine innings, an amazing feat.
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I agree that all these achievements are worthy. To add a thought to Wilt's credentials: According to some sports historians Wilt nearly always was in double figures in blocked shots, which were not counted as a statistic in his day. He may well have averaged a triple double to go with 50 points and 25 rebounds. He played both ends of the floor.
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Think Kobe Bryant in 05-06. He led a mediocre Lakers team into the playoffs, averaged 35.4 points per game and scored 81 points in a game. Bryant deserves his credit.
And while I'm on the subject, some other suggestions:
Michael Jordan: Pick any year he led the league in scoring and steals.
Wayne Gretzky: 1981-82 (50th goal in game 39)
Steffi Graf: 1988 (Grand Slam and the Olympic gold)
Pedro Martinez: 1999 or 2000 (Look at that ERA in that era)
Michael Jordan: Pick any year he led the league in scoring and steals.
Wayne Gretzky: 1981-82 (50th goal in game 39)
Steffi Graf: 1988 (Grand Slam and the Olympic gold)
Pedro Martinez: 1999 or 2000 (Look at that ERA in that era)
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Peyton Manning's 2013 season would be a good addition to the list.
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Perhaps if he had won the Super Bowl that year rather than suffering a 43-8 beat-down in which he threw two interceptions and did little more than play dink and dunk over the middle the whole game. No way can you end the season like that and be in the conversation for the best season ever. It would be like leading the Daytona 500 by twenty laps going into the final lap but crashing before reaching the finish line.
2
In cricket, I would argue for Don Bradman's 1930 tour of England, in which he peeled off a triple century (he remains the only player to score 300 in a test match day) and two double centuries in just five games. All this against an England team full of historically great players. And his dominance in tour matches against various counties was nothing short of absurd. Ten centuries in total on the tour, 1,000 runs by the end of May without being a county cricketer, still the most runs by any touring batsman despite a shorter schedule than in the modern game.
Or, if we are going to look at a single month, let us take Bill Ponsford's epic December 1927, in which he scored a century, a double century, a triple century as part of a still-world-record Victorian total of 1,107, and a then world record individual score of 437. Take that, Doctor Grace.
Or, if we are going to look at a single month, let us take Bill Ponsford's epic December 1927, in which he scored a century, a double century, a triple century as part of a still-world-record Victorian total of 1,107, and a then world record individual score of 437. Take that, Doctor Grace.
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All amazing achievements that need to be appreciated in their own right rather than as competitive with each other. Conditions changed, rules and regulations changed, training and equipment changed and we haven't even mentioned PED's or night baseball. Surprised at the omission of Byron Nelson and his consecutive tournament win streak. Was that not within the same calendar year?
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Many readers, such as me, who aren't sports fans read the Times sports section because it's intelligent and interesting, even if we don't know or care about the minutiae that drunks argue about in bars. We expect you to tell us what a "triple-double" is before you go on and on (and on and on...) about it.
Penalty box, guys.