TicketsMarch 7, 2008
CINCINNATI-- ESPN has named University of Cincinnati legend Oscar Robertson No. 2 on the list of the 25 Greatest Players in College Basketball, presented by IBM. A daily countdown on ESPN.com lists the National Association of Basketball Coaches' (NABC) Player of the Century as its second choice.
A 1960 graduate from the University of Cincinnati, Robertson established 19 school records and 14 NCAA records during his college career, was voted College Player of the Year his sophomore, junior, and senior years at UC, and led the nation in scoring.
The "Big-O" concluded his college basketball career at UC, as the NCAA career scoring leader with 2,973 total points for the Bearcats in an era where freshmen were ruled ineligible for varsity play. His career scoring average of 33.8 points per game is still third best in NCAA history. Robertson was co-captain of the undefeated 1960 gold-medal U.S. Olympic team.
During his professional basketball career, Robertson played for the Cincinnati Royals (1960-1970, winning Rookie of the Year in 1961) and the Milwaukee Bucks (1970-1974). He was the NBA Most Valuable Player in 1963 and won the NBA Championship in 1971. A 12-time NBA All-Star, he retired as professional basketball's career assist leader.
Robertson is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and was named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players of All Time. He was named "Indiana Living Legend" by the Indiana Historical Society in 1999, and received the Player of the Century Award from the NABC in 2000.