Question of the Week

Prince, Newark, NJ
Subj: NBA records
Who holds the NBA record for the highest scoring average in a single season?

That honor belongs to Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged 50.4 points per game for the Philadelphia Warriors during the 1961-1962 season. The Big Dipper was so dominant that year that he also led the league in minutes, field goals, free throws, rebounds and over-all player efficiency while becoming the first player in the history of professional basketball to score 100 points in a single game. Despite his brilliance, Wilt wasn’t even named the league’s MVP. That honor instead went to Celtics center Bill Russell who led Boston to their fourth consecutive championship while contributing a mere 16.9 points per game. Although the pair may have been intense rivals on the court they were best of friends off of it. Russell was especially saddened when Wilt passed away from congestive heart failure in 1999. "I feel unspeakably injured," Russell said at the time. "I've lost a dear and exceptional friend and an important part of my life. Our relationship was intensely personal. We had a genuinely fierce competition that was based on friendship and respect. We just loved playing against each other. The fierceness of the competition bonded us as friends for eternity."

Question of the Week

Carlos, San Juan, PR
Subj: Salon de La Fama
Why is the International Basketball Hall of Fame in Alcobendas, Spain, and not in America, the birthplace of the sport?

America does in fact have its own hoops shrine known as the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Located in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, this highly interactive museum has been honoring the sport’s greatest players, coaches, referees and other major contributors since 1968. However, although the Hall has inducted several international members over the years it does have a remarkably American bias. That’s why Spanish basketball coach Pedro Ferrándiz González undertook an ambitious campaign in 1990 to establish a FIBA Hall of Fame in his native country. Opened in 1991, the Hall was created with the lofty intention of preserving the heritage of international basketball. Recent inductees include Serbian center Vlade Divac, Lithuanian guard Sarunas Marciulionis, German forward Detlef Schrempf and American legends Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. To find out more visit: www.halloffame.fiba.com

Speculation on Sirius Satellite Radio

I recently had the pleasure of appearing on Speculation, a seriously hip call-in show hosted by fellow sports junkies Dave Golokhov and Matt Cauz. You can listen to my segment by clicking here. Simply follow the link to the archive section beneath the Speculation logo.

Speculation on Sirius Satellite Radio

I recently had the pleasure of appearing on Speculation, a seriously hip call-in show hosted by fellow sports junkies Dave Golokhov and Matt Cauz. You can listen to my segment by clicking here. Simply follow the link to the archive section beneath the Speculation logo.

Question of the Week

Andy, Rice Lake, WS
Subj: Irvin in the Hall Of Fame???
Why is it that Big Mac couldn't get into the Baseball HOF when he didn't break any rules about anything, but Michael Irvin got in the Football HOF when he was suspended for cocaine? Sounds like someone's getting screwed.

Last I checked, Andy, cocaine wasn’t a performance enhancing drug. According to the Partnership for a Drug Free America, the short-term effects of Bolivian Marching Powder include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, increased temperature, blood pressure, insomnia, loss of appetite, irritability, anxiety and an overwhelming desire to knock over 7-11’s. Granted, Michael Irvin wasn’t exactly a model citizen, but unlike Mark McGwire, his drug of choice didn’t give him an unfair competitive advantage. If anything, it just made him talk a little bit faster during his post game interviews.