Top 25 rookie seasons in NBA history: No. 4 Oscar Robertson

The greatest rookie seasons in NBA history share a number of qualities, starting with individual statistical dominance. However, you can't overlook the context beyond the box score; initial expectations, team success, and overall legacy all matter.

While we wait for the 2019-20 season to resume, theScore's NBA editors have dusted off the record books to determine the top 25 rookie seasons in league history.

No. 4 in our series is Oscar Robertson in 1960-61. Catch up on previous posts in the series here.

Before the Association

Robertson grew up in the hoops hotbed of Indianapolis, where he was a star at Crispus Attucks High School. As a sophomore in 1954, his squad lost the state quarterfinals to Milan High, the team that was later immortalized in the film "Hoosiers."

The playmaker went on to the University of Cincinnati, where he led the Bearcats to a 79-9 record and two Final Four appearances in three varsity seasons (NCAA freshmen were barred from playing on varsity teams before 1972). In 1959 and 1960, he won the first two NCAA Division I Men's Player of the Year awards handed out by the United States Basketball Writers Association, an honor since renamed the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

Due to segregation in the south, Robertson was often forced to stay in different lodgings than his white teammates when Cincinnati went on the road. "I'll never forgive them," he told the Indianapolis Star years later.

In 1960, Robertson joined forces with Jerry West to help lead the United States to a gold medal at the Olympics in Rome.

Draft day

NBA draft rules were much different in 1960. Teams could claim college players as territorial picks before the draft, which the Cincinnati Royals did with Robertson - although they also held the first pick of the draft. Robertson received a $33,000 signing bonus (approximately $287,000 today).

Individual success

Robertson made his NBA debut on Oct. 19, 1960, in a win over fellow rookie West's Los Angeles Lakers. In a stat line that came to define the mark he left on the sport, he scored 21 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists - his first of 181 career triple-doubles, a total that is still tops in NBA history.

Less than a month later, Robertson posted 44 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 dimes in a win over the Philadelphia Warriors. Just after Christmas, he went for 45, 12, and 13, respectively, in a win over the Syracuse Nationals. On the season, he averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 9.7 assists - just missing a triple-double average.

That play earned Robertson an All-Star Game appearance (where he was named MVP), the Rookie of the Year award, and an All-NBA first-team nod.

Team success

Robertson's excellence did not turn the Royals into instant contenders. Their 33-46 record was second-worst in the eight-team league in 1960-61, and while Robertson and teammate Jack Twyman made for a potent offensive duo, the Royals defense was, statistically, the worst in the NBA.

Enduring legacy

A 6-foot-5 point guard, Robertson came to be known as "Big O" throughout his 14-year career. In his second season in 1961-62, he averaged a triple-double over the course of a full season, becoming the only NBAer to do so until Russell Westbrook did it in three straight seasons beginning in 2016-17.

In 1963-64, Robertson captured his lone NBA MVP award as the Royals had their most successful season. However, Cincinnati couldn't get by the dynastic Boston Celtics in the East finals. After three seasons out of the playoffs, the stumbling Royals traded Robertson to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1970 (the Royals left Cincinnati for Kansas City two years later, becoming the Kings franchise).

Running point for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Dandridge revitalized the 32-year-old's career. "Big O" and the Bucks captured their only NBA championship in 1970-71, with Robertson making his second-to-last All-Star appearance.

For years, Robertson was also the president of the National Basketball Players Association. While the effects were not seen until after he retired in 1974, his work with the union was instrumental in both the NBA-ABA merger and the eventual granting of free agency to players in 1988.

Robertson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.

Come back Wednesday to see who came in at No. 3 in theScore's Top 25 Rookie Seasons series.