Mel Counts: “Olympic Gold; Played With Bill Russell, Wilt...

What this episode covers

Mel Counts recounts growing up in a small Oregon town, being mentored by an early coach, his rapid growth to 6'11", and recruitment to Oregon State, where he made a Final Four and later realized he could turn pro. He describes making the 1964 U.S. Olympic team under Hank Iba and winning gold over the Russians, his most cherished team honor. Drafted by the Boston Celtics, he won two championships and shares stories about Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, travel and pay in the era, and later stops including the Bullets, Lakers, and Suns, facing legends like Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Kareem, and Walton. He discusses pensions, family, faith, giving back, and staying active at 84.00:00 Meet Mel Counts00:21 Small Town Beginnings01:29 Oregon State Breakthrough01:51 Slats Gill Lessons03:12 Final Four Teammates04:01 Olympic Tryouts Camp04:40 Tokyo Gold Medal06:45 Celtics Rookie Life08:21 Traded To Bullets09:25 Scary Team Flight11:21 NBA Travel Pay Then14:53 Red Auerbach Stories16:35 Wilt Chamberlain Era17:42 Rings Watches Stages18:32 Physical Game Changes19:24 Wilt Strength Tales21:24 Guarding Legends Film22:26 Lakers Suns Wilt Sweat23:41 Wilt Helped My Role24:46 Practice With Russell25:39 Road Trip Win Streak26:23 Playing With Jerry West27:30 Game 7 Balloons Drama29:27 Bill Russell The Ultimate Winner30:36 Boston Life Lessons33:02 Hall Of Famers Era33:57 Pete Maravich Memories34:46 Three Point Revolution37:21 Durability And Old School Training39:53 Nutrition And Wilt Hot Dogs41:46 Pensions And Player Benefits43:40 Money Mistakes Then And Now45:17 Rings Faith And Family45:57 Giving Back And Life Advice48:51 Staying Active And Final WrapBasketball Reference: https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/countme01.htmlMel Counts highlights: https://youtu.be/7XcO7xAc_r4Mel Counts NBA2K: https://youtu.be/JllZNFwnn9AMel Counts replaces Wilt Chamberlain late in 1969’s NBA championship game seven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnu5vMfPtbw&t=8256s=========Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summariesMy Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1

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This episode was published on June 3, 2026.

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Mel Counts recounts growing up in a small Oregon town, being mentored by an early coach, his rapid growth to 6'11", and recruitment to Oregon State, where he made a Final Four and later realized he could turn pro. He describes making the 1964 U.S....

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