Chamberlain's famous claim that he slept with 20,000 women first appeared in his 1991 autobiography A View From Above. Thirty seven years after he retired at the age of 37, Chamberlains name appears in the NBAs record book a whopping 97 times. Both also changed the game by their very presence. What Wilt did was shatter that quota the whole notion that this league would be a white mans enclave. So Im going to attempt to keep them brief. If that. Wilt wasn't just a basketball player. (Of course Wilt won the MVP of the game.) Chamberlain's late age dominance is well documented. Wilt could dunk on rims that are 1.2 size the height of what rims are today. Basketball for me would never be the same. Wilt Chamberlain had more competition back in his day than there is today. On a early summer day in the 1980s Chamberlain decided to play some pick up basketball at UCLA. In those head-to-head matchups, Wilt averaged 28.7 points and 28.7 rebounds while Russell posted averages of 14.5 and 23.7. And he did it on sneakers without much arch support, Converse. This game was not televised. Well, a few things happened off the court that allowed him to reach this unsurpassed peak of 100 points. But later in life, he realized that when he walked down the street, people would point at him and say, There goes the guy that scored 100 points.. He became the first (and still only) center to lead the league in total assists with 702 in 196768 for an average of 8.6, which remains the single-season record for the position. Its a pretty big arena, but its half-filled? Embiid's post-All-Star Game surge has led sportsbooks to make him a slight favorite over Jokic in the MVP race. Top . He became board member of the newly founded International Volleyball Association in 1974 and became its president one year later. Hall of fame coach Larry Brown retells the rest, Good Old Boys - Jason Williams & Randy Moss, 10 Greatest High School Basketball Teams of All Time, Best Playground Basketball Courts in America. There are a lot of greats to choose from, all of whom are Hall of Famers. He was reed-thin [and] no match for Chamberlain. At its peak the club featured more than 100 athletes. Post #1 by 70sFan Thu Jul 1, 2021 10:50 pm . Only Kobe Bryants 81-point performance has even come close and it doesnt seem physically possible that a player could fit in 19 more points than he did in that game. This game happens at a moment when the NBAs ascendence, dominance is certainly not inevitable. Johnny Kerr, from "25 Things You Didn't Know About Wilt Chamberlain". For context, Wilt Chamberlain was 71, and 236 lbs. As an avid track and field athlete, Chamberlain high jumped 6 feet, 6 inches, ran the 440 yards in 49.0 seconds and the 880 yards in 1:58.3, put the shot 53 feet, 4 inches, and long jumped 22 feet. YouTube Gold: Wilt Chamberlain Dominating And Leading The Fast Break This was how the NBA tried to develop its base. Wilt Chamberlain weighed 275 lbs (124 kg) when playing. As for endurance, I never saw him come out a game. On the 11th anniversary of his death, a man who was courtside for many of Wilts majestic performances weighs in on a daunting task: ranking Wilts most memorable achievements. "Just to be in the record books along with staples in basketball . '5 Things You Didn't Know About' appears every Friday. But the game was played in Hershey because the league was trying to grow new fans. 4. The spot in Harlem was frequented by the elite during the 60s and 70s. Mark Tulin (author) from Long Beach, California on February 18, 2019: Absolutely. Cookie Notice I saw those cool underhanded free throws and his no-look passes to the cutting teammates. Lol thats not impressive. 4 Crazy stories that you did not know about Wilt Chamberlain There are some recordings of the fourth quarter. Wilt Chamberlain - Wikipedia He averaged 50.4 points per game in the 1962 season. Mark Tulin (author) from Long Beach, California on June 09, 2020: Spud, I dont know for sure, but it wouldnt surprise me. Wilt ran the 100-yard dash in 10.9 seconds, threw the shot-put 56 feet, he triple jumped 50 feet, and he won the Big Eight high jump three straight years." James' junior season high school football stats were indeed solid. Chamberlain even thought about a return to competition. A player never leaving the court for an entire season is insanity. All while sleeping with all of your grandmas. 11 Things You Didn't Know About Wilt Chamberlain According to Don Cherry's biography Wilt: Larger than Life, legendary boxing trainer and promoter Cus D'Amato approached Chamberlain in 1965 with a lucrative offer to box heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali. When the issue of championships comes up, I am reminded of a quote Wilt once gave in an interview (I used to have it on videotape from a documentary on the history of basketball) where he said, "The Boston Celtics had to figure out how to beat Wilt Chamberlain, but I had to figure out how to beat the Boston Celtics." We already had the top 10 amazing facts on Chamberlain on the channel, and in this video, we'll try to further debunk the myth that is Wilt the Stilt. It was unimaginable to think someone could score 100 points in a single game. In Wilts rookie season, he not only led the league in scoring (37.6) and rebounds (27) but also in minutes per game (46.4), Harveys Take: I was at every one of those games and no matter what defenses they threw at Wilt, he either willed his way to the basket or dominated from mid range. He had a Goliath syndrome. He had six games with 43 or more, topping out at 55. Not even Wilt himself came within 6 PPG of his record 50.4 PPG in 196162 and the leagues most elite scorers of the past half century have come no closer than Michael Jordans 37.1 PPG in 198687. The man who once scored 100 points in a single game and claimed to. Here are some facts you might not have known about the dipper. Chamberlain was notorious for always seeking out a new challenge, but he missed out on one that became one of the great "what if? Most seasons leading the league in minutes: 8, Highest scoring average in a season: 50.4, Most seasons leading the league in field goal percentage: 9, Highest average in rebounds over a career: 22.9, Most free throws made in a game: 28 (and he was an awful free throw shooter). Wilt kept that promise and blocked all of Magics shots. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. How good was Wilt Chamberlain really? 41 WitBeer forget the video. One myth surrounding Chamberlain was that he played against no height, that is far from the truth. In 1955, Wilt scored 100 points in a game at Hershey, Pennsylvania. After losing in the finals of the NCAA tournament during his junior year at Kansas, Wilt wanted to make the leap to the NBA. The story goes that Wilt Chamberlain wanted to fight the narrative that he was a selfish player so he decided that he wanted to lead the league in assists, so he did. Copyright 2023 Legends Clothing Co. | Website builder by Shopify, Comments have to be approved before showing up, On a early summer day in the 1980s Chamberlain decided to play some pick up basketball at UCLA. The greatest NBA record book ever is Harvey Pollacks NBA Statistical Yearbook. As a teenager, Chamberlain was sought after by more than 100 colleges and universities after his play at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia. He didn't let one [of Johnson's] shots get to the rim.". Jerry West, from "Wilt: Larger than Life". Wilt Chamberlain Interview: Who is the GOAT? - YouTube Wilt Chamberlain PPG 30.1 RPG 22.9 APG 4.4 HEIGHT 7'1" (2.16m) WEIGHT 250lb (113kg) COUNTRY USA LAST ATTENDED Kansas BIRTHDATE August 21, 1936 DRAFT 1959 EXPERIENCE 14 Years Stats Career Per Mode. You'll recognize these famous names, but do they belong on the list? His six rings are a testament to his prowess, and this article explains all the reasons he's the best of all time. What we have is the fourth-quarter play-by-play call of WCAU sportscaster Bill Campbell. Bill Russell defends as Wilt Chamberlain goes up for a shot Wilt Chamberlain seems like a dream from another world, another era. Duane Morris investigation into Central Bucks finds no discrimination against LGBTQ students, Shapiro signs first bill, expands Pa. health insurance coverage for breast cancer screenings, 3 unions at Rutgers University have reached tentative agreements. Wilt credits the Globetrotters for advancing his basketball growth helping him to improve his overall ball handling skills. The two rounded out the most often asked question of Chamberlain, why did #BillRussell win 11 and #WiltChamberlain, only 2?#nba75 -Hi All,We are more than thrilled to announce our companies' brand new website has launched and can be found at https://CLNSmedia.com OR forExclusive NBA/Celtics coverage only, click here- https://www.clnsmedia.com/nba/ Thanks!Nick G (#BoomerRAGE) HTTPS://Twitter.com/clns_nick-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-CLNS is powered by FanDuel. 1 | One of the fastest men on the planet. Insane speed of Wilt Chamberlain . Imagine any center today leading the NBA in assists. Wilt Chamberlain was the greatest athlete the world had ever seen and he doesn't let you forget it. Wilt was big 8 high jump and shot put champion in college. For someone who played as many minutes in as many games as he did, it seems impossible that he never got a little sloppy on defense or encountered a game scenario that required him to hack away, yet here we are. Even though the era in which he played and the level of his competition will always be used to contextualize his feats, his jaw-dropping stats are still an official part of NBA lore and are likely never to be seen again. What was Wilt up to? Wilt was getting on an elevator while two delivery men were having trouble lifting a cart. Back in 1962, it was more of a lounge act a league in search of itself, a carnival kind of atmosphere. If the Joker is unable to crack it, the record may be safe forever. The club helped many of them train to compete in the Olympics. 11 Memorable Wilt Chamberlain Performances | NBA.com Wilt Chamberlain in 1972 with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 86-year-old basketball player was born in Philadelphia, PA. Even when a player sustains greatness like Harden did, it only serves to highlight the magnitude of the statistical gap between Wilt and everyone else. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. It's still the signature record in basketball history. And in that season he dropped 100 points against the New York Knicks. When I went to the free-throw line, my legs were still shaking. Needless to say the player in the East has the newsman write an apology letter to Wilt for misquoting him. During an interview for a book called Tall Tales by writer Terry Pluto, former college and NBA player Johnny Kerr admitted that Chamberlain broke his toe with a dunk one time when he was playing against him. It might be the closest thing the NBA has to a single-game record that will never be broken. There was never any athlete as good as number 13. That year he became a board member of the International Volleyball Association, a fledgling pro coed volleyball league that only lasted until 1979, and brought his intimidating 7'1" frame to the Seattle Smashers' front line. In a 76ers game against the Warriors, he didn't shoot the ball the ENTIRE game. And then there's Wilt Chamberlain. A basketball game, as you know, is 48 minutes. In high school, Wilt Chamberlain was a track and field star. To take an entire sport and bend it to his will to show that it could be done, and only by him. Who are the 10 best basketball players of all time? WHYY offers a voice to those not heard, a platform to share everyones stories, a foundation to empower early and lifelong learners and a trusted space for unbiased news. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Who Was Wilt Chamberlain? It was broadcast on radio.