Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born on the 21st of August 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up as the sixth of nine children to Olivia Ruth and William Chamberlain. His family lived in a middle-class neighborhood in the Haddington section of West Philadelphia. As a fourth grader, he ran the 300-yard shuttle at the 1946 Penn Relays among older teammates. Tall from an early age, he stood by 10 years old. He nearly died of pneumonia in his early years and missed a whole year of school as a result. During early childhood, he was not interested in basketball, which he regarded as "a game for sissies". According to Chamberlain, however, "basketball was king in Philadelphia", so he eventually turned to the sport in seventh grade, while attending Shoemaker Junior High School.
Chamberlain stood when he entered Philadelphia's Overbrook High School. As an avid track and field athlete, he 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. Chamberlain was the star player for the Overbrook Hilltoppers basketball team, wearing jersey number five. Chamberlain had a natural advantage against his peers; he became renowned for his scoring talent, physical strength, and shot-blocking abilities. According to ESPN journalist Hal Bock, Chamberlain was "scary, flat-out frightening ... before he came along, very few players at the center position possessed his level of athleticism, stature, and stamina. Chamberlain changed the game in fundamental ways no other player did." In this period of his life, his three lifelong nicknames "Wilt the Stilt", "Goliath", and "The Big Dipper", his favorite, were coined. Chamberlain led the team to two city championships over three seasons, with Overbrook logging a 56, 3 win-loss record. He broke Hall of Fame guard Tom Gola's Philadelphia-high-school scoring record (2,222 points) and graduated with 2,252 points, averaging 37.4 points per game.
In 1953, while still a sophomore in high school, Chamberlain won his first championship. He led Christian Street YMCA to the title in the national YMCA tournament in High Point, North Carolina, beating the local favorite and defending champion High Point team 85, 79. Chamberlain was the youngest member of the team. On the 21st of December 1952, Chamberlain played for the Pittsburgh Raiders under the pseudonym of George Marcus in a professional game against the Cumberland Old Germans. At the ages of 16 and 17, Chamberlain, using the same pseudonym, played several games for the semi-professional team Quakertown Fays of Quakertown, Pennsylvania, during the 1954, 55 season. The games were reported in local publications, but Chamberlain tried to keep them secret from the Amateur Athletic Union as they jeopardised his eligibility to play amateur basketball.
After his last Overbrook season, more than 200 universities tried to recruit Chamberlain. Among others, UCLA offered Chamberlain the opportunity to become a movie star, the University of Pennsylvania wanted to buy him diamonds, and Cecil Mosenson, Chamberlain's coach at Overbrook, was offered a coaching position if he could persuade Chamberlain to accept an offer. Chamberlain wished to experience life away from home, so he eliminated colleges from the East Coast; he also ruled out the South because of racial segregation and felt West Coast basketball was of a lower quality than in other regions. This left the Midwest as Chamberlain's probable choice. After visiting KU and talking with the school's coach, Phog Allen, Chamberlain announced he was going to play college basketball at Kansas.
In 1955, Chamberlain entered the University of Kansas (KU); he was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and was president of his pledge class. As he had at Overbrook, Chamberlain displayed his diverse athletic talent at KU. He ran the 100-yard dash in 10.9 seconds, shot-putted , triple jumped more than , and won the high jump in the Big Eight Conference track-and-field championships in three consecutive years. Chamberlain allegedly dunked on an experimental 12-foot basket set up by Phog Allen. Chamberlain's freshman team debut was highly anticipated; the freshman team played against the varsity, who were favored to win their conference that year. Chamberlain dominated his older college teammates by scoring 42 points (16, 35 from the field, 10, 12 on free throws), grabbing 29 rebounds, and registering 4 blocks.
Chamberlain was the catalyst for several 1956 NCAA basketball rule changes, including the requirement for a shooter to keep both feet behind the line during a free-throw attempt. He had a vertical leap, and was capable of converting foul shots by dunking without a running start, beginning his movement just steps behind the top of the key. An inbounds pass over the backboard was banned because of Chamberlain. Offensive goaltending, also called basket interference, was introduced as a rule in 1956 after Bill Russell had exploited it at San Francisco and Chamberlain was soon to enter college play. Chamberlain's prospects of playing under coach Allen ended when Allen turned 70 and retired shortly after in accordance with KU regulations. According to biographer Robert Cherry, it is doubtful Chamberlain would have chosen KU if he had known Allen was going to retire. Chamberlain had a poor relationship with Allen's successor, Dick Harp. For many years following Chamberlain's departure from KU, critics said he wanted to leave the Midwest or was embarrassed by not being able to win a championship. In 1998, Chamberlain returned to Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, to participate in a jersey-retiring ceremony for his 13 jersey. He said, "There's been a lot of conversation ... that I have some dislike for the University of Kansas. That is totally ridiculous.".
On the 3rd of December 1956, Chamberlain made his varsity basketball debut as a center for the Kansas Jayhawks. In his first game, he scored 52 points and grabbed 31 rebounds, breaking both all-time Kansas records in an 87, 69 win against the Northwestern Wildcats, a team with Chamberlain's future NBA teammate Joe Ruklick playing center. The Jayhawks were one of twenty-three teams selected to play in the 1957 NCAA basketball tournament. The Midwest Regional was held in Dallas, Texas, which at the time was segregated. In the first game, the Jayhawks played the all-white SMU Mustangs, and KU's John Parker later said: "The crowd was brutal. We were spat on, pelted with debris, and subjected to the vilest racial epithets possible." KU won 73, 65 in overtime, and police had to escort the Jayhawks out. The next game against Oklahoma City was equally unpleasant, with KU winning 81, 61. In the semifinals, the Jayhawks defeated the two-time defending national champion San Francisco Dons 80, 56; Chamberlain scored 32 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had (at least) seven blocked shots.
In the NCAA finals, the second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks played the top-ranked, undefeated North Carolina Tar Heels, led by All-American and National Player of the Year Lennie Rosenbluth. Tar Heels coach Frank McGuire used several unorthodox tactics to thwart Chamberlain. For the tip-off, he sent his shortest player Tommy Kearns to upset Chamberlain; and the Tar Heels spent the rest of the night triple-teaming him, one defender in front, one behind, and a third arriving as soon as he got the ball. With the Tar Heels' fixation on Chamberlain, the Jayhawks shot only 27% from the field in contrast with 64% for the Tar Heels, and trailed 22, 29 at halftime. With 10 minutes to go, North Carolina led 40, 37 and stalled the game as they passed the ball around with no intention of scoring a basket. After several Tar Heel turnovers, the game was tied at 46 at the end of regulation. Each team scored two points in the first overtime; Kansas froze the ball in return during the second overtime, keeping the game tied at 48. In the third overtime, the Tar Heels scored two consecutive baskets but Chamberlain executed a three-point play, leaving KU trailing 52, 51. After King scored a basket, Kansas was ahead by one point. With 10 seconds remaining, Tar Heels' center Joe Quigg pump faked then drove to the basket. Chamberlain blocked Quigg's shot but was also called for the foul. Quigg made his two foul shots to put the Tar Heels up 54, 53. For the final play, Harp called for Ron Loneski to pass the ball into Chamberlain in the low post but Quigg tipped the pass and Kearns recovered it, and the Tar Heels won the game. Despite the loss, Chamberlain, who scored 23 points and 14 rebounds, was elected the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. Chamberlain considered it the most painful loss of his life, the first time his team lost despite his impressive individual statistics. It is considered by sportswriters one of the sport's greatest games: North Carolina's first of six NCAA national titles, the first national final to go into overtime and still the only one to go into triple overtime.
In Chamberlain's junior season of 1957, 58, the Jayhawks' matches were increasingly frustrating for him. Knowing how good he was, opponents resorted to freeze-ball tactics and routinely used three or more players to guard him. Teammate Bob Billings commented, "It was not fun basketball ... we were just out chasing people throwing the basketball back and forth". Chamberlain averaged 30.1 points for the season and led the Jayhawks to an 18, 5 record , three of the losses coming while he was out with a urinary infection. The Jayhawks' season ended because KU came in second in the league and only conference winners were invited to the NCAA tournament. Chamberlain was again named an All-American, along with future NBA Hall-of-Famers Elgin Baylor of Seattle University, Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati, and Guy Rodgers, who was now playing for Temple University. Having lost enjoyment in NCAA basketball and wanting to earn money, Chamberlain left college and sold a story titled "Why I Am Leaving College" to Look magazine for $10,000, a large sum when NBA players earned $9,000 in a season. In two seasons at KU, he averaged 29.9 points and 18.3 rebounds per game while totaling 1,433 points and 877 rebounds. Despite only playing in 48 games and last playing in 1958, Chamberlain's 877 rebounds is still 8th all-time in Kansas history.
After his frustrating junior year, Chamberlain wanted to become a professional player. At that time, the NBA did not accept players until after their college graduating class had been completed; Chamberlain decided to play for the Harlem Globetrotters in 1958 for $50,000. The team enjoyed a sold-out tour of the Soviet Union in 1959; they were greeted by General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev prior to the start of a game at Moscow's Lenin Central Stadium. One Globetrotter skit involved Captain Meadowlark Lemon collapsing to the ground; instead of helping him up, Chamberlain threw him several feet into the air and caught him like a doll. Lemon, who at that time weighed , later said Chamberlain was "the strongest athlete who ever lived". In later years, Chamberlain frequently joined the Globetrotters in the off-season and fondly recalled his time there because he was no longer jeered at or asked to break records, but was one of several artists who loved to entertain audiences.
Chamberlain made his NBA debut on the 24th of October 1959, starting for the Philadelphia Warriors. He was listed as tall and . He became the NBA's highest-paid player when he signed for $30,000 in his rookie contract. In comparison, the previous top earner was Bob Cousy of the Celtics with $25,000, the same sum Eddie Gottlieb used to buy the Warriors franchise in 1952. In the 1959, 60 NBA season, Chamberlain joined a Philadelphia Warriors squad that was coached by Neil Johnston. All five starters were native Philadelphians: Chamberlain, Tom Gola, Guy Rodgers, Hall-of-Fame forward Paul Arizin, and Ernie Beck. In his first NBA game, played against the New York Knicks, Chamberlain scored 43 points and grabbed 28 rebounds. In his third game, Chamberlain recorded 41 points and a then-career-high 40 rebounds in a 124, 113 win over the visiting Syracuse Nationals. In his fourth game, Philadelphia played the reigning champion Boston Celtics, who were coached by Auerbach, whose offer Chamberlain had rejected several years before, and Bill Russell, who was lauded as one of the best defensive pivots in the game.
In the 1961, 62 NBA season, the Warriors were coached by Frank McGuire, who had masterminded Chamberlain's triple-overtime loss in the NCAA championship against the Tar Heels. In that year, Chamberlain set several all-time records which have since never been threatened; he averaged 50.4 points and grabbed 25.7 rebounds per game. Chamberlain's 4,029 regular-season points made him the only player to score more than 4,000 points. Chamberlain posted 2,052 rebounds and played for an average of 48.53 minutes per game, playing 3,882 of his team's 3,890 minutes. Because Chamberlain played in overtime games, he averaged more minutes per game than the regulation 48 and would have played every minute if he had not been ejected in one game after picking up a second technical foul with eight minutes left to play.
On the 2nd of March 1962, on a neutral court against the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Chamberlain scored 100 points. He shot 36 of 63 from the field and uncharacteristically made 28 of 32 free throws. Joe Ruklick got the assist for Chamberlain's 100th point. The game was not recorded on video, and only a radio broadcast of the fourth quarter remains. One writer notes the lack of video of the 100-point game "only added to its mystique". For years, former NBA Commissioner David Stern's office phone would play announcer Bill Campbell's call of the 100-point basket to callers on hold: "He made it! He made it! He made it! A Dipper Dunk!" In addition to Chamberlain's regular-season accomplishments, he scored 42 points in the All-Star Game. In the playoffs, the Warriors again played against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals; both Cousy and Russell called this season the greatest Celtics team of all time. Each team won their home games so the series was split at three after six games. In a closely contested Game 7, Chamberlain tied the game at 107 with 16 seconds to go but Celtics' shooting guard Sam Jones hit a clutch shot with two seconds left to win the series for Boston. In later years, Chamberlain was criticized for averaging 50 points but not winning a title; McGuire said "Wilt has been simply super-human" and that the Warriors lacked a consistent second scorer, a playmaker, and a second big man to take pressure off Chamberlain.
In the 1962, 63 NBA season, Gottlieb sold the Warriors franchise for $850,000 to a group of businessmen led by Franklin Mieuli from San Francisco and the team relocated and were renamed the San Francisco Warriors under new coach Bob Feerick. This meant the Warriors team dispersed; Arizin chose to retire rather than move away from his family and his job at IBM in Philadelphia, coach McGuire resigned rather than move to the West Coast, and Gola was homesick and requesting a trade to the New York Knicks halfway through the season. With both secondary scorers gone, Chamberlain continued exceeding his own statistics, averaging 44.8 points and 24.3 rebounds per game that year. Despite his individual success, the Warriors lost 49 of their 80 games and missed the playoffs.
In the 1963, 64 NBA season, Chamberlain got another new coach, former NBA player and ex-soldier Alex Hannum, and was joined by rookie center Nate Thurmond, who later entered the Hall of Fame. Hannum, who later entered the Hall of Fame as a coach, was a crafty psychologist who emphasized defense and passing, and was not afraid to stand up to the dominant Chamberlain, who would not communicate with coaches he did not like. Backed up by Thurmond, Chamberlain recorded 36.9 points and 22.3 rebounds per game, and the Warriors reached the NBA Finals. In that series, they again succumbed to Russell's Boston Celtics, losing 4, 1. According to Cherry, Chamberlain and Hannum deserved much credit because Hannum had taken the previous year's 31, 49 squad plus Thurmond, and became an NBA Finals contender. In mid-1964, Chamberlain, a prominent participant at Rucker Park basketball court in New York City, made the acquaintance of Lew Alcindor, a tall, talented, 17-year-old who played there. Alcindor was soon allowed into Chamberlain's inner circle and quickly idolized the ten-year-older Chamberlain. The pair later developed an intense rivalry and personal antipathy.
In the 1964, 65 NBA season, the NBA widened the lane from , especially because of centers like Chamberlain. The Warriors' season began poorly and they experienced financial trouble. At the 1965 All-Star Weekend, Chamberlain was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, the renamed former-rival and relocated Syracuse Nationals. Chamberlain did not like Sixers coach Dolph Schayes, who he thought had made several disrespectful remarks when they were rival players. The Warriors received $150,000 and Paul Neumann, Connie Dierking, and Lee Shaffer, who opted to retire rather than report to the Warriors. When Chamberlain left the Warriors, owner Franklin Mieuli said: "Chamberlain is not an easy man to love ... the fans in San Francisco never learned to love him. Wilt is easy to hate ... people came to see him lose." After the trade, a reluctant Chamberlain found himself on a promising Sixers team that included veteran shooting guard and future Hall-of-Famer Hal Greer and talented role-players such as point guard Larry Costello, small forward Chet Walker, and centers Johnny "Red" Kerr and Lucious Jackson. The team also included All-Rookie forward Billy Cunningham in the new sixth man role.
In the 1966, 67 NBA season, prior to the start of the season, Schayes was replaced by the more-assertive Alex Hannum. According to Cherry, in a locker room meeting, Hannum addressed several key issues he observed during the last season, several of them putting Chamberlain in an unfavorable light. Sixers forward Walker said on several occasions, players had to pull Chamberlain and Hannum apart to prevent a fistfight. Cunningham commented Hannum "never backed down" and "showed who was the boss", winning Chamberlain's respect. When emotions dissipated, Hannum told Chamberlain he was also trying to win a title but that to achieve this, Chamberlain had to "act like a man" both on and off the court. Hannum persuaded Chamberlain to change his style of play and wanted Chamberlain to concentrate more on defense than on trying to score. Kerr was traded to the Baltimore Bullets for point guard Wali Jones, and shooting guard Matt Guokas was selected in the first round of the 1966 NBA draft.
As a result of his style-of-play change, Chamberlain averaged a career-low 24.1 points and took only 14% of the team's shots, but was extremely efficient with a record-breaking .683 field-goal accuracy. He also led the league in rebounds per game (24.2), was third in assists per game (7.8), and played strong defense. His efficiency that season was reflected by 35 consecutive made field goals over four games in February. For these achievements, Chamberlain earned his third MVP award. The Sixers had a then-record 68, 13 season, including a record 46, 4 start. The formerly egotistical Chamberlain began to praise his teammates, lauding hardworking Lucious Jackson as the "ultimate power forward"; calling Greer a deadly jump-shooter; and Jones an excellent defender and outside scorer. Off the court, Chamberlain invited the team to restaurants and paid the entire bill, knowing he earned ten times more than the others. Greer, who was considered a consummate professional and often clashed with Chamberlain because of his attitude, spoke positively of him, saying, "You knew in a minute the Big Fella [Chamberlain] was ready to go ... and everybody would follow".
In the playoffs, the Sixers again played the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals and held home-court advantage. In Game 1, the Sixers beat Boston 127, 112, powered by Greer's 39 points and Chamberlain's unofficial quadruple double, with 24 points, 32 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 unofficially counted blocks. In Game 2, the Sixers won 107, 102 in overtime and player-coach Russell grudgingly praised Chamberlain for intimidating the Celtics into taking low-percentage shots from further outside. In Game 3, Chamberlain grabbed 41 rebounds and helped the Sixers win 115, 104. The Celtics prevented a sweep by winning Game 4 with a 121, 117 victory. Russell, who was coming close to the first real loss of his career, said, "Right now, he [Chamberlain] is playing like me [to win]". In Game 5, the Sixers outscored the Celtics 140, 116, ending Boston's historic run of eight consecutive NBA titles. Chamberlain scored 29 points, 36 rebounds, and 13 assists, and was praised by the Celtics' Russell and K. C. Jones. Philadelphia fans chanted "Boston is dead".
In the 1967 NBA Finals, the Sixers played against Chamberlain's old team the San Francisco Warriors, who were led by future Hall-of-Famers: star forward Rick Barry and center Nate Thurmond. The Sixers won the first two games; Chamberlain and Greer took credit for defense and clutch shooting. The Warriors won game 3, the Sixers won game 4 with Chamberlain contributing an official 10 blocked shots, and the Warriors won game 5; so Philadelphia was up 3, 2 prior to Game 6. In Game 6, the Warriors were trailing 123, 122 with 15 seconds left. For the last play, Thurmond and Barry tried a pick and roll against Chamberlain and Walker, but the Sixers foiled it because Walker held up Thurmond's ability to roll and Barry was defended by Chamberlain, making it impossible to shoot. By the time Barry made his move, Walker recovered back to Barry, who was stuck in the air and botched the shot. Jackson forced a jump ball on the rebound and the Sixers won the championship. Chamberlain, who contributed with 17.7 points and 28.7 rebounds per game against Thurmond, snaring at least 23 rebounds in the six games, said, "It is wonderful to be a part of the greatest team in basketball ... being a champion is like having a big round glow inside of you". This Sixers team has been ranked as one of the best in NBA history.
In the 1967, 68 NBA season, the relationship between Chamberlain and Sixers' owner Kosloff continued to deteriorate. In 1965, Chamberlain said he and Richman had worked out a deal that would give Chamberlain 25% of the franchise once he ended his career. Although there is no written proof of this agreement, Schayes and Sixers' lawyer Alan Levitt assumed Chamberlain was correct. Kosloff declined the request, angering Chamberlain, who was willing to move to the rival American Basketball Association (ABA) once his contract ended in 1967. Kosloff and Chamberlain worked out a truce and later signed a one-year, $250,000 contract. On the court, Chamberlain continued his focus on team play, and registered 24.3 points and 23.8 rebounds a game for the season. On the 18th of March 1968, in a 158, 128 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, Chamberlain had a quintuple-double with 53 points, 32 rebounds, 14 assists, 24 blocks, and 11 steals. Chamberlain also recorded then the most points in a triple-double. The 76ers had the best record in the league for the third consecutive season, and Chamberlain became the only center in NBA history to finish the season as the leader in total assists; his 702 beating runner-up point guard and future Hall-of-Famer Lenny Wilkens' total by 23. Chamberlain likened his assist title to baseball home-run hitter Babe Ruth leading the league in sacrifice bunts, and felt he dispelled the myth he was incapable or unwilling to pass the ball. For these achievements, Chamberlain won his fourth and final MVP title. He also scored his 25,000th point, making him the first-ever player to score that many points; he gave the ball to team physician Stan Lorber.
On the 9th of July 1968, the trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sixers was completed, making it the first time a reigning NBA MVP was traded the next season. Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke gave Chamberlain an unprecedented contract, paying him $250,000 after taxes, about $ million in real value; in comparison, previous Lakers top earner Jerry West was paid $100,000 before taxes, about $,000 in real value. For the 1968, 69 NBA season, Chamberlain joined a squad that included his fellow former All-American forward Elgin Baylor, Hall-of-Fame guard Jerry West, backup center Mel Counts, forwards Keith Erickson and Tom Hawkins, and guard Johnny Egan. According to Cherry, Chamberlain was not a natural leader or a loyal follower, which made it difficult to fit in. While he was on cordial terms with West, Chamberlain often argued with team captain Baylor, later saying in regard to Baylor: "We were good friends, but ... [in] black culture ... you never let the other guy one-up you". The lack of a second guard next to West and the lack of speed concerned coach Butch van Breda Kolff.
In the 1971, 72 NBA season, the Lakers hired former Celtics star guard Bill Sharman as head coach. Sharman introduced morning shoot-arounds, in which the perennial latecomer Chamberlain regularly participated, in contrast to earlier years with Schayes, and transformed him into a defensive-minded, low-scoring post defender in the style of Russell. Sharman told Chamberlain to use his rebounding and passing skills to quickly initiate fastbreaks to his teammates. While no longer being the main scorer, Chamberlain was named the Lakers' new captain. After rupturing his Achilles tendon, perennial captain Baylor retired and was replaced with Chamberlain. Initially, Sharman wanted Chamberlain and West to share this duty but West declined, stating he was injury-prone and wanted to concentrate on the game. Chamberlain accepted his new roles and posted an all-time low 14.8 points per game but also 19.2 rebounds per game, and led the league with a .649 field-goal percentage. Powered by his defensive presence, the Lakers had an unprecedented 33-game winning streak, leading to a then-record 69 wins in the regular season. According to Flynn Robinson, after the record-setting streak, Lakers owner Cooke sought to reward each of his players, who may have been expecting a trip to Hawaii, with a $5 pen set. In response, Chamberlain had everybody put the pens in the middle of the floor and stepped on them.
In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls then played against the Milwaukee Bucks, who were led by young center and regular-season MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly Lew Alcindor). Life called the matchup between Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar the greatest matchup in all sports. Chamberlain helped the Lakers defeat Abdul-Jabbar and the Bucks in six games, and he was lauded for his performance in Game 6, which the Lakers won 104, 100 after trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter. Chamberlain scored 24 points, grabbed 22 rebounds, played all 48 minutes, and outsprinted the younger Bucks center on several late Lakers fast breaks. West called it "the greatest ball-busting performance I have ever seen". Time stated, "In the N.B.A.'s western division title series with Milwaukee, [Chamberlain] decisively outplayed basketball's newest giant superstar, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, eleven years his junior".
In the NBA Finals, the Lakers again met the New York Knicks, who were shorthanded after losing Reed to injury, and undersized Jerry Lucas had to defend against Chamberlain. Prolific outside shooter Lucas helped New York to win Game 1, hitting 9 of his 11 shots in the first half. In Game 2, which the Lakers won 106, 92, Chamberlain put Lucas into foul trouble and the Knicks lost defensive power forward Dave DeBusschere to injury. In Game 3, Chamberlain scored 26 points and grabbed 20 rebounds for another Lakers win. In a fiercely battled Game 4, Chamberlain was playing with five fouls late in the game. Chamberlain had never fouled out in his career, a record for which he was very proud. Despite the risk of fouling out, Chamberlain played aggressive defense, and blocked two of Lucas' shots in overtime, proving wrong those who said he only played for his own statistics. He also scored a game-high 27 points and, at one point, fell on his right hand, and was thought to have sprained it, but it was broken. For Game 5, Chamberlain's hands were packed into thick pads that were normally used by defensive linemen in football; he was offered a painkilling shot but refused for fear he would lose his shooting touch if his hands became numb. Chamberlain recorded 24 points, 29 rebounds, 8 assists, and 8 blocked shots; announcer Keith Jackson counted the blocks during the broadcast. Chamberlain's all-around performance helped the Lakers win their first championship in Los Angeles with a decisive 114, 100 win. Chamberlain was named the Finals MVP, and admired for playing while injured.
In the 1969, 70 NBA season, Chamberlain began the season under new coach Joe Mullaney strongly, averaging 32.2 points and 20.6 rebounds per game over the first nine games of the season. During the ninth game, he had a serious knee injury, suffering a rupture of the patellar tendon at the base of his right kneecap, and he missed several months before appearing in the final three games of the 82-game regular season, the first season he failed to reach 20 rebounds per game. Owing to his strong start, he still put up a season-average 27.3 points, 18.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. The Lakers again made the playoffs. In the first round, the Lakers defeated Goodrich, Connie Hawkins, and the Phoenix Suns in a seven-game series. The Lakers swept the Atlanta Hawks in the second round before ultimately reaching the NBA Finals, where they played against the New York Knicks, which included future Hall-of-Famers Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Walt Frazier.
After the playoffs, Chamberlain challenged heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali to a fight. Chamberlain trained with Cus d'Amato for the 15-round bout, set to take place on the 26th of July 1971, in the Houston Astrodome. Ali refused to be intimidated, issuing his typical public boasts, this time of "Timber!" and "The tree will fall!". In 1965, Chamberlain consulted his father, who had seen Ali fight, and advised Chamberlain against it. Cooke offered Chamberlain a record-setting contract on the condition he agreed to give up what Cooke termed "this boxing foolishness". Chamberlain ultimately used a contractual escape; Joe Frazier gave Ali his first professional loss, enabling Chamberlain to legally withdraw from the bout. Retired NFL player Jim Brown, who acted as Chamberlain's manager since 1967, got Ali's manager Jabir Herbert Muhammad to mutually withdraw from the match set to take place at Madison Square Garden.
In the 1970, 71 NBA season, the Lakers signed Gail Goodrich, who had returned from the Suns. Chamberlain averaged 20.7 points, 18.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists; he once again led the NBA in rebounding and the Lakers won the Pacific Division title. When Hall-of-Fame Detroit Pistons center Bob Lanier, who was and as a rookie, was asked about the most memorable moment of his career, Lanier answered: "When Wilt Chamberlain lifted me up and moved me like a coffee cup so he could get a favorable position". After losing Baylor to an Achilles tendon rupture that effectively ended his career, and especially after losing West after a knee injury, the Lakers were seen as underdogs in the playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks of Alcindor, freshly crowned MVP, and the veteran Hall-of-Fame guard Robertson, whom they played in the Western Conference Finals. After winning the regular season with 66 wins, the Bucks were seen as favorites against the depleted Lakers; many pundits were looking forward to the matchup between the 34-year-old Chamberlain and the 24-year-old Alcindor. In Game 1, Alcindor outscored Chamberlain 32, 22 and the Bucks won 106, 85. In Game 2, the Bucks won again despite Chamberlain scoring 26 points, four more than his Milwaukee counterpart. Prior to Game 3, the Lakers' situation worsened when West's stand-in Erickson underwent an appendectomy and was out for the season. With rookie Jim McMillian easing the scoring pressure, Chamberlain scored 24 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in a 118, 107 victory but the Bucks defeated the Lakers 117, 94 in Game 4 to take a 3, 1 series lead. Milwaukee ended the series at home with a 116, 98 victory in Game 5. Although Chamberlain lost, he was lauded for holding his own against MVP Alcindor, who was 10 years younger and healthy.
Following his professional basketball career, Chamberlain played volleyball in the short-lived International Volleyball Association (IVA). He served one term as league president and is enshrined in the IVA Hall of Fame. Sportswriters had known Chamberlain by several nicknames during his playing career, calling attention to his height since his high school days. He disliked the ones that negatively portrayed his height, such as "Wilt the Stilt" and "Goliath", preferring "the Big Dipper", inspired by his friends who saw him dip his head as he walked through doorways. The name was retained in one of Chamberlain's signature moves, the "dipper dunk". He was one of the first players to make prominent use of shots like the fade away jump shot, and the finger roll. His success near the basket led to the widening of the lane, offensive goaltending rules, and the banning of inbound passes over the backboard. Chamberlain, always a poor free throw shooter, had the ability to dunk from the foul line, which led to the ruling that a free-throw shooter must keep his feet behind the line.
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Common questions
When and where was Wilt Chamberlain born?
Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born on the 21st of August 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up as the sixth of nine children to Olivia Ruth and William Chamberlain.
What records did Wilt Chamberlain set during his NBA career?
Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks on the 2nd of March 1962, became the first player to score 25,000 points, and led the league in total assists for a center season with 702 assists. He also averaged 50.4 points per game in the 1961, 62 NBA season and won four MVP awards.
Which college did Wilt Chamberlain attend before turning professional?
Chamberlain attended the University of Kansas from 1955 until 1958 after rejecting offers from other universities. He played under coach Phog Allen and later returned to Lawrence, Kansas, in 1998 for a jersey-retiring ceremony for his number 13 jersey.
How many championships did Wilt Chamberlain win in the NBA?
Wilt Chamberwin won one NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1967, 68 NBA season. He defeated the San Francisco Warriors in six games to secure the title and was named Finals MVP.
Did Wilt Chamberlain ever play basketball against Muhammad Ali?
No, Wilt Chamberlain never fought Muhammad Ali because he used a contractual escape clause to withdraw from the bout set for the 26th of July 1971. Joe Frazier gave Ali his first professional loss, which legally allowed Chamberlain to cancel the match.