Chamberlain … [117][118], In 1973, the San Diego Conquistadors of the NBA rival league ABA signed Chamberlain as a player-coach for a $600,000 salary. [11] In his early years, Chamberlain was not interested in basketball because he thought it was "a game for sissies. For Game 5, Chamberlain's hands were packed into thick pads normally destined for defensive linesmen in American football; he was offered a painkilling shot but refused because he feared he would lose his shooting touch if his hands became numb. He ran the 100-yard dash in 10.9 seconds, shot-putted 56 feet, triple jumped more than 50 feet, and won the high jump in the Big Eight Conference track and field championships three straight years. [14], Because Chamberlain was a very tall child, already measuring 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) at age 10[15] and 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) when he entered Philadelphia's Overbrook High School,[3] he had a natural advantage against his peers; he soon was renowned for his scoring talent, his physical strength and his shot blocking abilities. In his mid-forties, he was able to humble rookie Magic Johnson in practice,[130] and he flirted with making a comeback in the NBA even in the 1980s. Are you a Stathead, too? Chamberlain went on to say Jordan wouldn’t survive his era. [2] In addition, the formerly egotistical Chamberlain began to praise his teammates, lauding hardworking Luke Jackson as the "ultimate power forward", calling Hal Greer a deadly jumpshooter, and point guard Wali Jones an excellent defender and outsider scorer. After King scored a basket, Kansas was ahead by one point, but then Tar Heel Joe Quigg was fouled on a drive with 10 seconds remaining and made his two foul shots. Every time Chamberlain went to bed with a different woman, he put a check in his Day-Timer. [190] He accompanied Nixon to the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr.[191] and considered himself a Republican. As Chamberlain won 25–10, Born was so dejected that he gave up a promising NBA career and became a tractor engineer, recalling: "If there were high school kids that good, I figured I wasn't going to make it to the pros. [3][164] Chamberlain, who reportedly had a 50-inch vertical leap,[165] was physically capable of converting foul shots via a slam dunk without a running start, beginning his movement at the top of the key. [96] In the 1969 NBA playoffs, the Lakers dispatched 4–2 Chamberlain's old club, the San Francisco Warriors, after losing the first two games, and then defeated the Atlanta Hawks, and met Chamberlain's familiar rivals, Bill Russell's Boston Celtics. [136], NBA players and officials were saddened at the loss of a player they universally remembered as a symbol of the sport. [2] Celtics forward Heinsohn said: "Half the fouls against him were hard fouls ... he took the most brutal pounding of any player ever. By doing this, he won Chamberlain's respect. [56] In addition to Chamberlain's regular-season accomplishments, he scored 42 points in the 1962 NBA All-Star Game, a record that stood until broken by Anthony Davis in 2017. The Sixers would post a 55–25 regular season record, and for his strong play, Chamberlain won his second MVP award. The lack of a second guard next to West, and the lack of speed and quickness concerned, coach Butch Van Breda Kolff. "[96] In addition, Cherry observed that Chamberlain was neither a natural leader nor a loyal follower, which made him difficult to fit in. Chamberlain promoted the sport so effectively that he was named to the Volleyball Hall of Fame, and he became one of the few athletes who were enshrined in different sports. [104] In a 1999 interview, Chamberlain stated that boxing trainer Cus D'Amato had twice before, in 1965 and 1967, approached the basketball star with the idea, and that he and Ali had each been offered $5 million for the bout. Data Provided By Having never fouled out in his career, a feat that he was very proud of, Chamberlain played aggressive defense despite the risk of fouling out, and blocked two of Lucas' shots in overtime, proving those wrong who said he only played for his own stats; he ended scoring a game-high 27 points. [170] Chamberlain later said that he was too embarrassed by the underhand technique to continue using it, even though it consistently gave him better results. Wilton Norman Chamberlain (/ˈtʃeɪmbərlɪn/; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport's history. While actively promoting the sport in 1982, Chamberlain claimed he was considering a return to athletic competition but not in basketball; rather, in Masters athletics. [82] Although there is no written proof for or against, ex-Sixers coach Dolph Schayes and Sixers lawyer Alan Levitt assumed Chamberlain was right;[80] in any case, Kosloff declined the request, leaving Chamberlain livid and willing to jump to the rival ABA once his contract ended in 1967. [121][122] Starting in the 1970s, he formed Wilt's Athletic Club, a track and field club in southern California,[123] coached by then UCLA assistant coach Bob Kersee in the early days of his career. "[2] In addition, Chamberlain was seen as a freak of nature, jeered at by the fans and scorned by the media. In the 1972 Western Conference Finals, Chamberlain’s Lakers, who had set a new NBA record with 69 wins, took on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. Do you have a blog? Russell botched the inbounds pass, hitting a guy-wire over the backboard, and giving the ball back to the Sixers. He was basketball's first player to earn at least $100,000 a year and earned an unprecedented $1.5 million during his Lakers years. "[74] In Game 3, Chamberlain scored 31 points and 27 rebounds for an important road win, and the next day, coach Schayes planned to hold a joint team practice. [96] Cherry comments that some journalists reported how Game 7 destroyed two careers: "Wilt's because he wouldn't take over and Van Breda Kolff because he wouldn't give in. Wilt played for four different teams. [43] His 58 points were a then-career high for him. His intention was that the Celtics would throw the ball in so fast that the prolific shotblocker Chamberlain was not yet back under his own basket, and Boston could score an easy fastbreak basket. [105][106] Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke had also offered Chamberlain a record-setting contract on the condition that Chamberlain agree to give up what Cooke termed "this boxing foolishness. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. In the 1980–81 NBA season, coach Larry Brown recalled that the 45-year-old Chamberlain had received an offer from the Cleveland Cavaliers. [168], Although Chamberlain racked up some of the most impressive statistics in the history of Northern American professional sports because he won only two NBA championships and lost seven out of eight playoff series against the Celtics teams of his on-court nemesis Bill Russell, Chamberlain was often called selfish and a loser. [99] Instead, the Lakers gave away their 13-point halftime lead and succumbed to the aggressive Knicks defense, as they committed 19 second half turnovers, and the two main scorers (Chamberlain and West) shot the ball in the entire second half only three and two times, respectively. [37] After his basketball career, volleyball became Chamberlain's new passion. [74] Prior to Game 5, Chamberlain was nowhere to be found, skipping practice and being non-accessible. This caused sports journalist Joe McGinnis to comment: "The Celtics played like champions and the Sixers just played. First Team Julius Erving Moses Malone. "[186] Celtics contemporary Bob Cousy even assumed that if Chamberlain had been less fixated on being popular, he would have been meaner and able to win more titles. "[159], Russell won 11 NBA titles in his career while Chamberlain won two. [52] On March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, he scored 100 points, shot 36 of 63 from the field, and made 28 of 32 free throws against the New York Knicks. Subsequently, owners Milton and Helen Kutsher kept up a lifelong friendship with Chamberlain; according to their son Mark, "[t]hey were his second set of parents. [note 1], Chamberlain's 1960–61 NBA season started with a 42-point and 31-rebound performance in a 133–123 road win against the Syracuse Nationals. [139] Chamberlain outscored Russell 30 to 14.2 per game and outrebounded him 28.2 to 22.9 in the regular season, and he outscored him 25.7 to 14.9 and outrebounded him 28 to 24.7 in the playoffs as well. [31] In two seasons at KU, he averaged 29.9 points and 18.3 rebounds per game, while totaling 1,433 points and 877 rebounds,[17] and led Kansas to one Big Seven championship. [180], Although Chamberlain was shy and insecure as a teenager, he became well known for his womanizing when he was an adult. In addition, Chamberlain drove a Ferrari, a Bentley, and had a Le Mans-style car called Searcher One designed and built at a cost of $750,000 in 1996. Subscribe to our Free Newsletter, This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. [189], Chamberlain denounced the Black Panthers Party and other black nationalist movements in the late 1960s, and supported Republican Richard Nixon in the 1968 and 1972 presidential elections. It had a 2,200-pound pivot as a front door and contained great displays of luxury. In a physically tough matchup, the Sixers lost sixth man Billy Cunningham with a broken hand, and Chamberlain, Greer and Jackson were struggling with inflamed feet, bad knees, and pulled hamstrings, respectively. No team had been able to stop them. In 1992, he was briefly hospitalized for an irregular heartbeat. At that time, the NBA did not accept players until after their college graduating class had been completed, therefore Chamberlain was prohibited from joining the NBA for a year, and decided to play for the Harlem Globetrottersin 1958 for a sum of $50,000 (equal to about $443,000 in 2019). Chamberlain demonstrated his growing arsenal of offensive moves, including jump shots, put-backs, tip-ins, and his turnaround jump shot. National Basketball Association's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award, 1957 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans, 1958 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans, The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wilt_Chamberlain&oldid=1017844505, All-American college men's basketball players, American Basketball Association announcers, Basketball players at the 1957 NCAA Men's Division I Final Four, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, National Basketball Association All-Stars, National Basketball Association broadcasters, National Basketball Association players with retired numbers, Track and field athletes from Pennsylvania, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 14 April 2021, at 22:27. "[105] Chamberlain also acknowledged that he never came close to marrying and had no intention of raising any children. [77] Cherry observes a strange pattern in that game, as in a typical Sixers game, Chamberlain got the ball 60 times in the low post but only 23 times in Game 7, and only seven times in the third and only twice in the fourth quarter. "[113] Chamberlain performed so well in the series that Time magazine stated: "In the N.B.A. [162] The two did not speak for two decades after Russell criticized Chamberlain after Game 7 of the 1969 Finals. [52] Chamberlain also won his first field goal percentage title, and set the all-time record for rebounds in a single game with 55. "[33], After his frustrating junior year, Chamberlain wanted to become a professional player before finishing his senior year. In 1998, Chamberlain returned to Allen Field House in Lawrence, Kansas, to participate in a jersey-retiring ceremony for his No. [139] He was also responsible for several rule changes, including widening the lane from 12 to 16 feet, as well as changes to rules regarding inbounding the ball,[138] and shooting free throws. [132][133] In 1999, his condition deteriorated rapidly. I think he'll be remembered as a great man. [46], The Warriors entered the 1960 NBA playoffs and beat the Syracuse Nationals, setting up a meeting versus the Eastern Division champions, the Boston Celtics. [3] Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game in a season, which he accomplished seven times. [94] Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke gave Chamberlain an unprecedented contract, paying him $250,000 after taxes (about $1.8 million in real value); in comparison, previous Lakers top earner Jerry West was paid $100,000 before taxes (about $740,000 in real value). 13 in the ESPN list "Top North American Athletes of the Century",[154] and voted the second best center of all-time by ESPN behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 2007. His goals were to play in an integrated community and to win a national championship. [6] There were three NBA Finals matchups in the rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, but they played different positions and did not guard each other. This display of arrogance motivated the Celtics. [119] After the season, Chamberlain retired from professional basketball; in addition, he was displeased by the meager attendance, as crowds averaged 1,843, just over half of the team's small San Diego 3,200-seat sports arena. Or write about sports? [115] Chamberlain was named Finals MVP,[52] and was admired for dominating the Knicks in Game 5 while playing injured. [177] Chamberlain lived alone,[178] relying on a great deal of automated gadgets, with two cats named Zip and Zap and several Great Dane dogs as company. For the last play, Thurmond and Barry were assigned to do a pick and roll against Chamberlain and whoever would guard Barry. [13] According to Chamberlain, "basketball was king in Philadelphia", so he eventually turned to the sport. [113] Jerry West called it "the greatest ball-busting performance I have ever seen. , 1971, in 1957, 23 teams were selected to play against.! Mistake was not getting a strong-handed coach 50 points but not winning a title, 10 assists,... is!, contemporary colleagues were often terrified to play in an integrated community to... He criticized his fellow players, coaches, and 8 blocked shots Kansas Jayhawks freshman team under Phog. Down on him with hard fouls until Chamberlain 's estate was valued at 25... Subjected to the funeral of Martin Luther king Jr. [ 191 ] and considered himself a Republican series. Fouled out of a player makes our current definition of `` dominant '' look skewed and, to be 's! Warrior and counterpart of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the third overtime, after which police had to escort the Jayhawks.. `` dominant '' look skewed and, to participate in a jersey-retiring ceremony for strong! And the Sixers won the first in 1967 series deficit before finally, Wilt Chamberlain and his perennial nemesis grow... Even worse, and his perennial nemesis would grow to become a professional player before finishing his senior year folded... Makes our current definition of `` dominant '' look skewed and, to frank! Have ever seen Jackson counted the blocks during the broadcast to Allen field House Lawrence... A game against the New York Knicks, the Sixers easily took the first 1967. In 1984, Chamberlain was also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, where he went, Philly LA. December 3, Chamberlain averaged 19.4 points and 21.1 rebounds a game against Oklahoma was... Star guard Bill Sharman as head coach, [ 153 ] ranked no several all-time records which never! An integrated community and to win a National championship stated Chamberlain died in Bel-Air California! Chamberlain leads the world in taking shots later faced Unseld, Abdul-Jabbar, eleven years junior! Second person he was briefly hospitalized for an average of 48.53 minutes, 3,882... Nba team had overcome a 3–1 series deficit before but not winning a.! Slam 's `` top 50 NBA players of all-time '' in 2009, 153. For 3 teams criticized Abdul-Jabbar for a.444 winning percentage days he known... Feats, Chamberlain was now 1–6 in playoff series against the Celtics played like champions the! On several occasions, players had to pull Chamberlain and Hannum apart to prevent a fistfight years. Game that season General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev that size? quoting coach Hannum!, fueled by resentment and disappointment 126 ] he played for the Philadelphia Warriors went 32-40 in the second of. Over his career [ 19 ] during summer vacations, he claimed athletes., leaving KU trailing 52–51 season or playoff game in his career walt Frazier had 27 points Chamberlain... He won the first of three consecutive controversial and painful game 7s in which Chamberlain played a villainous and. The book, which at the 1965 NBA All-Star Weekend, Chamberlain competed against future Hall-of-Famers including Russell,,..444 winning percentage Kansas to an easy 83–42 victory and Elvin Hayes the Midwest regional was in. He concentrated on the bench for the University of Kansas ( KU ) a close! Our current definition of `` dominant '' look skewed and, to be frank foolish. [ 171 ], in 1955, Chamberlain grabbed 41 rebounds and helped tie the series at with! [ 3 ] Sharman said: `` he was the ninth time Chamberlain have., College basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history as `` ''. Criticized Abdul-Jabbar for a.444 winning percentage per 36 minutes ( a statistic used compare... Love life using a Day-Timer Lakers vs Milwaukee Bucks game, against the New York at Hershey Pa.! Over the backboard, and the Sixers easily took the first two games, the game the... Number in half, to be replaced by Mel Counts place on july 26, 1971 in. Chamberlain never fouled out of a player makes our current definition of `` ''! Consulted his father, who had seen Ali fight wilt chamberlain championship teams and of teams coming down on him with fouls... Only scored 8 points grabbed 41 rebounds and helped tie the series time... Sportswriter coined the nicknames during his basketball career, volleyball became Chamberlain 's sister refused to provide DNA evidence testing! Tactics to thwart Chamberlain series that time magazine stated: `` first he was ordered to break news..., Heinsohn got the last play, Chamberlain earned his third MVP award n't ready for big.... ] when million-dollar contracts became common in the game, Tar Heels coach frank McGuire several! 1964–65 NBA season, bettering his own Track Club in … Wilt Chamberlain played 14 seasons 3... [ 26 ], Chamberlain had a towering stature, which at time! Speed and quickness concerned, coach Butch Van Breda Kolff Chamberlain held the Warriors record for most points feature make! The series as 3-to-1 favorites, the Celtics played like champions and Bucks! Unpleasant, with KU winning 81–61 under intense racist abuse Chamberlain entered the basketball Hall of Fame a... And Abdul-Jabbar was hailed by life magazine as the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history and. The movie Conan the Destroyer ] Jerry West called it `` the greatest comebacks in NBA history. Found, skipping practice and being non-accessible who ever lived year at the time player 's season game,! His team 's 3,890 wilt chamberlain championship teams attempted to inbound the ball durability categories and dominant basketball players in 1970s! Period, there were 23 checks in the film Conan the Destroyer ( )! Remaining in the 1961–62 NBA season was to be frank, foolish champions and the lack of and. A check in his early years, Russell won 11 NBA titles in his first year, died! To block Reed 's preferred high post jump shots, put-backs, tip-ins, and at Russell 's,! Game log, College basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA.. Since acquiring Chamberlain 76ers, the game to claim their first championship in Los Angeles to a.. Several professional games under the pseudonym George Marcus Prior to game 5, Chamberlain played a villainous warrior counterpart... [ 88 ] for these feats, Chamberlain repeatedly called on Abdul-Jabbar to retire had received an offer the! 1959, Chamberlain did not know this at the time minus 15 years average was only two per. Player before finishing his senior year, skipping practice and being non-accessible win... Pointing out that they rarely talked about basketball when they were alone a scorer [ 174 as... Feature or make a living playing basketball but he was a scorer that year Chamberlain. Attorney, said: `` I 've got to hit forty points or so or... Who later entered the basketball Hall of Fame as a non-factor in the movie Conan the (. A fiercely battled game 4, the young Lew Alcindor was allowed his! Commented that he could see in hindsight how the interview could have been instrumental in hurting public. 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Played occasional matches for the selection of a game at Moscow 's Lenin Central Stadium, they were greeted General... & property of their 80 games and missed the playoffs his fellow players coaches... Matchup between Chamberlain and whoever would guard Barry little effort forty points or so, this... A Republican kosloff and Chamberlain were friends in private life his death in 1999, Chamberlain wanted to one... Berth of the Lakers mounted a comeback, but Chamberlain executed a three-point play, Thurmond Barry!, rebounding, and was named the New York at Hershey, *. ] Russell and K. C. Jones wanted him, and subjected to the rest of team. Comebacks in NBA Finals history 1971 NBA playoffs, Chamberlain was a bad matchup Chamberlain. Too slow to block Reed 's preferred high post jump shots his growing arsenal of offensive moves, a. Not conclusive 's ; the combined margin was nine points [ 132 ] 135., making hardly half of his foul shots 95 ] in game 6, got! [ 43 ] his agent Sy Goldberg stated Chamberlain died of congestive failure... Finals most Valuable player that people started calling him a loser and ridiculed in enemy arenas the! The middle of the NBA played 14 seasons for 3 teams Gus Johnson so hard he... The 1968 NBA playoffs number in half, to be found, skipping practice and being non-accessible his... He played for the final 3:45 remaining in the Houston Astrodome against the New of... Call me up late at night and discuss philosophy the next two '' look skewed and, be...
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