Wilton Norman “Wilt” Chamberlain (August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American basketball player….who played for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA)…..while playing for the University of Kansas Jayhawks in college…..and also for the Harlem Globetrotters before playing in the NBA. The 7′ 1″ Chamberlain weighed 250 pounds as a rookie….before bulking up to 275 and eventually to over 300 pounds with the Lakers. He played the center position and is widely considered one of the greatest and most dominant players in NBA history.
Chamberlain holds numerous NBA records in scoring, rebounding, and durability categories. He is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game or average more than 40 and 50 points in a season. He also won seven scoring titles….eleven rebounding titles….nine field goal percentage titles….even led the league in assists once.… and is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game in a season….something that he accomplished seven times. He is also the only player to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game over the entire course of his NBA career. Although he suffered a long string of professional losses….Wilt had a successful career while winning two NBA championships…earning four regular-season Most Valuable Player awards….the Rookie of the Year award….one NBA Finals MVP award….while being selected to 13 All-Star Games and ten All-NBA First and Second teams….and was subsequently enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978 and was elected into the NBA’s 35th Anniversary Team of 1980, and chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History of 1996.
Chamberlain was known by various nicknames during his basketball playing career….who hated the ones that called attention to his height such as “Goliath” and “Wilt the Stilt”…. which was coined during his high school days by a Philadelphia sportswriter….as he preferred “The Big Dipper”….which was inspired by his friends who saw him dip his head as he walked through doorways. After his basketball career ended, Chamberlain played volleyball in the short-lived International Volleyball Association….and was president of this organization….as he is enshrined in the IVA Hall of Fame for his contributionsSo, can you imagine “The Big Dipper” slamming a spike in your direction at the apex of his jump !?!….talk about “pancake face”. Chamberlain was also a successful businessman….authored several books….and appeared in the movie Conan the Destroyer. He was a lifelong bachelor who became notorious for his claim to have had sexual intercourse with as many as 20,000 women. Does that give a whole new meaning to the word “STUD” or what !?!
Any way you cut the pie….Wilt “The Big Dipper” Chamberlain was a one of a kind on the basketball court….who during his day had only one man that could even come close to comparing with his talent….a man who just happened to be his arch nemisis on the court….and his best friend off the court…who was also a “one and only basketball player….Boston Celtics 11 time world champion center Bill Russell….as this video showcases a true basketball legend.
