I saw the team win a championship for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967. You'll recognize these famous names, but do they belong on the list? Youre not going to get a shot off in the first half. And he kept the promise blocking all nine of Walters shot attempts. "So Wilt said, 'There will be no more layups in this gym,' and he blocked every shot after that. Hes inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, the Volleyball hall of Fame, and the Kansas Jayhawk Hall of Fame. Sixers owner Josh Harris, rival group submit formal bids for Commanders, AP sources say. What Wilt did was shatter that quota the whole notion that this league would be a white mans enclave. Here's what really sets Wilt apart. With no sleep and a hangover, he boarded the train to Philadelphia at 8 AM. It might be the closest thing the NBA has to a single-game record that will never be broken. Philadelphia 76ers owner Ike Richman eventually talked Chamberlain out of the match, but the idea just wouldn't die. YouTube Gold: The Immense Power Of Wilt Chamberlain Their will never be another athlete that could come close to Wilt Chamberlain athletic abilities. Now if a player just looks at a star the wrong way, he gets called for a foul!! The two quickly became friends. Its still the signature record in basketball history. One of my favorites was when he scored 78 points against the Lakers in a triple overtime game. Wilt was playing against a good player named Walter Bellamy. Chamberlains single-season scoring record is so out of reach that only one player Michael Jordan in 198687 has even come within 1,000 points of it. Here is a clip of Wilt playing volleyball. Wilt went out and put on an Olympic-worthy performance. You must put away any notions of todays NBA when you consider the 1962 NBA. Now you can play.. And the ego was essential. A player never leaving the court for an entire season is insanity. All content 2000-2023 RealGM, L.L.C. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. WHYY thanks our sponsors become a WHYY sponsor, Wilt, 1962: The Night of 100 Points and the Dawn of a New Era.. Chamberlain loved cars, and he was known for cruising around in his Cadillac convertible or a custom-made lavender Bentley he'd imported from England. His number is retired by Kansas, and in the NBA, his number is retired by the teams he played for. Mark Tulin (author) from Long Beach, California on June 09, 2020: Spud, I dont know for sure, but it wouldnt surprise me. Battling Illness As a very young child, Chamberlain dealt with a brutal bout of pneumonia which nearly killed him. Wilt did what he wanted, when he wanted. Besides that, there are recordings of 122 of Wilt's games, mostly at the end of his career. 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. Incredible how fast he got down the court, takes like 12 steps to go the full length of the court. He also played Volleyball after his NBA career, and became a star. He and Chamberlain comprised an intimidating front court. Since they were practicing on the rims, Wilt was able to use his God-given talent and dunk the basketball on those rims. 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. Just to name a few: Most seasons leading the league in minutes: 8 Most points in a game: 100 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 Rulemakers also banned the practice of lobbing the ball in from the baseline directly over the backboard so a player like Chamberlain couldn't catch it near the basket in position for an easy score. The second highest total is Michael Jordan with 31. So Im going to attempt to keep them brief. A dipper dunk! Wilt was a dominant player, and that season he was particularly dominant as a scorer. Stars like Bumpy Johnson, Sammy Davis Jr., Malcom X, Frank Lucas, Nicky Barnes, Willie Mays, Sonny Liston Langston Hughes, Muhammad Ali were all known to hang around Smalls Paradise. Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player to ever live. He became the first (and . Collection of Wilt Chamberlain speed stories, Track and 40 times. On Kindle books. I loved the way he intimidated other players, changed the direction of their shots, and changed the course of the NBA game as we know it today. Wilt Chamberlain's accomplishments are widely known, from his 100 points in a game, 25,000 woman or never fouling out of a basketball game. Wilt Chamberlain weighed 275 lbs (124 kg) when playing. How about a triple double double! During a game against Boston, Wilt committed a hard foul on K.C. In 1967, Wilt decided to prove a point. Wilt Chamberlain | American basketball player | Britannica 18 Crazy Stories About NBA Legend Wilt Chamberlain - Ranker The mere mention of the Big Dipper's name evokes images of hoops dominance and romantic impossibilities. Harveys Take: Often overlooked in the enormity of Wilts scoring records was his ability as a passer. Was Wilt Chamberlain fast? - Quora And in that season he dropped 100 points against the New York Knicks. There are a lot of greats to choose from, all of whom are Hall of Famers. He was a mammoth of a man, and as strong as a bull. mczellers1@gmail.com on February 18, 2019: I look at how the refs favor the current superstars in the NBA, I have to think it was not so for Wilt, some or maybe many called a very tight game and may have favored lesser players from time to time! The Lakers were playing games in Seattle and in San Francisco. Now, its exploding lights and flash and glamour. There is something about this specific record that, for me, goes well beyond sports and goes to math, the base-10 number system. Harvey Pollack s Most Memorable Wilt Performances. Do the superstars of today measure up to the past legends? I traveled with the Warriors during these peak years when Wilt was dropping 50 or more points. Who Is The GOAT? Wilts 100-point game [also] carries important symbolism. According to David M. Pomerantz's exquisite must-read Wilt, 1962, lifelong friend and confidante Lynda Huey thought that number sounded about right. He became board member of the newly founded International Volleyball Association in 1974 and became its president one year later. Chamberlain promoted the sport so effectively that he was named to the Volleyball Hall of Fame, he became one of the few athletes who were enshrined in different sports. The following year the IVA All-Star game was televised only because Chamberlain played in it. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. '5 Things You Didn't Know About' appears every Friday. When Wilt died, two numbers became the shorthand summary of Wilts life: 20,000 and 100. After Retirement Wilt got heavily into Volleyball. It's still the signature record in basketball history. So this [crowd estimate] was 4,124. This game was played in Hershey, Pennsylvania, between a team from New York and a team from Philadelphia. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. He also played polo, tennis, paddle ball, and water skied. The next highest field goal attempt number on the Warriors was Paul Arizin, who had 18. This game happens at a moment when the NBAs ascendence, dominance is certainly not inevitable. That record still stands to this day and no one will come near it. Ive had never seen Russell more distraught than that game when Wilt grabbed 55 rebounds. Wilt Chamberlain - Stats, Death & Career - Biography He used his size and athletic ability perfectly. Tools and Resources Used by Real General Managers. Read the previous installments here.. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. He stopped me dead in my tracks with his arm, hugged me and lifted me off the floor with my feet dangling. After his basketball career, volleyball became Chamberlain's new passion. Well, its possible when you literally never leave the floor and a few of the games go into overtime. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. We'll try to answer the question of how dominant he really was, why he only won two championships, and why he didn't really like to dunk - so stay tuned!How Good Was Wilt Chamberlain Actually? What we have is the fourth-quarter play-by-play call of WCAU sportscaster Bill Campbell. Against the Knicks, Wilt took 63 of the teams 115 field goal attempts and made 36 of them. This was how the NBA tried to develop its base. Wilt Chamberlain. Just to name a few: Once Wilt got upset with me and dunked the ball so hard it went through the rim with such force that it broke my toe as it hit the floor. In which he out jumped all of Kansas current high jumpers. The news was as stunning and jarring as one of his typical NBA box scores. Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? Legend has it that it featured the only working air-conditioning in Harlem. 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. And the game, you know, has been launched into sports mythology. Its debatable that Kobes 81 may never be reached again, so Wilts 100 remains the stuff of legend something no mere mortal could actually attain. He made it! As if in a scene from. Its a pretty big arena, but its half-filled? Not only because of their overlapping histories, but because of their shared approaches. Im Walter Bellamy. Wilt responded with Hello Mr. Bellamy. Most people would just resign themselves to driving some big boxy ride with plenty of legroom in this situation. Wilt Chamberlain fastbreak sprint : r/nba - Reddit The Boston Celtics played in Providence. He was the only player the rules of the game were changed for. Did Wilt Chamberlain really have a 48 inch vertical? Wilt was big 8 high jump and shot put champion in college. The Stilt burst onto the NBA scene in 195960 and not only set the rookie single-game record with 58 points, but matched it less than a month later. What do you, the writer of this article, think of Wilt Chamberlain's endurance? Jerry West, from "Wilt: Larger than Life". Chamberlain averaged 22.9 for his career. Since then, only six rookies have cracked 50 in a game with Brandon Jennings being the last back in 2009. WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. Hannum was convinced it would have been the 180lb guard Al Attles but it turned out to be the (at the time 300lbs) Wilt Chamberlain Learn more about Social Responsibility at WHYY. Its a cold Friday night in early March. Wilt was playing pickup games against Magic Johnson and Norm Nixon in his mid-forties. (Of course Wilt won the MVP of the game.) I was glued in front of my old black and white TV trying to fix the rabbit ears so I could see the Sixers play the Boston Celtics on the old parquet floors of the Boston Garden. Wallace_Wallace Assistant Coach Posts: 3,971 And1: 4,900 Joined: Jul 28 . I grew up watching Wilt and I went to several games at the Spectrum. Yes. I remember watching this first clip somewhere (probably the same video). Though Wilt Chamberlain mainly added value to his teams as a scorer, it looks like he wasn't much of a playoff scorer at all. His dominance of his sport was overwhelming. As a Kansas Track and Field athlete, Wilt won the Big 8 (which is now the Big XII) championships three years running by high jumping upwards of 50 inches on the high jump. Actually thats below average by todays standards. It also helped launch the legend of Wilt a superstar who would help . Harveys Take: Wilt and Russell played against each other 142 times throughout their careers. Wilt skipped his Senior season at Kansas choosing instead to play with the famed Harlem Globetrotters. He arrived several hours before the game and played an arcade shooting game in the area before tip off. Half-filled in the famous chocolate town of Hershey. After losing in the finals of the NCAA tournament during his junior year at Kansas, Wilt wanted to make the leap to the NBA. Both are in the hall of fame for each sport and both are considered, or at least in the argument as the greatest ever in their two sports. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. In his 14-year NBA career, Wilt Chamberlain routinely put up video-game-like numbers. Wilt Chamberlain was inducted to the Hall of Fame as a Player in 1979 . Together we can reach 100% of WHYYs fiscal year goal. For crying out loud Ben Wallace floored a Miami shaq with a clean block, imagine 7'1", 7'8" wingspan, 300 pound l wilt who could bench 500 (550 after he retired) jump between 43 and 49 inches in the air, supposedly run the 40 in 4.5 seconds against shaq, it would be a block party. As a teenager, Chamberlain was sought after by more than 100 colleges and universities after his play at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia. So what happened on this particular on the court that allowed him to reach this unsurpassed peak? He did things that are still incomprehensible and nearly superhuman.. Im trying to square those two things and picture what it would have felt like. The most dominant player the NBA has ever seen died 11 years ago today. And that did not include the kids who snuck into the arena in the usual ways. He then asked who was next and the guy said You are, Wilt. Wilt Chamberlain was 7-1 (216 cm) tall. The average center in Wilt's prime was taller and heavier than they are now. 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. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and their up and down relationship and where it went sour. He had a Goliath syndrome. According to Chamberlain's sister Barbara, the former NBA star was known to run across the roofs of Los Angeles on the hunt for a swimming pool in which he could soak his hulking frame. Jim was mad and raced Wilt again. NBA rules didn't allow players who hadn't finished college, though, so Wilt signed up with the Globetrottters. Chamberlain was notorious for always seeking out a new challenge, but he missed out on one that became one of the great "what if? When he retired following the 1972-73 season, it was 128 times. He played occasional matches for the IVA Seattle Smashers before the league folded in 1979. Best we can tell if we are to listen to Wilts narration the night before, thats what he was doing. There might have been taller, heavier athletes, but none as good as Wilt the Stilt, the man who fashioned the finger roll, the player that dominated the game so much that other players and coaches thought it was unfair. His shot put was 53 feet when the world record was 63 feet. 8. 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. Wilt was an oversized LeBron, which is even more amazing that it sounds when you think what happens to the body with that scaling. He learned when he was 34 years old. If you are having problems using this website, including problems accessing any portion of this site using screen reader technology, please call 215-952-7000 or email 76ersservice@76ers.com for assistance. Chamberlain and Arnold also had several different encounters in the weight room. Your imagination is triggered by it, though. No player has had more big scoring games than Wilt and its not even close. The 21 assists was a Sixers single-game assist mark for many years. To order, mail a check for $20.00 to Harvey Pollack, Philadelphia 76ers, 3601 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148. For more information, please see our Wilt Chamberlain in 1972 with the Los Angeles Lakers. Well, it was a difficult moment to be an usher. Known for shooting a fake horse with a fake gun. In the end he was able to win the Big 8 track and field championships three straight years. At Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia, he was an avid track and field star: He high jumped 6 feet, 6 inches; ran the 440 yards in 49.0 seconds and the 880 yards in 1:58.3; propelled the shot put 53 feet, 4 inches; and broad jumped 22 feet. Wilt was told that he would make more money if he passed the ball more so Wilt did what any good player would do in response and led the league in assists the following season. Needless to say the player in the East has the newsman write an apology letter to Wilt for misquoting him. Gary Payton had a good night and Thomas Bryant put his name in the record books by each going 1414, but theyre the only two players to even come close in the last four decades. Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? Here are 10 Wilt Chamberlain records that will probably never be broken all found via StatMuse. In his legendary 196162 season, Wilt Chamberlain played an NBA record 47 consecutive complete games, meaning he didnt go to the bench even for one second. How Good Was Wilt Chamberlain Actually? - YouTube the story goes Magic made a game ending foul call that angered Wilt greatly. It's time to settle the age-long debate of who ran the ball best! To me, Wilt Chamberlain was the Greatest Athlete of all times. Wilt even competed in track and field in college in both jumping, field, and running, track. There are game tapes of him going up for a block and his fingers are parallel to the top of the backboard. Often times the day would end with Breakfast dances at 8 am. 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. (AP Photo/Paul Vathis, File). If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Jerry West, Wilt and the '72 Lakers | by Loren Kantor - Medium Is it really true that Wilt could bench 600 pounds in his prime? Theres Joe DiMaggios 56-game hitting streak. "He would a tricep extesion, the biggest strongest guys would do 120 and he would come and do 150, 170 pounds.". How much did Wilt Chamberlain weigh when playing? For comparison with OTHER NBA players who have run these same kinds of races (that unfortunately are no longer the standard distances for Track and Field) here's a collection of their times (many came from 1970's and early 1980's tv series called "superstars" which challenged pro athletes at various events) for some context: 5.8 Shaquille O'Neal (note - in his 30's, @ 340lbs), 100 Yard Dash (slightly shorter than a 100m), 10.00 Elvin Hayes claimed he used to run it at this speed in High School, 220 yard dash (slightly longer than 200m), 300 meter dash (From a Milwaukee Bucks 1970 training camp), 440 yard dash (slightly longer than 400m), note - all three of these guys were competitive Track and Field athletes, 880 yard/half mile race (slightly longer than 800m). That's completely insane. Wilt was at a party with legendary NFL running back Jim Brown when they got into an argument about who is faster. Financially, Chamberlain probably made out like a bandit by skipping the NBA to head to Harlem.
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