Would race his teammates giving them basically a 1/4 of the court head start (they start at FT line, he starts at baseline), and they'd have to run as fast as they could just to still not get beat, Faster than 6-3 Hal Greer in only a 1/2 court distance race in two different attempts after Greer challenged Wilt, Greer is cited as the fastest guard in the NBA at that time, Faster than Al Attles (and the rest of his Warriors team) in a full court race after Wilt and Attles' coach Alex Hannum set up races to see who the fastest players on the Warriors team were. Yes. In an unusually modest conversation Chamberlain joins Charlie Rose to discuss his new book. It also helped launch the legend of Wilt a superstar who would help establish the NBA at a time when its future seemed wobbly. Here's what really sets Wilt apart. 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. As we continue our new series of five things you didn't know about famous people, let's take a look at Wilton Norman Chamberlain. 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). the story goes Magic made a game ending foul call that angered Wilt greatly. The NBA needed to make it fair for the other players who didn't have the athletic skills and size. On a early summer day in the 1980s Chamberlain decided to play some pick up basketball at UCLA. Then he met several friends at the Philadelphia train station and had lunch with them. Known as "Wilt the Stilt" for his 7'1" frame, Wilt Chamberlain was a Harlem Globetrotter before joining the Philadelphia Warriors. Who Is The GOAT? All while sleeping with all of your grandmas. 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. Wilt used to work at a hotel as a bellhop and sometimes people would pull up with flat tires but had no jack. 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. 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. 1.Wilt s 100-point game (vs. New York Knicks, March 2, 1962, Hershey, Pa.) Harvey s Take: Wilt s 100-point game was part of his transcendent . Whats the scene on the court and in the locker room after the game? Eventually he dropped her off at 6 am the next morning. Actually thats below average by todays standards. In high school, Wilt Chamberlain was a track and field star. Forty five of those came in the 1961-62 season when he averaged 50.4 points., Harveys Take: Even though the game was in Pittsburgh, it was considered a Sixers home game and Wilt treated the fans to an unforgettable performance., Wilt also had games of 15 and 16 field goals without a miss.. For context, Wilt Chamberlain was 71, and 236 lbs. They wanted to see the guy who scored 100 points. Walter said Hello Mr. Chamberlain. Though Jokic is still young and may not have even hit his prime yet, hed have to take a historic season and add a full 1.3 APG to match Wilt. Wilt Chamberlain was inducted to the Hall of Fame as a Player in 1979 . This is the thing about Wilt: He was 71, and he had to be even bigger in the way he told his stories. As former teammate Billy Cunningham once said, The NBA Guide reads like Wilts personal diary.. It's time to settle the age-long debate of who ran the ball best! But people are also aware of what just happened. announcers would introduce the starting lineups before the game, and then they would introduce each fan in the crowd because there were so few of them. 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. Together we can reach 100% of WHYYs fiscal year goal. No, wilt bulked up muscle , not fat. 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. All while being a 71 Goliath of a man. Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt played against a bevy of hall of fame big men. The lane was widened from 6 to 12 feet to make it more difficult for players such as Wilt to post up and receive a lob pass for an easy two points. Its a perfect score on a test score. and our He used his size and athletic ability perfectly. I saw the team win a championship for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967. The club featured dancing waiters and waiters on roller skates. Often times the day would end with Breakfast dances at 8 am. Wilt took the cart and lifted it on to the lobby floor. Basketball for me would never be the same. This article will go over who is the greatest running back of all time. And in the number 100, there was a symbolic magic. How good was Wilt Chamberlain really? As a teenager, Chamberlain was sought after by more than 100 colleges and universities after his play at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia. After his basketball career ended, Chamberlain played volleyball in the short-lived International Volleyball Association, was president of this organization, and is enshrined in the IVA Hall of Fame for his contributions. The NBA initiated offensive goaltending, in which players couldn't touch the ball going in a downward trajectory toward the hoop or flick the ball away when it was within the cylinder of the basket. To order, mail a check for $20.00 to Harvey Pollack, Philadelphia 76ers, 3601 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148. In our culture, the number 100 is a century. One of my favorites was when he scored 78 points against the Lakers in a triple overtime game. Its easy to imagine a future legend take the league by storm and erupt for a huge game in his first season, but the fact that so few freshmen have even come close to Wilts mark makes it seem very unlikely. He can barely dribble lol. 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. WHYY thanks our sponsors become a WHYY sponsor, Wilt, 1962: The Night of 100 Points and the Dawn of a New Era.. He was a scrappy, hard-nosed rebounder who averaged 13 points and 13 rebounds for the season. Wilt was the strongest guy and best athlete ever to play the game. Over a four-game stretch in February of 1967, Wilt Chamberlain simply could not miss setting an NBA record by making 35 consecutive shots in that span, including an 1818 performance on February 24th. He played occasional matches for the IVA Seattle Smashers before the league folded in 1979. 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. 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. He had six games with 43 or more, topping out at 55. To put that into perspective, if you go to an NBA game right now, youre not going to see twelve foot rims, youre going to see ten foot rims. What Wilt did was shatter that quota the whole notion that this league would be a white mans enclave. 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. A group led by Josh Harris and Mitchell Rales and another group led by Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos have submitted fully financed bids. For more information, please see our As a small boy, I marveled at Wilt Chamberlain, admired his athletic prowess, fantasized about being him, taking finger rolls and dipper dunks in my homemade basketball court. 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. Not only because of their overlapping histories, but because of their shared approaches. Wilt Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936. The ushers stepped aside, and they were overrun by the kids who ran out to the court to congratulate Wilt. When was . But based on the athletes I've seen play, it's Michael Jordan. He achieved an average of 30.1. While it depends on the type of athlete, most have pretty unique diets compared to the average joe. That's hilarious. There are multiple stories of Wilts strength. And Wilts impact resonates to this day. Not anymore. I watched Wilt pass the ball to Hal Greer, Luke Jackson, and Billy Cunningham. Phillies fans who booked trips to Clearwater for Spring Training frustrated by MLB lockout. The Lakers were playing games in Seattle and in San Francisco. 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? Is Michael Jordan still number one? Here are some facts you might not have known about the dipper. Throw that into his assist average being the best ever for a center, plus his points, plus his rebounds, and you've got even more numbers that would never be touched. And that did not include the kids who snuck into the arena in the usual ways. Starting in the 1970s, he formed Wilt's Athletic Club. Another observation is how unathletic and unskilled these guys look compared to current day scrubs even, Miles Bridges Expected To Re-Sign With Hornets, Lakers Not Interested In Pursuing Kyrie Irving; Mavericks Optimistic He'll Re-Sign, Sixers Have 'Optimism' Joel Embiid Could Return For Game 2, Celtics Hope To Hire Stephen Silas As Assistant Coach, Jimmy Butler And Tom Thibodeau: Kindred Souls Turned Rivals, Snoop Dog Joins Neko Sparks' Bid To Buy Senators, Joel Eriksson Ek Tried To Play With Broken Leg, Panthers Restricting Tickets Sales To Keep Maple Leafs Fans Out, Marc-Andre Fleury Wants To Stay With Wild, Even As Backup, https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=2046249&start=780#p91917155. Wilt passed away on October 12, 1999, at the age of 63. Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. You can spot Harvey courtside this season, jotting down stats. Imagine any center today leading the NBA in assists. When Wilt hits 100 points, all heaven breaks loose. He averaged 8.8 blocks in those 122 games. No matter where he went, Philly, LA, or with the Harlem Globetrotters, he dominated. Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? The 4-minute mile. There are a lot of greats to choose from, all of whom are Hall of Famers. He won the Rookie of the Year award, 4 MVP awards, 1 Finals MVP award and 2 NBA championships. The other, more experienced player was named Phil Jordon. Wilt picked the two men up by their shirts like two little crackers (not racially charged) in his hands. Each man was about 200 pounds. Both also changed the game by their very presence. I loved Wilt. But he only scored 100 points once. So Im going to attempt to keep them brief. When Wilt died, two numbers became the shorthand summary of Wilts life: 20,000 and 100. The team featured several prominent track athletes. I saw those cool underhanded free throws and his no-look passes to the cutting teammates. Little did we know that this game would be a precursor to his 100-point game only a few months later. Why was this game in Hershey, and what does that tell us about the state of the NBA in 1962? Twenty one assists in a game is simply unheard of for a center. The two quickly became friends. In its heyday in the 1950s and 60s, you could go to Kutshers resort and see Muhammad Ali training for a fight, Mickey Mantle playing golf and a teenage Wilt Chamberlain playing basketball. He had no fear. He learned when he was 34 years old. A career 51 percent free throw shooter, Wilt made 28 of 32 attempts. Learn more about Social Responsibility at WHYY. Gambling is now legal in Massachusetts! But we dont have a complete audio or video record of this incredible game. It wasnt No one knew if the NBA was going to be launched into the stratosphere, as it has been in the decades that followed. Wilt was so good he once won a game without shooting the ball AT ALL. When asked about the incident, one of the men said that the cart weighed about 600 lbs. So this [crowd estimate] was 4,124. In the last few years weve seen both Klay Thompson and James Harden sit out the fourth quarter in blowout games where they were already up to 60 points, so even if a player is red hot he may not even get a shot at the record unless the game is still competitive. The younger ones werent playing at HoF level yet, but when your opponents are that stacked and you can keep a series within a couple points year after year, without anywhere near that kind of help, that is impressive. 3. Wilt Chamberlain was the greatest athlete the world had ever seen and he doesn't let you forget it. With no sleep and a hangover, he boarded the train to Philadelphia at 8 AM. 9. No other player had more rules changed specifically to thwart that player, such as widening the lane and not allowing dunks during a free throw (as Wilt was known to do). Theres Joe DiMaggios 56-game hitting streak. Philadelphia 76ers owner Ike Richman eventually talked Chamberlain out of the match, but the idea just wouldn't die. It's unbelievable how fast Wilt was at 7'1 and 290-310 lbs. He would talk about how fierce Bill Russell was, the will to win, how much he wanted to win, how much will, how much drive, and how much. Wilt played bigger than life. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. After Lunch he boarded the team bus to Hershey. When he retired following the 1972-73 season, it was 128 times. After he retired from basketball, he played professional volleyball. There is no doubt that Wilt was one of the greatest players ever to play the game of basketball. He was at an All-Star Game in El Paso for Volleyball and a player on the East team (Wilt was in the West) was misquoted about Wilts imperfections on the court. There is something about this specific record that, for me, goes well beyond sports and goes to math, the base-10 number system. His contributions to volleyball earned him a spot in the sport's Hall of Fame. Chamberlain's famous claim that he slept with 20,000 women first appeared in his 1991 autobiography A View From Above. In his 14-year NBA career, Wilt Chamberlain routinely put up video-game-like numbers. Johnny Kerr, from "25 Things You Didn't Know About Wilt Chamberlain". Not only did the Miami Heat make NBA history by becoming just the sixth 8-seed to beat a 1-seed in the first-round of the NBA Playoffs, but Butler made history with his 42-point performance . No one had as much impact in professional sports as Wilt. Thirty seven years after he retired at the age of 37, Chamberlains name appears in the NBAs record book a whopping 97 times. In the big 8 conference Chamberlain dominated, he ran the 100 yard dash in 10.9 seconds, shot-putted 56 feet and triple jumped more than 50 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. His number is retired by Kansas, and in the NBA, his number is retired by the teams he played for. That game proved one thing to the NBA brain trust, that they can't let one man dominate a game inside the way Wilt Chamberlain had been doing. There are some recordings of the fourth quarter. 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 Who is the greatest NBA player ever? The only one that I can't figure out is how they lost against the Knicks. Claiming that he had never been beat in shot put and only been beaten in high jump by Olympic Gold Medalist Charles Dumas. It was one of many incredible scoring runs Ive seen from Wilt., Harveys Take: Bill Russell is considered, by many as the greatest defensive player in the game. It's still the signature record in basketball history. 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. 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! He averaged 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 1,045 regular-season games. What was Wilt up to? WHYY thanks our sponsors become a WHYY sponsor. Now if a player just looks at a star the wrong way, he gets called for a foul!! Its the statistical Everest. He was a mammoth of a man, and as strong as a bull. The club helped many of them train to compete in the Olympics. Chamberlain spent the night before the game in New York, partying all night with a woman. Faster than Al Attles (and the rest of his Warriors team) in a full court race after Wilt and Attles' coach Alex Hannum set up races to see who the fastest players on the Warriors team were. Known for shooting a fake horse with a fake gun. Wilt is the Greatest Athlete Of All Times (GAOAT) and Ali the greatest boxer! On Kindle books. I watched him take hook shots from midcourt during pregame practice, making them without even a flinch. When someone asked Wilt to explain why he did so well from the line, he responded: I cant., We knew something big was in store because earlier that day, Wilt lit up the arcade in Hershey, taking on all comers and knocking em down whether it was shooting clay pigeons or pinball., Im glad I wrote 100 on a piece of paper for Wilt to hold up after the game for The Associated Press photographer because otherwise, Im not so sure people to this day would believe he actually scored 100.. Most people have short histories. Im Walter Bellamy. Wilt responded with Hello Mr. Bellamy. Mark Tulin (author) from Long Beach, California on January 29, 2019: Very true, Mouser. So they did what any two athletes would do and they went outside, took their shoes off and raced. To claim your offer, go to https://fanduel.com/Boston -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Or call 215-389-9761. Lets set the scene a little. This week we dive into what a pro athletes eat. Besides that, there are recordings of 122 of Wilt's games, mostly at the end of his career. His seventh straight game of at least 35 points and 50% shooting broke a record set by Chamberlain in 1961 and matched in 1963. For a player to score 100 points in an NBA game, he must not only want to do it, he must on, on a deeper level, need to do it. But there are only a few where people actually remember the number involved. The great Boston Red Sox hitter Ted Williams used to say: When I walk down the street, I want people to point at me and say, `There goes the greatest hitter that ever lived., Wilt did not embrace the 100-point game for decades because he thought it fostered the notion that he was an individualist only interested in his own statistics. While anyone can get hot on any given night, with the continuing rise of the less efficient three-pointer (even among big men) its becoming less and less likely that someone gets 1818 hot. 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.. The mere mention of the Big Dipper's name evokes images of hoops dominance and romantic impossibilities. Kobe finished his with 60 points and Wilt finished with a massive double-double that was routine for him, but a career night for almost anyone else. For decades, no other big man has come remotely close until Denvers Serbian dime-dropper Nikola Jokic posted averages of 6.1 and 7.3 in 201718 and 201819, respectively. Harveys Take: Everyone makes a big fuss out of a triple double. And the ego was essential. The fans are rushing the floor.. Wilt adjusted his game and sure enough, led the league in assists.. Keep in mind this is a guy who once averaged 50 PPG over a whole season. Though its highly, highly unlikely any of Wilts incredible scoring or rebounding records will ever be matched, this record will be impossible to break. On a cold night in Hershey, Wilt Chamberlain did the unthinkable. To take an entire sport and bend it to his will to show that it could be done, and only by him. 96 If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. WHYY host Avi Wolfman-Arent revisited that historic night with sportswriter Gary Pomerantz, the author of Wilt, 1962: The Night of 100 Points and the Dawn of a New Era.. No player has had more than 26 rebounds since 1977, so Wilts playoff single-game record of 41 seems pretty safe as well. Watch on YouTube. WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. Battling Illness As a very young child, Chamberlain dealt with a brutal bout of pneumonia which nearly killed him. Wilt Chamberlain - one of the most extravagant, dominant, iconic (and victorious) sportsmen. After his basketball career ended in 1974, the Big Dipper picked up a new hobby: volleyball. While fans and media have made light of players sitting out for load management, players and teams know the importance of rest not just to be ready for the playoffs or for the next season, but to be able to walk comfortably in retirement. 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. Half-filled in the famous chocolate town of Hershey. Insane speed of Wilt Chamberlain . 1. Still Auerbach was a great mentor to Chamberlain at Kutshers during the summer. Wilt wasn't just a basketball player. One hundred for the 100-point game in Hershey, and 20,000 for his myth-makers boast that he had slept with 20,000 women. Wilt Chamberlain somehow went his entire 1,045 game career without getting six personal fouls in a single game. So that meant that Wilt Chamberlain was matched against Darrall Imhoff. Jim was mad and raced Wilt again. 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. 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.
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