You gonna hear a lot of things in this Wilt Chamberlain biography. The nicknames he was given like “Wilt The Stilt” (this one he hated), “Chairman Of The boards”, “Goliath” and “The Big Dipper” (his favorite – because he had the dip his had before he entered a room).
His amazing accomplishments like the fact that he’ll “probably” remain the only player in NBA history to score 100 points in a single basketball game.
Some might say that he was a selfish player but they should think again because he led the league in assists in 1967-1968.
He’s also got 2 NBA titles, 4 Most Valuable Player awards, NBA Rookie of the year award and one NBA finals MVP award. The record for most rebounds in a game is his as well (55).
A lot of players would agree that he was the most imposing and formidable force the game of basketball has ever seen. Standing 7 foot 1 inch, he weighed 250 lb as a rookie and then when he was playing in the Lakers, he was over 300 lb.
Born in 1936, as a child he was very tall.
At the age of 10 he was standing 6 feet and had already an “unfair advantage” over his peers. But he wasn’t really interested in basketball. Wilt had other natural talents like running and jumping. Being above average runner and jumper he liked what he was doing.
Nonetheless, the fact that in Philadelphia, basketball was king, that made him change his mind and switch little more to the game of basketball. He started playing against older guys on the streets who taught him a whole lot about the game.
Chamberlain had an immediate impact on the game when he was playing in the Overbrook High School, now standing 6 foot 11 inches. People were recognizing his blocking and scoring ability.
It probably took him his second season in Overbrook when he started setting records. He scored an all time record of 71 points against Roxborough. During his high school days, even Red Auerbach (the legendary Jewish Celtics coach) spotted his talent and wanted him to play for the Celtics. That was all great but there was one little problem. Wilt didn’t want to.
Wilt was of course, interested in playing in the NBA but at that time, the NBA league didn’t allow players to enter the league if they hadn’t finished their last year of studies. So what Wilt did was, he joined the legendary Harlem Globetrotters in 1958.
In 1959 he finally made it to the NBA and made history. History that good that inspired me to write this little Wilt Chamberlain biography:)
The other players just didn’t stand a chance. They double and tripled team him, have tried all the fouling tactics but without much success. Wilt had a very accurate shooting too.
Winning the field goal percentage title and setting records that still can’t be broken like breaking the 2000 rebounds per season milestone (2149). The center once again broke this milestone scoring 2052.
A legendary rivalry has begun between him and Bill Russell in 1965. In those series, a 7th game was played in the playoffs. Both Bill and Wilt were amazing. However, it was Bill Russell and the Celtics who won the title. But two years later, Wilt won the NBA title with Philadelphia and later on, in 1968, he joined the Lakers along with other basketball legends like Elgin Baylor and Jerry West.
One of the many interesting facts about Wilt is that he claims that he’s slept with 20000 women. His close friends (duh) knew he had a very active sexual life (never married) but that claim was shocking to the world and many books have over and over discussed and analyzed his statement.
Another interesting fact about him is that he was never fouled out in his 14-year career. Wilt died in 1999 and left a whole bunch of records and many things for the new generations to ponder.
Here’s another pointer for you. Quote by Wilt Chamberlain – I believe that good things come to those who work”
Return from Wilt Chamberlain Biography to NBA Legends
Return from Wilt Chamberlain Biography to Best Basketball Tips