NAME SEASON TM GP AGE MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV PF +/-Wilt Chamberlain: 1959-60: PHI. [69][70] In later years, Chamberlain was criticized for averaging 50 points but not winning a title. He could talk on any subject. It was a small consolation that he was again named an All-American, along with future NBA Hall-of-Famers Elgin Baylor of Seattle University and Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati, plus Chamberlain's old rival Guy Rodgers, now playing for Temple University. Wilt Chamberlain. October 12, 1999 / 6:33 PM / CBS/AP Wilt Chamberlain, one of the most dominant players in the history of basketball and the only one to score 100 points in an NBA game, died Tuesday at 63.. The next game against Oklahoma City was equally unpleasant, with KU winning 8161.[38]. Cherry says that the Sixers shot badly (Greer, Jones, Walker, Jackson, and Guokas hit a combined 25 of 74 shots), while Chamberlain grabbed 34 rebounds and shot 4-of-9 for a total of 14 points. [111] Among others, Russell did not believe Chamberlain's injury was grave and accused him of being a malingerer, stating: "Any injury short of a broken leg or a broken back is not enough. By this time, several aspects of his game were already developed, such as his finger roll, his fadeaway jump shot which he could also make as a bank shot, his passing, and his shot-blocking. Wilt Chamberlain did nothing in a small way. Birthday: Aug. 21, 1936; Died: Oct. 12, 1999; Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; His career average was only two fouls per game despite having averaged 45.8 minutes per game over his career. In that year, Chamberlain set several all-time records which have never been threatened, as he averaged 50.4 points and grabbed 25.7 rebounds per game. Quigg made his two foul shots to put the Tar Heels up 5453. [20], In 1953, while still a sophomore in high school, Chamberlain won his first championship. [32][e] Inbounding the ball over the backboard was banned because of Chamberlain. [140], Barred from playing, Chamberlain mostly left the coaching duties to his assistant Stan Albeck, who recalled: "Chamberlain has a great feel for pro basketball the day-to-day things that are an important part of basketball just bored him. [199], Following his death in 1999, Chamberlain's estate was valued at $25 million. Despite the Sixers' injury woes, coach Hannum was confident to "take the Celtics in less than seven games", and he referenced the age of the Celtics, a team built around Russell and Jones, both 34. Sophomore season (1957): National runner-up to North Carolina, Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (19591965), 195960 NBA season: MVP, All-Star Game MVP and Rookie of the Year, 196061 NBA season: Scoring, rebounding, durability, and field goal titles, 196162 NBA season: 100-point game and 42-point All-Star Game record, 196263 NBA season: Individual success, move to San Francisco, and playoff miss, 196364 NBA season: First NBA Finals loss to the Celtics, 196465 NBA season: Trade to the 76ers, Division Finals loss to the Celtics, 196566 NBA season: MVP and second Division Finals loss to the Celtics, 196667 NBA season: Back-to-back MVP and first NBA title, 196768 NBA season: Third straight MVP and assist champion, 196869 NBA season: Second NBA Finals loss to the Celtics, 196970 NBA season: First NBA Finals loss to the Knicks, 197071 NBA season: Conference Finals loss and challenge to Muhammad Ali, 197172 NBA season: Finals MVP and second NBA title, 197273 NBA season: Second NBA Finals loss to the Knicks, Overbrook had previously produced star basketball players like. [58] Chamberlain failed to convert his play into team success, this time bowing out against the Nationals in a three-game sweep. Russell regularly feared being embarrassed by Chamberlain,[43] and Walt Frazier called his dominance on the court "comical". Chamberlain won 2510, and 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." His intention was that the Celtics would throw the ball in so fast that the prolific shot-blocker Chamberlain was not yet back under his own basket, and Boston could score an easy fastbreak basket. That is totally ridiculous. In November 1998, he signed with Ian Ng Cheng Hin, CEO of Northern Cinema House Entertainment, to do his own bio-pic, wanting to tell his life story his way. 13 was retired by the Globetrotters. [139] The Lakers claimed that they mailed Chamberlain a new contract in July 1973 but Chamberlain did not sign it and so the old contract should be deemed to have been renewed for the 1973-74 season. On March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Chamberlain scored 100 points;[67] he shot 36 of 63 from the field and made 28 of 32 free throws against the New York Knicks. In Game 4, Boston won 114108. Winning the regular season with 66 wins, the Bucks were seen as favorites against the depleted Lakers; still, many pundits were looking forward to the matchup between the 34-year-old Chamberlain and the 24-year-old Alcindor. [147] A result of this resentment was the 1997 book Who's Running the Asylum? "[38] KU won 7365 in overtime, after which police had to escort the Jayhawks out. [10][12][p] When Chamberlain left the Warriors, owner Franklin Mieuli said: "Chamberlain is not an easy man to love the fans in San Francisco never learned to love him. Al Attles, left, and Tom Meschery, right, were teammates of Wilt Chamberlain when he scored 100 points in a game. [82] After defeating the Cincinnati Royals led by his fellow All-American Robertson in the playoffs, the Sixers met Chamberlain's familiar rival, the Boston Celtics. [62][10] In addition, the formerly egotistical Chamberlain began to praise his teammates, lauding hardworking Lucious Jackson as the "ultimate power forward", calling Greer a deadly jump-shooter, and Jones an excellent defender and outsider scorer. [130] West called it "the greatest ball-busting performance I have ever seen". He personally preferred "The Big Dipper", which was inspired by his friends who saw him dip his head as he walked through doorways. [114], In the 197071 NBA season, the Lakers made a notable move by signing future Hall-of-Fame guard Gail Goodrich, who came back from the Suns after playing for the Lakers until 1968. He scored 34 points as Overbrook won the Philadelphia Public League title and gained a berth in the city championship game against the winner of the rival Catholic league, the West Catholic High School. [104] Winning 62 games, the Sixers easily took the first seed of the playoffs. Pejoratively calling the new recruit "The Load", he later complained that Chamberlain was egotistical, never respected him, too often slacked off in practice, and focused too much on his own statistics. In his first game, he scored 52 points and grabbed 31 rebounds, breaking both all-time Kansas records in an 8769 win against the Northwestern Wildcats, a team having Chamberlain's future NBA teammate Joe Ruklick. [47], In 2015, a man named Aaron Levi came forward claiming to be Chamberlain's son based on non-identifying papers from his adoption and information from his biological mother. [132] Prolific outside shooter Lucas helped New York to win Game 1, hitting nine of his 11 shots in the first half alone. Scott Jenkins. Coach Hannum once suggested he shoot his famous fadeaway jumper as a free throw, but Chamberlain feared drawing more attention to his one great failing. [185] Chamberlain was named All-NBA First Team seven times to Russell's three, but Russell was named the NBA MVPthen selected by players and not the pressfive times against Chamberlain's four. [50], In the 195960 NBA season, Chamberlain joined a Philadelphia Warriors squad that was coached by Neil Johnston and included Hall-of-Famers guard Tom Gola and forward "Pitchin'" Paul Arizin, plus Ernie Beck and Guy Rodgers; remarkably, all five starters were Philadelphians. [110] Chamberlain described Van Breda Kolff as "the dumbest and worst coach ever". [110], For the 196869 NBA season, Chamberlain joined a squad featuring his fellow former All-American, forward Elgin Baylor, and the Hall-of-Fame guard Jerry West, along with backup center Mel Counts, forwards Keith Erickson and Tom Hawkins, and talented 5'11" guard Johnny Egan. He was the Superintendent of Chatham Dockyard from 1868 to 1874, and was promoted to the rank of rear admiral on 19 January 1874. [106], The loss meant that Chamberlain was 16 in playoff series against the Celtics. 17 year old Wilt Chamberlain CATCHES a shot and runs the fast break. [86], In the playoffs, the Sixers again met the Boston Celtics and had home-court advantage for the first time. Reportedly, Chamberlain once broke Kerr's toe with a slam dunk. In the third overtime, the Tar Heels scored two consecutive baskets, but Chamberlain executed a three-point play, leaving KU trailing 5251. Knowing how good he was, the opponents resorted to freeze-ball tactics and routinely used three or more players to guard him. '"[42] Quoting coach Alex Hannum's explanation of his situation, Chamberlain often said: "Nobody roots for Goliath. By the time Barry made his move, Walker recovered back to Barry, who was stuck in the air and botched the shot. Chamberlain was also a lifelong bachelor and became notorious for his statement of having had sex with 20,000 women. After King scored a basket, Kansas was ahead by one point. [154] After undergoing dental surgery in the week before his death, he was in great pain and seemed unable to recover from the stress. In high school and college, he was Mr. Basketball USA, NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1957, and twice consensus first-team All-American in 1957 and 1958. Chamberlain said: "I've got to hit forty points or so, or this team is in trouble. [125], In the 197172 NBA season, the Lakers hired former Celtics star guard Bill Sharman as head coach. [86] In Game 5, Chamberlain scored 46 points and grabbed 34 rebounds, but the Celtics won the game 120112 and the series. Renowned for his strength, he appeared as the antagonist in the 1984 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Conan the Destroyer. That Would Be An NBA Record By A Margin of 3.3 Blocks", "Wilt Chamberlain on Sidelines as Conquistadors win 121-106", "Until his dying day, Wilt was invincible", "Chamberlain biopic has Canuck coproducer", "Chamberlain Was Seeing Heart Specialist, Taking Medication", "STD's, Cardiomyopathy and Wilt Chamberlain", "The day Wilt Chamberlain, NBA legend, died at 63 in 1999", "Agent says Chamberlain had congestive heart failure", "Reaction to a basketball legend's death", "The NBA's true greatest player of all time, Wilt Chamberlain", "The Greatest NBA Player of All-Time: Michael Jordan or Wilt Chamberlain? [89] Cherry says there is 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, with seven in the third quarter and twice in the fourth quarter. He holds numerous NBA regular season records in scoring, rebounding, and durability categories; blocks were not counted during his career. [41] Another landmark was his 25,000th point, making him the first-ever player to score that many points; he gave the ball to his team physician Stan Lorber. Imagine playing vs Wilt in Highschool. [12] Specifically, according to the 2 year contract that Chamberlain had signed prior to the 1971-72 season, if he failed to sign and mail back his next contract his contract with the Lakers would be deemed to be renewed. Said former IVA President Chuck Nelson in ESPN's 2017 30 for 30 short film Bump and Spike on his short-lived league: "Wilt was in the founders' group, so they wanted to bring him in because they saw the potential PR value.". Chamberlain won his second championship as a member of the 1972 Lakers, a team which set a record with a 33-game winning streak. [41][u] Russell won 11 NBA titles in his career while Chamberlain won two. He looks like those hacked characters with ridiculously long arms in 2k. Chamberlain wrote his book when he was 55 years old. [166][167][168] Decades after his record, many NBA teams did not even average 100 points.[t]. [179] In 2022, he was ranked No. [18] The Panthers suffered just one loss, to Farrell High 5958. [40], Having lost the enjoyment from NCAA basketball and wanting to earn money, he left college and sold the story named "Why I Am Leaving College" to Look for $10,000, a large sum when NBA players earned $9,000 in a whole season. Loaded with several other players who could score, Hannum wanted Chamberlain to concentrate more on defense. [138] The Lakers sued their former star and successfully prevented him from actually playing because he still owed them the option year of his contract. He died at 63 years old of congestive heart failure on Oct. 12, 1999. In his first NBA game, against the New York Knicks, the rookie Chamberlain scored 43 points and grabbed 28 rebounds. After his professional basketball career ended, Chamberlain played volleyball in the short-lived International Volleyball Association (IVA). [110] While he was on cordial terms with West, he often argued with team captain Baylor, later explaining in regard to Baylor: "We were good friends, but [in] black culture you never let the other guy one-up you. [210], During most of his NBA career, Chamberlain was good friends with Bill Russell. "[162] He was a scoring champion, all-time top rebounder, and accurate field goal shooter. Cherry describes how Celtics coach Auerbach ordered his forward Tom Heinsohn to commit personal fouls on Chamberlain; whenever the Warriors shot foul shots, Heinsohn grabbed and shoved Chamberlain to prevent him from running back quickly. Because Schayes did not want to risk angering his best player, he scheduled the daily workout at 4 pm. Over a ten-day period, there were 23 checks in the book, which would be a rate of 2.3 women per day. The 210-pound Lemon later recounted how Chamberlain was "the strongest athlete who ever lived". Chamberlain trained with Cus d'Amato but later backed out, withdrawing the much-publicized challenge,[119] by way of a contractual escape clause that predicated the AliChamberlain match on Ali beating Joe Frazier in a fight scheduled for early 1971, which became Ali's first professional loss, enabling Chamberlain to legally withdraw from the bout. [62], Chamberlain's 4,029 regular-season points made him the only player to break the 4,000-point barrier. A feat matched only by fellow Hall-of-Famer. In a physically tough matchup, the Sixers lost sixth man Cunningham with a broken hand, and Chamberlain, Greer, and Jackson were struggling with inflamed feet, bad knees, and pulled hamstrings, respectively. Dating & Relationship status He is currently single. The Warriors got off to a terrible start to the season, and ran into financial trouble. Initially, Sharman wanted Chamberlain and West to share this duty, but West declined, stating he was injury-prone and wanted to solely concentrate on the game. By 197172, at age 35 and running less, his game had transformed to averaging only nine shots per game compared to the 40 in his record-setting 196162 season. [92] In Game 2, the Sixers won 107102 in overtime, and player-coach Russell grudgingly praised Chamberlain for intimidating the Celtics into taking low percentage shots from further outside. Chamberlain had a history of cardiovascular disease, and was briefly hospitalized in 1992 for an irregular heartbeat. [109] Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke gave Chamberlain an unprecedented contract, paying him $250,000 after taxes, or about $1.9 million in real value; in comparison, previous Lakers top earner Jerry West was paid $100,000 before taxes (about $780,000 in real value). [111] 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. In 19601961, when Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game, he said that Boston did not rely on Russell's scoring, and he could concentrate on defense and rebounding. [84] For the fifth time in seven years, Russell's team deprived Chamberlain of the title. [17], In Chamberlain's third and final Overbrook season, he continued his high scoring, logging 74, 78, and 90 points in three consecutive games. He also never fouled out of a game; and is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game in a season, a feat he accomplished seven times. The matchup between Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar was hailed by Life as the greatest matchup in all of sports. Russell apologized privately to him and later publicly in a 1997 joint interview with Bob Costas. He spent his first year on campus on the freshman team; when he joined up with the varsity in 1956 though, he picked up where he left off. [21][22] Chamberlain was the youngest member of the team. Chamberlain divided that number in half, to be conservative and to correct for degrees of variation. Cherry comments that Chamberlain, who always thought of himself as the best player of all time, should have been outspoken enough to demand the ball. Standing at 7ft 1in (2.16m) tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport's history. 72: 23: 46.4: 37.6: 27.0: 2.3: 14.8: 32.1: 46.1: 8.0: 13.8: 58.2: 3,338: 2,707: 1,941: 168: 150: Wilt . [184], More hostile was Chamberlain's relationship with fellow center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, eleven years his junior. [106] In a game called "unreal" and "devoid of emotion", the Sixers lost 127118 on April 5. [45] One particular Globetrotter skit involved captain Meadowlark Lemon collapsing to the ground, and instead of helping him up, Chamberlain threw him several feet high up in the air and caught him like a doll. Chamberlain broke Tom Gola's Philadelphia high school scoring record and graduated with 2,252 points, averaging 37.4 points per game. [13] In that game, West Catholic quadruple-teamed Chamberlain the entire game, and despite his 29 points, the Panthers lost 5442. According to Flynn Robinson, after the record-setting streak, Lakers owner Cooke sought to reward each of his players, who were expecting perhaps a trip to Hawaii, with a $5 pen set. [129], In the playoffs, the Lakers swept the Chicago Bulls, then went on to face the Milwaukee Bucks of young center and regular-season MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly Lew Alcindor). The Sixers charged their way to a then-record 6813 season, including a record 464 start. Chamberlain had . That's the reason why I was single. [62] Because Chamberlain played in overtime games, he averaged more minutes per game than the regulation 48 and would have reached the 3,890-minute mark if he had not been ejected in one game after picking up a second technical foul with eight minutes left to play.[66]. Owing to his strong start, he still managed to put up a season-average 27.3 points, 18.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. [132] Chamberlain was named the NBA Finals MVP,[62] and he was admired for dominating the Knicks in Game 5 while playing injured. He did not care for the Sixers' coach Dolph Schayes because in his view Schayes had made several disrespectful remarks when they were rival players. By conventional wisdom, Chamberlain now should have dominated against little-used Knicks backup centers Nate Bowman and Bill Hosket Jr., or forwards Bradley and DeBusschere, who gave up more than half a foot against him. [158] On-court rival and personal friend Bill Russell stated, "the fierceness of our competition bonded us together for eternity. [88] Greer, who was considered a consummate professional and often clashed with him because of his attitude, spoke positively of the new Chamberlain: "You knew in a minute the Big Fella [Chamberlain] was ready to go and everybody would follow."[88]. [133] Chamberlain's all-around performance helped the Lakers win their first championship in Los Angeles with a decisive 114100 win. "[12], Rick Barry wrote Ill say what most players feel, which is that Wilt is a loserHe is terrible in big games. He was born on August 21, 1936. Chamberlain holds 72 NBA records, so many that it led former teammate Billy Cunningham to remark "The NBA Guide reads like Wilt's personal diary ." At the time of his final substitution, he had scored 18 points (hitting seven of his eight shots) and grabbed 27 rebounds, significantly better than the 10 points of Counts on 4-of-13 shooting. [106] Chamberlain later blamed coach Hannum for the lack of touches, a point that was conceded by Hannum. [89] Cherry adds several personal reasons, among them Chamberlain felt he had grown too big for Philadelphia, sought the presence of fellow celebrities, which were plenty in Los Angeles, and finally also desired the opportunity to date white women, which was possible for a black man in Los Angeles but hard to imagine elsewhere back then. [111] In Game 5, Chamberlain scored 13 points and grabbed 31 rebounds, leading Los Angeles to a 117104 win. He wished people would understand that their roles were different. [75] Backed up by valuable rookie Thurmond, Chamberlain recorded 36.9 points and 22.3 rebounds per game,[62] and the Warriors went all the way to the NBA Finals. [122][123] Cooke had offered Chamberlain a record-setting contract on the condition that he agreed to give up what Cooke termed "this boxing foolishness". [45], On October 24, 1959, Chamberlain made his NBA debut, starting for the Philadelphia Warriors. After losing Clark and Gail Goodrich, who joined the Phoenix Suns after the 1968 NBA expansion draft, he said: "Egan gets murdered on defense because of his [lack of] size but if I don't play him, we look like a bunch of trucks. [146] He would continue to epitomize physical fitness for years to come, including participating in several marathons. He was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. [26], In 1955, Chamberlain entered University of Kansas (KU). Chamberlain died Tuesday at 63. In what Cherry calls a tumultuous locker room meeting, Hannum addressed several key issues he observed during the last season, several of them putting Chamberlain in an unfavorable light. He was 63 years old. [47], Despite his foul line woes, Chamberlain set the NBA record, later tied by Adrian Dantley, for most free throws made (28) using the underhand technique in a regular-season game in his 1962 100-point game. In that game, Tar Heels coach Frank McGuire used several unorthodox tactics to thwart Chamberlain. [i] In comparison, the previous top earner was Bob Cousy of the Celtics with $25,000, the same figure Eddie Gottlieb used to buy the Warriors franchise in 1952. [111] Playing through his problems, Chamberlain averaged 20.5 points and 21.1 rebounds a game that season. [132] In Game 5, Chamberlain recorded 24 points, 29 rebounds, 8 assists, and 8 blocked shots, as announcer Keith Jackson counted the blocks during the broadcast. Accessorizing: Supersize My Ride", "A Full-Court Press to Regain Late Basketball Great's Items", "Sexual claim transformed perception of Wilt", "A Giant Shadow: Did Wilt Chamberlain have a son? The 15-round bout would have taken place on July 26, 1971, in the Houston Astrodome. [106] In Game 2, Philadelphia evened the series with a 115106 victory, and won Games 3 and 4, with Chamberlain suspiciously often played by Celtics backup center Wayne Embry, causing the press to speculate Russell was worn down. [105], In the Eastern Division Finals, the Sixers met the Boston Celtics, again with home-court advantage and this time as reigning champions. ", Chamberlain is regarded as one of the most extraordinary and dominant basketball players in the history of the NBA,[41][5][10] often being debated as the greatest NBA player of all time even ahead of Michael Jordan.