Renowned for his strength, he appeared as the antagonist in the 1984 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Conan the Destroyer. [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]. [195] In addition, he would often stay out late into the night and wake up at noon. He was interested in world affairs, sometimes he'd call me up late at night and discuss philosophy. For the last play, Thurmond and Barry were assigned to do a pick and roll against Chamberlain and Walker; however, the Sixers foiled it because Walker held up Thurmond's ability to roll, and Barry was picked up by Chamberlain, making it impossible to shoot. Then he was a rebounder and assist man. Wilt Chamberlain retired in 1973, at the end of the '72-'73 season, to pursue other interests. like Wilt Chamberlain, Russell was a defensive and rebounding force. Shoots: UPDATE: For a great long read about the trade, check out Haley O'Shaughnessy's piece for The Ringer: Wilt Chamberlain's Trade To Los Angeles, 50 Years Later. As his career progressed, he played at 275 pounds, adding more muscle, and eventually played at over 300 pounds. He tried coaching for a time, and was a popular pitchman for commercials. In addition, Chamberlain drove a Ferrari, a Bentley, and had a Le Mans-style car called Searcher One designed and built at a cost of $750,000 in 1996. [111] Going into the NBA Finals as 3-to-1 favorites, the Lakers won the first two games but dropped the next two. [72] This also meant that the Warriors team broke apart, as Arizin chose to retire rather than move away from his family and his job at IBM in Philadelphia, Warrior coach McGuire chose to resign rather than move to the West Coast, and Gola was homesick, requesting a trade to the lowly New York Knicks halfway through the season. The Lakers won 60 games in the regular season and reached the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks, a franchise that featured a healthy team with a rejuvenated Reed, while the Lakers were now handicapped by several injuries. Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( / tembrln /; August 21, 1936 - October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played at the center position. Chamberlain was one of the few players of his . [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. . While actively promoting the sport in 1982, Chamberlain said he was considering a return to athletic competition in masters athletics. In 1976, Chamberlain turned to his interest in movies, forming a film production and distribution company to make his first film, entitled Go For It. He also twice made All-Defensive First Team. Heat 111-107 Hornets Heat tied Bulls atop East at All-Star break with 2 OT win over . [n] In the playoffs, the Warriors again met the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals, and this season was called by both Cousy and Russell the greatest Celtics team of all time. As of 2019, he is the first and the only player in NBA history to record 50 points and 35 rebounds in an NBA playoff game. A feat matched only by fellow Hall-of-Famer. When Chamberlain died in 1999, Chamberlain's nephew stated that Russell was the second person to whom he was ordered to break the news. We present them here for purely educational purposes. "[122][206] Chamberlain also acknowledged that he never came close to marrying and had no intention of raising any children. The dimensions of the game are fixed and unchanging, comfortable and understandable. [5] 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. His number 13 was retired by the Kansas Jayhawks, Harlem Globetrotters, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers. Reportedly, Chamberlain once broke Kerr's toe with a slam dunk. [137], After his stint with the Conquistadors, Chamberlain successfully went into business and entertainment, made money in stocks and real estate, bought a popular Harlem nightclub, which he renamed Big Wilt's Smalls Paradise, and invested in broodmares. [77], In the summer of 1964, Chamberlain, one of the prominent participants at the famed Rucker Park basketball court in New York City,[78] made the acquaintance of a tall, talented 17-year-old who played there. Russell apologized privately to him and later publicly in a 1997 joint interview with Bob Costas. His performance led Kansas to an insurmountable lead, and he rested on the bench for the final 3:45 remaining in the game. Jackson forced a jump ball on the rebound, and the Sixers won the championship. [134] Chamberlain averaged 13.2 points and 18.6 rebounds, still enough to win the rebounding title for the 11th time in his career. He hated being called "Wilt the Stilt," or "the Stilt," which came from a local reporter covering high school athletics. It almost worked. [56] Chamberlain broke eight NBA records, and he was named both Rookie of the Year and MVP that season. Inside the Insane World of Sports Today, in which he criticized the NBA of the 1990s for being too disrespectful of players of the past.[148]. [106], The loss meant that Chamberlain was 16 in playoff series against the Celtics. They were "his second set of parents" according to their son Mark. The playmaker is Golden State's all-time leader . After attending the funeral, Chamberlain called out to the angry rioters who were setting fires all over the country, stating King would not have approved. [158], Chamberlain is holder of numerous official NBA all-time records. [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 the Eastern Division Semifinals, they were pitted against the New York Knicks. [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. The Philadelphia 76ers followed in March 1991 and the Golden State Warriors retired it . The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. [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". [41] On November 10, 1959, Chamberlain recorded 39 points and a new career-high 43 rebounds in a 126125 win over the visiting Knicks. On October 12, 1999, Chamberlain died at age63 at his home in Bel Air. All Rights Reserved. This display of arrogance motivated the Celtics. [200], Although Chamberlain was shy and insecure as a teenager, he became well known for his womanizing when he was an adult. [s] The 76ers had the best record in the league for the third straight season. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. 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. Who was better Shaq or Wilt Chamberlain? "[173], For his feats, Chamberlain was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, named part of the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1980, one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996, and was ranked No. Many of his nicknames were derived from his stature. [158] On-court rival and personal friend Bill Russell stated, "the fierceness of our competition bonded us together for eternity. [125], In the 197172 NBA season, the Lakers hired former Celtics star guard Bill Sharman as head coach. Wilt Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 22 retired by both the Trail Blazers and Rockets. [92] In Game 6, the Warriors were trailing 123122 with 15 seconds left. [132] Chamberlain was named the NBA Finals MVP,[62] and he was admired for dominating the Knicks in Game 5 while playing injured. He played on the school's varsity team for three years, scoring more than 2,200 points in total. "If he were here, I think he would have enjoyed this," said his sister . They never meant anything to Wilt Chamberlain, though. Over a ten-day period, there were 23 checks in the book, which would be a rate of 2.3 women per day. In his last season, the Lakers lost substance, as Happy Hairston was injured, Robinson and LeRoy Ellis had left, and the veteran West struggled with injury. Chamberlain did it in 1966-67 and 1967-68; Only player in NBA history to average . [j] Chamberlain capped off his rookie season with a selection to the Eastern Conference All-Star team, winning the All-Star Game and the All-Star Game MVP award with a 23-point, 25-rebound performance. [114] In Game 5, with the Knicks trailing by double digits, Reed pulled his thigh muscle and seemed to be done for the series. [53] On January 25, 1960, Chamberlain recorded a rare feat in the NBA, posting at least 50 points and 40 rebounds in an NBA game. 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. John Wayne Bobbitt and Lorena Bobbitt made Mr. Bobbit's male member the most famous one on the planet in 1993 during an incident in which Lorena severed John's member with a kitchen knife. After his retirement, Chamberlain explored other opportunities. In all, he claimed 60 athletes with aspirations of expanding to 100. [114], In Game 6, Chamberlain scored 45 points, grabbed 27 rebounds, and almost single-handedly equalized the series in a 135113 Lakers win, and with Reed out, the Knicks seemed doomed prior to Game 7 in New York City;[114] however, the hero of that Game 7 was Reed, who famously hobbled up court, scored the first four points, and inspired his team to one of the most famous playoff upsets of all time. This caused sports journalist Joe McGinnis to comment: "The Celtics played like champions and the Sixers just played. [106] On April 4, national tragedy struck with the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. With eight of the ten starting players on the Sixers and Celtics being African-American, both teams were in deep shock, and there were calls to cancel the series. During his NBA career, Chamberlain committed few fouls despite his rugged play in the post, and he never fouled out of a regular-season or playoff game in his 14-year NBA career. He also holds the record for most points in a single game (aiming for a double-double), with 50. Astrological Sign: Leo, Death Year: 1999, Death date: October 12, 1999, Death State: California, Death City: Bel Air, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Wilt Chamberlain Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/athletes/wilt-chamberlain, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: May 7, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. [163] During Chamberlain's time, defensive statistics like blocks and steals had not been recorded yet. Chamberlain was also a lifelong bachelor and became notorious for his statement of having had sexual relations with as many as 20,000 women. [65] Additionally, he was on the hardwood for an average of 48.53 minutes, playing 3,882 of his team's 3,890 minutes. [88] Cunningham commented that Hannum "never backed down" and "showed who was the boss". It had a 2,200-pound pivot as a front door and contained great displays of luxury. But Chamberlain didn't mind "The Big Dipper," or "Dipper," a nickname given to him by friends because he had to duck his head when passing through a doorframe. [Johnston] wasn't ready for big time. For his part, Ali refused to be intimidated at this potentially formidable opponent and instead played psychological games to weaken Chamberlain's confidence with public boasts of "Timber!" Chamberlain had other plans, however, pursuing interests outside of basketball. [210], During most of his NBA career, Chamberlain was good friends with Bill Russell. [114] In Game 1, the Knicks masterminded a 124112 win in which Reed scored 37 points. Shaq never scored 100 points in a single game or averaged as many rebounds or assists as Chamberlain, but he did make 15 All-Star Teams (compared to Wilt's 13) and 14 All-NBA Teams (compared to Wilt's 10).Add to the fact Shaq won 2 more rings and 2 more Finals MVPs means he had a longer and better career than Wilt. [32][e] Inbounding the ball over the backboard was banned because of Chamberlain. He is best remembered as the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game. [47], Chamberlain also sponsored his personal professional volleyball and track and field teams, and also provided high-level teams for girls and women in basketball, track, volleyball, and softball.

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