Wilt Chamberlain
Position(s): Center	Jersey #(s): 13
Height: 7 ft 1 in (2. The three basketball positions normally employed by organized Basketball teams are guard forward and center The center, colloquially the five, is one of the standard positions in a regulation Basketball game In team Sports the squad number, shirt number, jersey number, sweater number, or uniform number is the Number 16 m)	Weight: 275 lb (125 kg)
Born: August 21, 1936 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died: October 12, 1999 (aged 63) Bel Air, California
Career information
Year(s): 1959–1974
NBA Draft: 1959 / Round: N/A / Pick: territorial pick
College: Kansas
Professional teams
Harlem Globetrotters (1958-59) Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (1959-1964) Philadelphia 76ers (1965-1968) Los Angeles Lakers (1968-1973) San Diego Conquistadors (1973-1974)
Career stats
Points	31,419
Rebounds	23,924
Assists	4,643
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Career highlights and awards
2x NBA champion (1967, 1972) 4x NBA MVP (1960, 1966-68) 1972 Finals MVP 1960 All-Star Game MVP 13x NBA All-Star 7x All-NBA First Team (1960–62, 1964, 1966–68) 3x All-NBA Second Team (1963, 1965, 1972) NBA 35th Anniversary Team NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
Basketball Hall of Fame

Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain (August 21, 1936–October 12, 1999), nicknamed Wilt the Stilt, The Big Dipper, and Chairman of the Boards, was an American professional National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; and also played for the Harlem Globetrotters. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Bel Air is a wealthy and prominent faux-gated residential community in the Westside of the city of Los Angeles California, United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. In an organised Sports league, a season is the portion of one Year in which regulated Games of the sport are in session The 1959–60 NBA season was the 14th season of the National Basketball Association. The American Basketball Association ( ABA) was a professional Basketball league founded in 1967, and eventually merged in part with the National The NBA Draft is an annual North American event in which the National Basketball Association 's (NBA thirty teams (29 in the United States and one in The 1959 NBA Draft consisted of 14 rounds with 91 players selected This is a List of Athletic Conferences of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball program is the The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism and Comedy. The Golden State Warriors are an American professional Basketball team based in Oakland, California. The Philadelphia 76ers (also known as the Sixers for short are a professional Basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA team based in Los Angeles, California. The San Diego Conquistadors, nicknamed the "Q's" were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego California. Points in Basketball are used to keep track of the score in a game A rebound in Basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or Free throw. In Basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" The National Basketball Association Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season The NBA 35th Anniversary Team was announced in 30 October 1980 to celebrated 35th Anniversary of NBA. The 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History (also referred to as the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team or NBA's Top 50) were chosen Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m The Golden State Warriors are an American professional Basketball team based in Oakland, California. The Philadelphia 76ers (also known as the Sixers for short are a professional Basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA team based in Los Angeles, California. The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism and Comedy. The 7 foot 1 inch Chamberlain, who weighed 250 lb as a rookie^[1] before bulking up to 275 lb and eventually over 300 lb with the Lakers,^[2] played the center position and is widely considered one of the greatest and most dominant players in the history of the NBA. The center, colloquially the five, is one of the standard positions in a regulation Basketball game

Chamberlain holds numerous official NBA all-time records, setting records in many scoring, rebounding and durability categories. A rebound in Basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or Free throw. Among others, he is the only player in NBA history to average more than 40 and 50 points in a season or score 100 points in a single NBA game. Points in Basketball are used to keep track of the score in a game Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, named by the National Basketball Association as one of its greatest games took place between the Philadelphia Warriors and the He also won seven scoring, nine field goal percentage, and eleven rebounding titles, and once even led the league in assists. Field goal percentage in Basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. In Basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" ^[3] Although suffering a long string of professional losses,^[4] Chamberlain had a successful career, winning two NBA titles, earning four regular-season Most Valuable Player awards, one NBA Finals MVP award, and being selected to 13 All-Star Games and ten All-NBA First and Second teams. The National Basketball Association Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season ^[2][5] Chamberlain was subsequently enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, elected into the NBA's 35th Anniversary Team of 1980, and chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History of 1996. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in downtown Springfield Massachusetts, honors players who have shown exceptional skill at Basketball The 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History (also referred to as the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team or NBA's Top 50) were chosen ^[5]

After his basketball career, Chamberlain played volleyball in the short-lived International Volleyball Association, was president of this organization and enshrined in the IVA Hall of Fame for his contributions. Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 active players (5 normal players and one 'libero' are separated by a net that is usually four feet The International Volleyball Association was a short lived Co-ed professional Volleyball league in the United States from 1975 to 1979 ^[6] Chamberlain was also a successful businessman, authored several books and appeared in the movie Conan the Destroyer. Conan the Destroyer is a 1984 film directed by action/fantasy veteran Richard Fleischer ( 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Vikings He was a lifelong bachelor, but became notorious for his claim to have had sex with 20,000 women, a statement which has entered popular culture. ^[7]

Contents 1 Early years 2 High school career 3 College career 4 Professional career 4.1 Harlem Globetrotters 4.2 Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors 4.3 Philadelphia 76ers 4.4 Los Angeles Lakers 4.5 San Diego Conquistadors 4.6 Post-NBA career 5 Legacy 6 Personal life 6.1 Star status 6.2 Friendships and rivalries 6.3 Love life and "20,000 women" claim 6.4 Death 7 See also 8 Further reading 9 Footnotes 10 External links

Early years

Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a family of nine children. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern As his biographer Robert Cherry observed, he was a frail child, nearly dying of pneumonia in his early years and missing a whole year of school as a result. Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the Lung. Frequently it is described as lung Parenchyma / alveolar inflammation and abnormal ^[8] In his early years, Chamberlain was not interested in basketball, because he thought it was "a game for sissies". ^[9] Instead, he was an avid track and field athlete: as a youth, he high jumped 6 feet, 6 inches, ran the 440 yards in 49. The high jump is an Athletics (track and field event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of any devices 0 seconds and the 880 yards in 1:58. 3, put the shot 53 feet, 4 inches, and broad jumped 22 feet. The shot put is an Athletics (track and field event involving "putting" (throwing in a pushing motion a heavy The long jump is an Athletics (track and field event in which athletes combine speed strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far from the take-off point as possible ^[10] But according to Chamberlain, "basketball was king in Philadelphia", so he eventually turned to this sport. ^[11] Because Chamberlain was a very tall child, already measuring 6 feet at age 10^[12] and 6 feet 11 inches when he entered Philadelphia's Overbrook High School,^[3] he had a natural advantage against his peers; he soon was renowned for his scoring talent, his physical strength and his shot blocking abilities. This article pertains to the Overbrook High School in Philadelphia ^[13] According to ESPN journalist Hal Bock, Chamberlain was "scary, flat-out frightening. ESPN, originally an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American Cable television network dedicated to . . before he came along, most basketball players were mortal-sized men. Chamberlain changed that. ". ^[14] It was also in this period of his life when his three life-long nicknames "Wilt the Stilt", "Goliath", and his favorite, "The Big Dipper", were allegedly born because he always had to dip his head before entering a room. ^[2]

High school career

As a player of the Overbrook Panthers, Chamberlain averaged 31 points during the 1953 high school season and led his team to a 71–62 win against the Northeast High School of his future NBA team mate Guy Rodgers. Guy William Rodgers ( September 1 1935 &ndash February 19 2001) was an American professional Basketball player born in He scored 34 points, won Overbrook the Public League title and a berth for the Philadelphia city championship game against the winner of the rival Catholic league, West Catholic. ^[15] In that game, West Catholic triple-teamed Chamberlain the entire game, and despite the center's 29 points, the Panthers lost 42–54. ^[15]

In his second Overbrook season, Chamberlain continued his prolific scoring, among them scoring a high school record 71 points against Roxborough. ^[16] The Panthers comfortably won the Public League title after again beating Northeast in which Chamberlain scored 40 points, and later won the city title by defeating South Catholic with 74–50. Chamberlain scored 32 points and had led Overbrook to a flawless 19–0 season. ^[16]

During summer vacations, Chamberlain worked as a bellhop in an affluent Jewish hotel named "Kutsher's". Kutsher's Hotel and Country Club in Monticello, New York, is the last of the Borscht Belt grand resorts (in the Catskill Mountains One day, Red Auerbach, the Jewish coach of the Boston Celtics, showed up. Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20 1917 &ndash October 28 2006 was a Basketball coach of the Washington Capitols, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks The Boston Celtics are an American professional Basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, playing in the Atlantic Division of the He spotted the talented teenager and had him play 1-on-1 against Kansas University standout and national champion, B. H. Born, elected the Most Valuable Player of the 1953 NCAA Finals. Chamberlain won 25–10; Born was so dejected that he gave up a promising NBA career and became a tractor engineer ("If there were high school kids that good, I figured I wasn't going to make it to the pros"),^[17] and Auerbach wanted Chamberlain to go to a New England university, so he could draft him as a territorial pick for the Celtics, but Chamberlain did not react. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the A Territorial Pick is a type of special draft choice used in the NBA Draft from its inception in 1950 until 1965. ^[17]

In Chamberlain's third and final Overbrook season, he continued his high scoring, once logging 74, 78 and 90 points in three consecutive games. ^[18] The Panthers won the Public League a third time, beating West Philadelphia 78–60, and in the city championship game, they met Western Catholic once again. Scoring 35 points, Chamberlain led Overbrook to an easy 83–42 win. ^[18] After three years, Chamberlain had won Overbrook two city championships, logged a 56–3 record and had broken Tom Gola's high school scoring record by scoring 2,252 points, averaging 37. Thomas (Tom Joseph Gola (born January 13 1933, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania) is a retired American Basketball player 4 per game. ^[2][4][19]

After his last Overbrook season, over 200 universities wanted to recruit the basketball prodigy. ^[3] Among others, UCLA offered Chamberlain to become a movie star, the University of Pennsylvania wanted to buy him diamonds, and Chamberlain's Panthers coach Mosenson was even offered a coaching position if he could get the center. The University of California Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Westwood Los Angeles, California, United The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn) is a private University located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. ^[20] Cherry described that Chamberlain wanted a change and therefore not want to go to or near Philadelphia (which also eliminated New York), was not interested in New England, and snubbed the South because of segregation; this left the Midwest. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the ^[20] In the end, after visiting the University of Kansas, also commonly known as KU, with renowned college coach Phog Allen, Chamberlain then proclaimed he was going to play college basketball at KU. The University of Kansas (often referred to as KU or just Kansas) is a public research university with campuses located in Lawrence, Kansas City Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen, DO ( November 18, 1885 – September 16, 1974) was an American collegiate basketball ^[20]

College career

In 1955, Chamberlain joined KU. Cherry described how shocked the young teenager was when he first arrived in the still-segregated city of Lawrence, Kansas: after being treated like a star in his native Philadelphia, he now saw places black people were prohibited to enter. Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the US State of Kansas and the County seat of Douglas County. Chamberlain reacted by simply ignoring these signs, eating and going out wherever he wanted. ^[21] When he found out nobody heckled him, he gave up his antipathy, and blacks were eventually treated better. ^[21] Cherry is split on Chamberlain's attitude: whilst Chamberlain was African-American, he argued that he was also sacrosanct from anti-black racism because he was too famous; had Chamberlain been more political and less self-centered, he could have made things better for African-Americans in general at Lawrence. ^[21] In any case, Chamberlain soon liked living in Kansas, especially enjoying the rich jazz scene in the near Kansas City. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Kansas City Missouri only Items for the metro area Kansas City Kansas or North Kansas City MO should go on their respective pages ^[22]

At KU, Chamberlain became a player for the Kansas Jayhawks freshman team under future Hall-of-Fame coach Phog Allen, whom he admired, and also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc, where he was the president of his pledge class. The sports teams at the University of Kansas are A freshman, fresher, fish, or frosh is a first-year student in an educational institution Kappa Alpha Psi ( KAΨ) is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership ^[23] Announced as "looking lighter than his 240 pounds, [able to] reach 9'6" up in the air [flatfooted], and a [wingspan of] 7'2"", his debut was highly anticipated, and he delivered: in Chamberlain's debut game for the freshman squad, the freshman Jayhawks were pitted against the varsity Jayhawks, who were favored to win their conference that year. Chamberlain dominated his older college mates by scoring 52 points (16-35 from the field, 10-12 on free throws), grabbing 29 rebounds and registering four blocks. Main article Basketball moves In Basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted In Basketball, a block (short for blocked shot) occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a shot from an offensive player ^[10] However, Chamberlain's prospect of playing under Allen was destroyed, because Allen turned 70 shortly after; by KU regulation, Allen had to retire. Chamberlain had a bad relationship with Allen's successor Dick Harp, fueled by resentment and disappointment: Cherry doubted whether he would have chosen KU if he had known that Allen was going to retire soon. Dick Harp became the Kansas Jayhawks ' fourth men's basketball coach in 1957 ^[24]

On December 3, 1956, Chamberlain made his varsity debut. Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In his first varsity game, the center scored 52 points and grabbed 31 rebounds, breaking both all-time college records in a 87–69 win against the Northwestern team of future NBA team mate Joe Ruklick. Joseph "Joe" Ruklick (born August 3, 1938 in Princeton Illinois) is a retired NBA professional basketball player for the Philadelphia ^[25] His team mate Monte Johnson testified how athletic he was: "Wilt. . . had unbelievable endurance and speed. . . and was never tired. When he dunked, he was so fast that a lot of players got their fingers jammed [between Chamberlain's hand and the rim]. " Reportedly, Chamberlain also broke Johnny Kerr's toe with a slam dunk. John G “Red” Kerr (born July 17, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois) is a retired American NBA Basketball player who now works A slam dunk (or simply a dunk) is a type of Basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket ^[25] By this time, Chamberlain had developed several offensive weapons that became his trademarks: his finger roll, his fadeaway jump shot, which he could also hit as a bank shot, his passing and his shot blocking. ^[25] Leading a talented squad of starters Maurice King, Gene Elstun, John Parker, Ron Lonesky and Lew Johnson, the Jayhawks went 13–1 until they lost a game 56–54 versus Oklahoma State in which Oklahoma held the ball the last 3:30 minutes without any intention of scoring a basket; in the days before the shot clock (introduced 1984 in the NCAA), this was still possible. Maurice King may refer to Maurice King (basketball (1935–2007 American basketball player Maurice King (producer, co-founder of A shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game ^[25]

As he did at Overbrook, Chamberlain again showcased his diverse athletic talent. He ran the 100-yard dash in 10. 9 seconds, threw the shotput 56 feet, triple jumped more than 50 feet, and won the high jump in the Big Eight track and field championships three straight years. The triple jump (sometimes referred to as the hop step and jump or the hop skip and jump) is a Track and field sport similar to The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA -affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored American football, was formed in January 1907 as the ^[26]

In 1957, in the days before the current 65-team March Madness was introduced, 23 teams played for the NCAA title. The Midwest regional tourney was held in Dallas, Texas, which was segregated back then. In the first game, the Jayhawks played the all-white Southern Methodist team, and KU player John Parker later told: "The crowd was brutal. We were spat on, pelted with debris, and subjected to the vilest racial epiphets possible. "^[25] In overtime, KU won 73–65 against SMU, and police had to escort the Jayhawks out to prevent the angry crowd from hijacking the team bus. The next game against Oklahoma City was equally unpleasant, with KU winning 81-61 under intense racist abuse. ^[25] In the semi finals, Chamberlain's Jayhawks defeated the University of San Francisco 80–56.

Chamberlain made the First Team of the All-America squad and led his Jayhawks into the NCAA finals against the Tar Heels of North Carolina. An All-American "team" is an honorary Sports team composed of outstanding Amateur players those considered the best players of a specific season for The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ( UNC, North Carolina, or simply Carolina) is a public, Coeducational Research In that game, Tar Heels coach Frank McGuire used several unorthodox tactics to thwart Chamberlain. Frank Joseph McGuire ( November 8 1914 - November 11 1994) was an American athletic coach who gained his greatest renown in collegiate At the tip-off, he sent his shortest player, Tommy Kearns, in order to rattle him, and the Tar Heels spent the rest of the night triple-teaming Chamberlain, one defender in front, one behind and a third arriving as soon as he got the ball. A double team in Basketball is defending one offensive player with two defensive players ^[4] Due to the extreme fixation on Chamberlain, the Jayhawks shot a miserable 27% from the field, as opposed to 64% of the Tar Heels, and trailed 22–29 at halftime. ^[25] Later, North Carolina led 40–37 with 10 minutes to go, and then stalled the game: they passed the ball around without any intention of scoring a basket. After several Tar Heel turnovers, the game was tied at 46 at the end of regulation. ^[25] In the first overtime, both teams scored 2 points each, and in second overtime, Kansas in return froze the ball, keeping the game tied at 48. In third overtime, the Tar Heels scored two consecutive baskets, but Chamberlain executed a three point play, and KU only trailed 51–52. After King scored a basket, Kansas was ahead by one point, but then Tar Heel Joe Quigg was fouled on a drive with 10 seconds remaining and made his two foul shots. For the final play, Dick Harp called a play in which Ron Loneski should pass the ball into Chamberlain in the low post; however, the pass was too soft and was intercepted, and the Tar Heels won the game. Nonetheless, Chamberlain, who had scored 23 points and 14 rebounds,^[25] was elected the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. At the conclusion of the NCAA men's and women's Division I Basketball championships (the "Final Four" tournaments the The 1957 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA ^[4] However, Cherry speculates that this loss was a watershed in Chamberlain's life: it was the first time that he was called a loser despite putting up impressive individual stats, the first of many occurrences during his career. Chamberlain later admitted that this loss was the most painful of his life. ^[25]

In Chamberlain's junior year, the 1957–58 NCAA season, the Jayhawks matches were frustrating for him. Knowing how dominant Chamberlain was, the opponents resorted to freeze-ball tactics and routinely used three or more players to guard him. ^[27] Team mate Bob Billings commented: "It was not fun basketball. . . we were just out chasing people throwing the basketball back and forth. "^[27] In addition, Chamberlain grew weary of the punishment inflicted on him; after a game against Missouri, he showed imprints of two rows of teeth in his arm. Still, Chamberlain averaged 30. 1 points for the season and led the Jayhawks to a 18–5 record, losing three games when he was out with a urinary infection:^[27] because KU was only second and back then, only conference winners were invited to the NCAA tourney, the Jayhawks' season had ended. It was only a small consolation that he was again named an All-American, along with future NBA Hall-of-Famers Elgin Baylor and Oscar Robertson plus old rival Guy Rodgers. Elgin Gay Baylor (born September 16 1934 in Washington DC) is a retired American basketball player who played Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24 1938 in Charlotte Tennessee) nicknamed " The Big O " is a former American NBA player with Guy William Rodgers ( September 1 1935 &ndash February 19 2001) was an American professional Basketball player born in ^[27]

Having lost the fun in NCAA basketball and wanting to earn money, he left college and sold the story named "Why I Am Leaving College" to Look magazine for $10,000, a large sum when NBA players earned $9,000 in a whole season. ^[27] In two seasons at Kansas, Chamberlain averaged 29. 9 points and 18. 3 rebounds per game while totaling 1,433 points and 877 rebounds,^[14] and led Kansas to one Big Seven championship. Rebound is a term used in Sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA -affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored American football, was formed in January 1907 as the ^[5] By the time Chamberlain was 21, he had already been featured in Time, Life, Look and Newsweek magazines, even before he turned professional. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Look was a bi-weekly, general-interest Magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa from 1937 to 1971 with more of an emphasis on Newsweek is an American weekly Newsmagazine published in New York City. ^[19]

For many years following Chamberlain's departure from the University of Kansas, critics claimed that he either wanted to leave the very white Midwest or was embarrassed by not being able to bring home the NCAA basketball tournament victory. In 1998, Chamberlain returned to Allen Field House in Lawrence, Kansas to participate in a jersey retiring ceremony for his number 13. Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the US State of Kansas and the County seat of Douglas County. Around this time, he is quoted as saying: "There's been a lot of conversation, since people have been trying to get my jersey number retired, that I have some dislike for the University of Kansas. That is totally ridiculous. "^[28]

Professional career

Harlem Globetrotters

After his frustrating junior year, Chamberlain wanted to become a professional player before finishing his senior year. ^[29] However, at that time, the NBA did not accept players who had not finished their last year of studies. Therefore, Chamberlain was prohibited from joining the NBA for a year, and decided to play for the Harlem Globetrotters in 1958 for a sum of $50,000. The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism and Comedy. ^[2][4]

Chamberlain became a member of the Globetrotters team which made history by playing in Moscow in 1959, enjoyed a sold out tour of the USSR and prior to the start of a game at Moscow's Lenin Central Stadium, were greeted by the General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (April 17 1894 – September 11 1971 served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 following ^[30] One particular Trotter skit involved Trotters 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. George "Meadowlark" Lemon (born April 25, 1932) is an American Basketball player and actor "[Chamberlain] was the strongest athlete who ever lived", the 210 lbs. heavy Lemon recounted later. ^[31] In later years, Chamberlain frequently joined the Trotters in the off-season and fondly recalled his time there, because he was no longer jeered at or asked to break records, but just one of several artists who loved to entertain the crowd. ^[32] On March 9, 2000, Chamberlain's number 13 was retired by the Trotters. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ^[30]

Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors

On October 24, 1959, Chamberlain finally made his debut as an NBA player, starting for the Philadelphia Warriors. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Golden State Warriors are an American professional Basketball team based in Oakland, California. The Warriors' draft pick was highly unusual, as it was a so-called "territorial pick" despite the fact Chamberlain had spent his college years in Kansas, which is not a region covered by Philadelphia. The 1959 NBA Draft consisted of 14 rounds with 91 players selected A Territorial Pick is a type of special draft choice used in the NBA Draft from its inception in 1950 until 1965. However, Warriors owner Eddie Gottlieb, one of the NBA's founding fathers, argued that Chamberlain had grown up in Philadelphia and had become popular there as a high school player; and because there were no NBA teams in Kansas, he argued, the Philadelphia Warriors held his territorial rights and could draft him. Edward Gottlieb ( September 15, 1898 – December 7, 1979) was the first coach and manager of the Philadelphia Warriors in the Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The NBA agreed, marking the only time in NBA history that a player was made a territorial selection based on his pre-college roots. ^[2] Chamberlain immediately became the NBA's best paid player, earning $30,000 in his rookie contract; in comparison, the previous top earner was Bob Cousy of the Boston Celtics with $25,000, and Gottlieb had bought the whole Warriors franchise for $25,000 seven years earlier. Robert Joseph "Bob" Cousy (born August 9 1928 in New York City) is a former French - American professional Basketball player The Boston Celtics are an American professional Basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, playing in the Atlantic Division of the ^[33]

In the 1959-60 NBA season, Chamberlain joined a Warriors squad which was coached by Neil Johnston and contained Hall-of-Fame guards Tom Gola and Paul Arizin, plus Ernie Beck and his old rival Guy Rodgers — remarkably, all five Warriors starters were Philadelphians. The 1959–60 NBA season was the 14th season of the National Basketball Association. Donald Neil Johnston (b February 4 1929, Chillicothe Ohio &ndash d Thomas (Tom Joseph Gola (born January 13 1933, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania) is a retired American Basketball player Paul Joseph Arizin (April 9 1928 &ndash December 12 2006 nicknamed "Pitchin' Paul" was an American Basketball player who spent his entire National Ernest Joseph Beck (born December 11, 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a retired American professional Basketball player In his first NBA game against the New York Knicks, the rookie center scored 43 points and 28 rebounds. ^[34] In his fourth game, Philadelphia met the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics of Hall-of-Fame coach Red Auerbach, whose offer Chamberlain had snubbed several years ago, and his old NCAA rival Bill Russell, who was now lauded as one of the best defensive pivots in the game. Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20 1917 &ndash October 28 2006 was a Basketball coach of the Washington Capitols, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks ^[34] In what was the first of many Chamberlain-Russell match-ups, the Warrior outscored the Celtic with 30 points versus 28 points, but Boston won the game; Cherry called this outcome the first of many great duels between these pivots. ^[34] The rivalry between Chamberlain and his perennial nemesis Bill Russell would grow out to become the NBA's greatest on-court rivalry of all time. William Felton "Bill" Russell (born February 12 1934 in Monroe, Louisiana) is a retired American professional Basketball ^[5] Nevertheless, the two also became friends in personal life, similar to later rivals Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7 1956 is a retired American NBA Basketball player widely considered as one of the best players of all time and one of the top ^[35]

In his first season, Chamberlain averaged 37.6 points and 27 rebounds, convincingly breaking the previous regular-season records. This list exhibits the National Basketball Association 's top rookie single-season scoring averages This list exhibits the National Basketball Association 's top rookie single-season rebounding averages He only needed 56 games to score point number 2,102, which broke the all-time regular season scoring record of Bob Pettit, who needed 72 games to score 2,101 points. Robert E Lee "Bob" Pettit (born December 12 1932 in Baton Rouge Louisiana, U ^[36] Chamberlain won both the NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Rookie of the Year awards in the same season — a feat equaled only by fellow Hall-of-Famer Wes Unseld in the 1968-69 NBA season — and broke eight NBA records. The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA award given since the 1952–53 NBA season, to the Westley Sissel "Wes" Unseld (born March 14 1946 in Louisville Kentucky) is an American former Basketball player The 1968–69 NBA season was the 23rd season of the National Basketball Association. ^[4][36] Chamberlain capped off his rookie season awards by also winning the NBA All-Star Game MVP award with a 23 point, 25 rebound performance for the East. The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams and organized in three divisions of five teams each However, it also became evident that he was a miserable free throw shooter, hardly making half of his foul shots. As time progressed, Chamberlain became even worse, and acknowledged he was simply a head case on that matter. ^[37]

The Warriors entered the 1960 NBA Playoffs and beat the Syracuse Nationals, setting up a meeting versus the Eastern Division champions, the Boston Celtics. The 1960 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1959-1960 season. The Syracuse Nationals were an American professional Basketball team that was part of the National Basketball League (NBL and National Basketball Cherry described how Celtics coach Red 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; his intention was that the Celtics would throw the ball in so fast that the prolific shotblocker Chamberlain was not back under his own basket yet, and Boston could score an easy fastbreak basket. Thomas William Heinsohn (born August 26 1934 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is a former professional basketball player known for his time as a player on the Fast break is an offensive strategy in Basketball. In a fast break a team attempts to move the ball up court and into scoring position as quickly as possible so that the defense ^[36] The teams split the first two games, but in Game 2, Chamberlain got fed up by Heinsohn and punched him. In the scuffle, the Warriors' center injured his hand, and Philadelphia lost the next two games. ^[36] In Game 5, his hand was back to normal, and Chamberlain scored 50 points on Bill Russell. But in Game 6, Heinsohn got the last laugh, scoring the decisive basket with a last-second tip in. ^[36] The Warriors lost the series 2 games to 4. ^[2]

The rookie Chamberlain then shocked the Warriors' fans by saying he was thinking of retiring. He was tired of being subjected to double- and triple teams, and teams coming down on him with hard fouls. In Basketball, a personal foul is a breach of the rules that concerns illegal personal contact with an opponent Chamberlain feared he might lose his cool one day. ^[2] As Celtics forward Tom Heinsohn said, himself no stranger to dirty play against Chamberlain: "Half the fouls against him [Chamberlain] were hard fouls . Thomas William Heinsohn (born August 26 1934 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is a former professional basketball player known for his time as a player on the . . he took the most brutal pounding of any player ever". ^[2] In addition, Chamberlain was seen as a freak of nature, jeered at by the fans and scorned by the media. As Chamberlain often said, quoting coach Alex Hannum's explanation of his situation, "Nobody loves Goliath. Goliath ( גָּלְיָת, Standard Hebrew Golyat, Tiberian Hebrew Golyāṯ, Arabic: جالوت Jalut (Muslim "^[4] Eddie Gottlieb coaxed Chamberlain back into the NBA, sweetening his return with a salary raise to $65,000. ^[38]

In the following next season, Chamberlain surpassed his rookie season statistics as he averaged 38. The 1960–61 NBA season was the 15th season of the National Basketball Association. 4 ppg and 27.2 rebounds per game. This list exhibits the National Basketball Association 's top single-season rebounding averages of which the top 18 are shared by only Wilt Chamberlain and Bill He became the first player to break the 3,000-point barrier and the first and still only player to break the 2,000-rebound barrier for a single season, grabbing 2,149 boards. ^[39] Chamberlain also won his first field goal percentage title, and set the all-time record for rebounds in a single game with 55. Field goal percentage in Basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. List of National Basketball Association players who have had 40 or more rebounds in a single game ^[4] Chamberlain was so dominant on that team that he scored almost 32% of his team's points and 30. 4% of their rebounds. ^[38]

However, Chamberlain again failed to convert his play into team success, this time bowing out against the Syracuse Nationals in a three game sweep. The Philadelphia 76ers (also known as the Sixers for short are a professional Basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ^[40] Cherry noted that Chamberlain was "difficult" and did not respect coach Neil Johnston, who was unable to handle the star center. In retrospect, Eddie Gottlieb remarked: "My mistake was not getting a stronghanded coach. . . [Neil Johnston] wasn't ready for big time. "^[41]

In his third Warriors season, the Warriors were coached by Frank McGuire, the coach that had masterminded Chamberlain's painful NCAA loss against the Tar Heels. Frank Joseph McGuire ( November 8 1914 - November 11 1994) was an American athletic coach who gained his greatest renown in collegiate In that year, the center set several all-time records which have never been threatened since. In the 1961-62 NBA season, he averaged 50.4 points and grabbed 25. The 1961–62 NBA season was the 16th season of the National Basketball Association. This list exhibits the National Basketball Association 's top single-season scoring averages 7 rebounds per game^[39] — Chamberlain's 4,029 regular-season points made him the first and only player to break the 4,000-point barrier. ^[2] To place this in perspective the only player other than Chamberlain to break the 3,000-point barrier is Michael Jordan, who scored 3,041 points in the 1986-87 NBA season. Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17 1963 is a retired American professional Basketball player and active businessman The 1986–87 NBA season was the 41st season of the National Basketball Association. Chamberlain once again broke the 2,000 rebound barrier by grabbing 2,052 rebounds. Additionally, he was on the hardwood for an average of 48. 5 minutes, playing 3,882 of his team's 3,890 minutes. ^[39] Because Chamberlain played in overtime games, he averaged more minutes per game than the 48 minutes in regulation; in fact, Chamberlain would have hit the 3,890 minute mark if he had not been ejected in one game after picking up his second technical foul with 8 minutes left to play. ^[42]

On March 2, 1962, Chamberlain delivered another remarkable performance and became the first player to score 100 points in a single NBA game, in the 169–147 victory of his Warriors against the New York Knicks. Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, named by the National Basketball Association as one of its greatest games took place between the Philadelphia Warriors and the ^[4] His extraordinary feats in the 1961–62 season were later subject of the book Wilt, 1962 by Gary M. Pomerantz (2005), who used Chamberlain as a metaphor for the uprising of Black America. ^[43] In addition to Chamberlain's regular season accomplishments, he scored 42 points in the NBA All-Star Game — still the all-time record — on 17-23 shooting and pulled down 24 rebounds.

In the 1962 NBA Playoffs, the Warriors met the Boston Celtics again in the Eastern Division Finals, a team which Bob Cousy and Bill Russell called the greatest Celtics team of all time. The 1962 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1961-1962 season. ^[44] Each team won their home games, so the series was split 3–3 after six games. In a closely contested Game 7, Chamberlain tied the score at 107 with 16 seconds to go, but then Celtics shooting guard Sam Jones sank a clutch shot which won Boston the game and the series. ^[44][45] In later years, Chamberlain was criticized for averaging 50 points, but not winning the title. In his defense, Warriors coach Frank McGuire said "Wilt has been simply super-human", and pointed out that the Warriors lacked a consistent second scorer, a playmaker, and a second big man to take the pressure off Chamberlain. ^[37]

In the 1962-63 NBA season, Eddie Gottlieb sold the Warriors franchise for an amount of $850,000 to a group of businessmen led by Marty Simmons from San Francisco, and the team relocated to become the San Francisco Warriors under a new coach, Bob Feerick. The 1962–63 NBA season was the 17th season of the National Basketball Association. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The Golden State Warriors are an American professional Basketball team based in Oakland, California. Robert Joseph (Bob Feerick ( January 2 1920 &ndash June 8 1976) was an American professional Basketball player coach and general ^[46] However, this also meant that the team broke apart: Paul Arizin chose to retire rather than moving away from his family and his job at IBM in Philadelphia, and Tom Gola was homesick, requesting a trade to the lowly New York Knicks halfway through the season. ^[47] With both secondary scorers gone, Chamberlain continued his array of statistical feats, scoring 44. 8 points and grabbing 24. 3 rebounds per game that year. ^[39] But as Chamberlain was the sole quality player on his squad, the Warriors lost 49 of their 80 games and missed the playoffs. ^[48]

In the 1963-64 NBA season, Chamberlain got yet another new coach, namely Alex Hannum, and was joined by a promising rookie center named Nate Thurmond, who would enter the Hall of Fame. The 1963–64 NBA season was the 18th season of the National Basketball Association. Alexander Murray Hannum ( July 19, 1923 — January 18, 2002) was a professional Basketball player and Hall-of-Fame coach Nathaniel "Nate" Thurmond (born July 25 1941 in Akron Ohio) is a retired American Basketball player feared and praised by legends including Ex-soldier Hannum, who later entered the NBA Hall of Fame as a coach, was a crafty psychologist who emphasized defense and passing; most importantly, was not afraid to stand up to the dominant Chamberlain, who was known to freeze out coaches he did not like. ^[49] Backed up by valuable rookie Thurmond, Chamberlain had another good season with 36. 9 ppg and 22. 3 rpg,^[39] and the San Francisco Warriors went all the way to the NBA Finals. The 1964 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 1963-64 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 1964 NBA Playoffs. In that series, they succumbed to the Boston Celtics team of Bill Russell again, this time losing 1–4. The Boston Celtics are an American professional Basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, playing in the Atlantic Division of the ^[50] But as Cherry remarked, not only Chamberlain, but in particular Hannum deserved much credit because he had basically had taken the bad 31–49 squad of last year plus Thurmond and made it into a NBA Finalist. ^[51] In the summer of 1964, Chamberlain made the acquaintance of a tall, talented 17-year old teenager who played in the famous Rucker Park basketball arena in New York City. Rucker Park is a Basketball court in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass The City of New York Soon, the young Lew Alcindor was allowed into his inner circle, and quickly idolized the ten year older NBA player. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr; April 16 1947 is an American athlete and retired professional Basketball player widely considered Unfortunately, Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as Alcindor would name himself later, would develop an intense personal antipathy. ^[52]

In the following 1964-65 NBA season, the Warriors ran into financial trouble. The 1964–65 NBA Season was the 19th season of the National Basketball Association. At the 1965 All-Star break, Chamberlain was traded back to Philadelphia to the Philadelphia 76ers, the new name of the relocated Syracuse Nationals. The National Basketball Association (NBA holds an All-Star Weekend every February with a variety of Basketball -related events exhibitions and performances The Philadelphia 76ers (also known as the Sixers for short are a professional Basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania In return, the Warriors received Paul Neumann, Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer (who opted to retire rather than report to the Warriors), and $150,000. Paul R Neumann (born January 30, 1938) is a retired American National Basketball Association player Conrad William Dierking (born October 2, 1936 in Brooklyn New York) is an American former professional Basketball player Lee Philip Shafer II (born February 23, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American former professional Basketball player ^[4][2] When Chamberlain left the Warriors, owner Franklin Mieuli said: "Chamberlain is not an easy man to love [and] the fans in San Francisco never learned to love him. Wilt is easy to hate [. . . ] people came to see him lose. "^[29]

Philadelphia 76ers

After the trade, Chamberlain found himself in a promising Sixers team that included guards Hal Greer, a future Hall-of-Famer, and talented role players Larry Costello, Chet Walker and Lucious Jackson. Harold Everett Greer (born June 26 1936 in Huntington West Virginia) is a former professional Basketball player Lawrence Ronald "Larry" Costello (born July 2 1931 in Minoa New York &ndash died December 13, 2001) was an American Chester "Chet" Walker (born February 22 1940, Benton Harbor Michigan) is a former pro Basketball player Lucious Brown "Luke" Jackson (born October 31 1941) is a retired American professional Basketball player Cherry remarks that there was a certain tension within the team: Greer was the formerly undisputed leader and was not willing to give up his authority, and Jackson, a talented center, was now forced to play power forward because Chamberlain blocked the center spot; however, as the season progressed, the three began to mesh better. ^[53] Unfortunately, Chamberlain didn't care for the Sixer's coach, Dolph Schayes, because Schayes, according to him, had made several disrespectful remarks when they were rival players in the NBA. Adolph "Dolph" Schayes (known as Dolph Schayes) (born May 19 1928 in New York New York) is a retired American professional Basketball player ^[53]

Statistically, Chamberlain was again outstanding, posting 34. 7 ppg and 22. 9 rpg for the second half of the season. ^[39] After defeating the Cincinnati Royals of Oscar Robertson in the 1965 NBA Playoffs, the Sixers met Chamberlain's familiar rival, the Boston Celtics. The Sacramento Kings are a professional Basketball team based in Sacramento California. Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24 1938 in Charlotte Tennessee) nicknamed " The Big O " is a former American NBA player with The 1965 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1964-1965 season. The press called it an even matchup in all positions, even at center, where Bill Russell was expected to give Chamberlain a tough battle. ^[54] Indeed, the two teams split the first six games, and because of the better season record, the last game was held in the Celtics' Boston Garden. In that Game 7, both centers were marvelous: Chamberlain scored 30 points and 32 rebounds, and Russell logged 16 points, 27 rebounds and 8 assists. ^[54] In the final minute, Chamberlain hit two clutch free throws and slam dunked on Russell, bringing Boston's lead down to 1 at 110-109 with five seconds left. A slam dunk (or simply a dunk) is a type of Basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket Russell botched the inbounds pass, hitting a guide wire over the backboard and giving the ball back to the Sixers. Coach Schayes called timeout, and decided to run the last play over Hal Greer rather than Chamberlain, because he feared the Celtics would intentionally foul him because he was a poor foul shooter. Harold Everett Greer (born June 26 1936 in Huntington West Virginia) is a former professional Basketball player Hack-a-Shaq is the name commonly ascribed to a Basketball defensive Strategy initially But when Greer attempted to inbound the ball, John Havlicek stole it to preserve the Celtics' lead. John J Havlicek (born April 8 1940 in Martins Ferry Ohio) is a retired American professional Basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston ^[55] For the fifth time in seven years, Russell's team had deprived Chamberlain of the title. ^[2] According to Chamberlain, that was the time that people started calling him "loser". ^[4] Additionally, in an April 1965 issue of Sports Illustrated Chamberlain conducted an interview entitled "My Life In A Bush League" where he criticized his fellow players, coaches, and NBA administrators. Sports Illustrated is an American Sports Magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. ^[56] Chamberlain later commented that he could see in hindsight how the interview was instrumental in damaging his public image. ^[56]

In the 1965-66 NBA season, the Sixers experienced real tragedy when Ike Richman, the Sixers' co-owner as well as Chamberlain's confidant and lawyer, died of a coronary. The 1965–66 NBA Season was the 20th season of the National Basketball Association. Still reeling from the shock, the Sixers posted a 55–25 regular season record, and for his strong play, Chamberlain was handed his second MVP award. ^[5] In that season, the center again dominated his opposition by scoring 33. 5 points and 24. 6 rebounds a game, leading the league in both categories. ^[39] In one particular game, Chamberlain blocked a dunk attempt by Gus Johnson so hard that he dislocated Johnson's shoulder. Gus Johnson may refer to Gus Johnson (basketball (1938&ndash1987 Gus Johnson (sportscaster (born 1967 Gus Johnson ^[57] However, off the court Chamberlain's commitment to the cause was doubted: as Chamberlain was a late sleeper, in addition lived in New York and preferred to commute to Philadelphia rather than live there, he was only available afternoon for training. Because Schayes did not risk to anger his best player, he scheduled the daily workout at 4 pm; this angered the team, who preferred an early schedule to have the afternoon off, but Schayes just said: "There is no other way. "^[58] Irv Kosloff, who now owned the Sixers alone after Richman's death, pleaded to him to move to Philadelphia during the season, but he was turned down. ^[59]

In the 1966 NBA Playoffs, the Sixers met their familiar foes, the Celtics, and for the first time even had home court advantage. The 1966 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1965-1966 season. However, Boston easily won the first two games on the road, winning 115–96 and 114–93; Chamberlain played within his usual range, but his supporting cast shot under 40%. This caused sports journalist Joe McGinnis to comment: "The Celtics played like champions and the Sixers just played. "^[59] In Game 3, Chamberlain scored 31 points and 27 rebounds for an important road win, and the next coach Schayes planned to hold a joint team practice. However, Chamberlain said he was "too tired" to attend, and even refused Schayes' plea to at least show up and shoot a few foul shots with the team; in Game 4, Boston won 114–108. ^[59] Prior to Game 5, Chamberlain was nowhere to be found, skipping practise and being non-accessible. Outwardly, Schayes defended his star center as "excused from practice", but his team mates knew the truth and were much less forgiving. ^[59] In Game 5 itself, Chamberlain was superb, scoring 46 points and 34 rebounds, but the Celtics won the game 120–112 and the series. ^[60] Cherry is highly critical of Chamberlain: while conceding he was the only Sixers player who performed in the series, he points out his unprofessional, egotistical behavior and being a bad example for his team mates. ^[59]

Prior to the 1966-67 NBA season, the friendly but unassertive Dolph Schayes was replaced by a familiar face, the crafty but firm Alex Hannum. The 1966–67 NBA Season was the 21st season of the National Basketball Association. Alexander Murray Hannum ( July 19, 1923 — January 18, 2002) was a professional Basketball player and Hall-of-Fame coach 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. Sixers forward Chet Walker testified that on several occasions, players had to pull Chamberlain and Hannum apart to prevent a fistfight. ^[61] Fellow forward Billy Cunningham observed that "Hannum showed who was the boss" and "never backed down", and by doing this, won Chamberlain's respect. William John "Billy" Cunningham (born June 3 1943 is an American former professional Basketball player and coach who was Nicknamed the ^[61] When emotions cooled off, Hannum pointed out that Chamberlain and him were on the same side, trying to win a championship ring; but to pull this off, the center - like all others - needed to "act like a man" and behave accordingly on and off the court. ^[61]

As a result, Chamberlain was less dominant, taking only 14% of the teams shots (in his 50. 4 ppg season 1961–62, it had been 35. 3%), but extremely efficient: he averaged a career-low 24. 1 points, but he led the league in rebounds (24. 2), ended third in assists (7. 8), had a record breaking . 683 field goal accuracy, and played strong defense. ^[39] For these feats, Chamberlain earned his third MVP award. The Sixers charged their way to a then-record 68–13 season, including a record 46–4 start. ^[2] In addition, the formerly egotistical Chamberlain began to praise his team mates, lauding hardworking Luke Jackson as the "ultimate power forward", calling Hal Greer a deadly jumpshooter, and point guard Wali Jones an excellent defender and outsider scorer. Walter "Wali" Jones (born February 14 1942, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a retired American professional Basketball ^[61] Off the court, the center invited the team to restaurants and paid the entire bill, knowing he earned 10 times more than all the others. ^[61] Greer, who was considered a consummate professional and often clashed with the center because of his attitude, spoke positively of the new Wilt Chamberlain: "You knew in a minute the Big Fella [Chamberlain] was ready to go. . . and everybody would follow. "^[61]

In the 1967 NBA Playoffs, the Sixers yet again battled the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals, and again held home court advantage. The 1967 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1966-1967 season. In Game 1, the Sixers beat the Boston 127–112, powered by Hal Greer's 39 points and Chamberlain's unofficial quadruple double, with 24 points, 32 rebounds, 13 assists and (unofficially counted) 12 blocks. A quadruple-double is a Basketball term defined as an individual performance in a game in which a player accumulates a double digit number total in four of these five categories ^[62] In Game 2, the Sixers won 107–102 in overtime, and player-coach Russell grudgingly praised Chamberlain for intimidating the Celtics into taking low percentage shots from further outside. ^[62] In Game 3, Chamberlain grabbed 41 rebounds and helped the Sixers win 115–104. The Celtics prevented a sweep by winning Game 4 with 121–117, but in Game 5, the Sixers simply overpowered the Celtics with 140–116, and the Sixers center scored 29 points, 36 rebounds and 13 assists and was highly praised by Celtics Russell and K.C. Jones. ^[62]

In the 1967 NBA Finals, the Sixers were pitted against Chamberlain's old team, the San Francisco Warriors of his one-time backup Nate Thurmond and star forward Rick Barry. The 1967 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 1966-67 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 1967 NBA Playoffs. The Golden State Warriors are an American professional Basketball team based in Oakland, California. Richard (Rick Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28 1944 in Elizabeth New Jersey) is a retired American professional Basketball player The Sixers won the first two games, with Chamberlain and Greer taking credit for respectively defensive dominance and clutch shooting, but San Francisco won two of the next three games, so Philadelphia was up 3–2 prior to Game 6. ^[62] In Game 6, the Warriors were trailing by one point with 15 seconds left. For the last play, Thurmond and Barry were assigned to do a pick and roll against Chamberlain and whoever would guard Barry. The pick and roll (also called screen and roll or shortened to screen-roll, any of which may be hyphenated in Basketball is an offensive play in which However, the Sixers foiled this plan: when Barry ran past Thurmond's pick and drove to the basket, he was picked up by Chet Walker, making it impossible to shoot; Thurmond was covered by Chamberlain, making it impossible to pass. Barry botched his shot attempt, and the Sixers won the championship. ^[62] Chamberlain said: "It is a wonderful to be a part of the greatest team in basketball. . . being a champion is like having a big round glow inside of you. "^[62] He had contributed with 17. 7 ppg and 28. 7 rpg against fellow future Hall-of-Fame pivot Nate Thurmond, never failing to snare at least 23 rebounds in the six games. Nathaniel "Nate" Thurmond (born July 25 1941 in Akron Ohio) is a retired American Basketball player feared and praised by legends including ^[4][63] Chamberlain himself described the team as the best in NBA history. ^[39] In 2002, writer Wayne Lynch wrote a book about this remarkable Sixers season, Season of the 76ers, centering on Chamberlain.

In the 1967-68 NBA season, matters began to turn sour between Chamberlain and the Sixer's surviving sole owner, Irv Kosloff. The 1967–68 NBA Season was the 22nd season of the National Basketball Association. This conflict had been going along for a while: in 1965, Chamberlain asserted that the late Richman and him had worked out a deal which would give the center 25% of the franchise once he had ended his career. ^[64] Although there is no written proof for or against, Ex-Sixers coach Dolph Schayes and Sixers lawyer Alan Levitt assumed Chamberlain was right;^[62] in any case, Kosloff declined the request, leaving Chamberlain livid and willing to jump to the rival ABA once his contract ended in 1967. The American Basketball Association ( ABA) was a professional Basketball league founded in 1967, and eventually merged in part with the National Kosloff and Chamberlain worked out a truce, and later signed a one-year, $250,000 contract. ^[62]

On the hardwood, Chamberlain continued his focus on team play and registered 24. 3 points and 23. 8 rebounds a game for the season. ^[39] The 76ers had the best record in the league for the third straight season. Chamberlain made history by becoming the first and only center in NBA history to finish the season as the leader in assists, his 702 beating runner-up, Hall-of-Fame point guard Lenny Wilkins's total by 23. Point guard ( PG) also called the one or " the ball-handler " is one of the standard positions in a regulation Basketball game Leonard Randolph "Lenny" Wilkens (born October 28 1937 in Brooklyn, New York U ^[19] For these feats, Chamberlain won his fourth and last MVP title. ^[5] Another landmark was his 25,000th point, making him the first ever player to score these many points: he gave the ball to his team physician Dr. Stan Lorber. ^[65] Winning 62 games, the Sixers easily took the first playoff berth of the 1968 NBA Playoffs. The 1968 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1967-1968 season. In the 1968 Eastern Division Semifinals, they were pitted against the New York Knicks. In a physically tough matchup, the Sixers lost sixth man Billy Cunningham, who broke his hand, and Chamberlain, Hal Greer and Luke Jackson were struggling with respectively, inflamed feet, bad knees and pulled hamstrings. The sixth man in Basketball is a player who is not a starter but comes off the bench much more often than other Going ahead 3–2, the Sixers defeated the Knicks 115–97 in Game 6 after Chamberlain scored 25 points and 27 rebounds: he had a successful series in which he led both teams in points (153), rebounds (145) and assists (38). ^[66]

In the 1968 Eastern Division Finals, the Sixers yet again met the Boston Celtics, again with home court advantage, and this time as reigning champions. Despite the Sixers' injury woes, coach Hannum was confident to "take the Celtics in less than seven games": he pointed out the age of the Celtics, who were built around Bill Russell and guard Sam Jones, both 34. ^[67] But then, national tragedy struck as Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Martin Luther King Jr ( January 15, 1929 April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, Activist and prominent leader Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. With eight of the ten starting players on Sixers and Celtics being African-American, both teams were in deep shock, and there were calls to cancel the series. ^[67] In a game called as "unreal" and "devoid of emotion", the Sixers lost 118–127 on April 5. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop After attending Dr. King's funeral, Chamberlain called out to the angry rioters who were setting fires all over the country, stating Dr. King would not have approved. ^[67] In Game 2, Philadelphia evened the series with 115–106, and in Games 3 and 4, the Sixers won, with Chamberlain suspiciously often played by Celtics backup center Wayne Embry, causing the press to speculate Russell was worn down. Wayne Richard Embry (born March 26 1937 in Springfield Ohio) is a retired American Basketball player a center/forward whose 11 year career ^[67] Prior to Game 5, the Celtics seemed dead: no NBA team had ever come back from a 1–3 deficit. ^[67] However, the Celtics rallied back, winning Game 5 with 122–104 and Game 6 with 114–106, powered by a spirited John Havlicek and helped by a terrible Sixers shooting slump. John J Havlicek (born April 8 1940 in Martins Ferry Ohio) is a retired American professional Basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston ^[67]

What followed was the first of three consecutive controversial and painful Game 7s which Wilt Chamberlain played. In that Game 7, the Sixers could not get their act together: 15,202 stunned Philadelphia fans witnessed a historic 96–100 defeat, making it the first time in NBA history a team lost a series after leading 3–1. Although Cherry points out that the Sixers shot badly (Hal Greer, Wali Jones, Chet Walker, Luke Jackson and Matt Guokas hit a cumulated 25 of 74 shots) and Chamberlain grabbed 34 rebounds and shot 4-of-9, the center himself scored only 14 points. Matthew George " Matt "/" Matty " Guokas Jr (born February 25, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ^[67] In the second half of Game 7, Chamberlain did not attempt a single shot from the field. ^[68] Cherry observes a strange pattern in that game: in a typical Sixers game, Chamberlain got the ball 60 times in the low post, but in that Game 7, only 23 times, and only seven times in the third and only two times in the fourth quarter. ^[67] Chamberlain later blamed coach Hannum for the lack of touches (i. e. scoring opportunities), a point which the coach conceded himself, but Cherry points out that Chamberlain, who always thought of himself as the best player of all time, should have been outspoken enough to demand the ball himself. ^[67] The loss meant that Chamberlain was now 1–6 in playoff series against the Celtics.

After that season, coach Alex Hannum wanted to be closer to his family at the West Coast: he left the Sixers to coach the Oakland Oaks in the newly-founded American Basketball Association. The Oakland Oaks were a charter member of the original American Basketball Association. The American Basketball Association ( ABA) was a professional Basketball league founded in 1967, and eventually merged in part with the National ^[69] Chamberlain then asked for a trade, and Sixers general manager Jack Ramsay traded him for Darrall Imhoff, Archie Clark and Jerry Chambers. General Manager or GM for short is a descriptive term for certain executives in a Business operation This article refers to the basketball coach For the Canadian politician see Jack Ramsay (politician. Darrall Tucker Imhoff (born October 11 1938 in San Gabriel California) is an American former professional Basketball player Archie Clark or Archibald Clark may refer to Archie Clark (basketball Archie Clark (footballer, English football player and Jerome Purcell "Jerry" Chambers (born July 18, 1943 in Washington D ^[68] The motivation for this move remains in dispute. According to sports writer Roland Lazenby, a journalist close to the Los Angeles Lakers, Chamberlain was angry at Kosloff for breaking the alleged Richman-Chamberlain deal,^[29] but according to Dr. The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA team based in Los Angeles, California. Jack Ramsay, who was the Sixers general manager then, Chamberlain also threatened to jump to the ABA after Hannum left, and forced the trade himself. This article refers to the basketball coach For the Canadian politician see Jack Ramsay (politician. ^[68] Cherry finally adds several personal reasons: the center felt he had grown too big for Philadelphia, searched the presence of fellow celebrities (which were plenty in L. A. ) and finally also sought the opportunity to date white women, which was possible for a black man in L. A. but hard to imagine elsewhere back then. ^[70]

Los Angeles Lakers

On July 9, 1968, Chamberlain was the centerpiece of a major trade between the 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers, who sent center Darrall Imhoff (the unfortunate ex-Knicks center who started against Chamberlain when latter scored 100 points), forward Jerry Chambers and guard Archie Clark to Philadelphia, making it the first time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player was traded the next season (the other is Moses Malone 1982). Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Darrall Tucker Imhoff (born October 11 1938 in San Gabriel California) is an American former professional Basketball player Jerome Purcell "Jerry" Chambers (born July 18, 1943 in Washington D Archie Clark or Archibald Clark may refer to Archie Clark (basketball Archie Clark (footballer, English football player and ^[71] Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke gave Chamberlain an unprecedented contract, paying him $250,000 after taxes; in comparison, previous Laker top earner Jerry West was paid $100,000 before taxes. Jack Kent Cooke ( October 25, 1912 – April 6, 1997) was a Canadian - American entrepreneur who became one of the most widely-known Jerry Alan West (born May 28 1938 is a retired American Basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National ^[72]

Chamberlain joined a squad which featured Hall-of-Fame forward Elgin Baylor and Hall-of-Fame guard Jerry West, along with backup center Mel Counts, forwards Keith Erickson and Tom Hawkins and talented but diminutive 6' guard Johnny Egan. Elgin Gay Baylor (born September 16 1934 in Washington DC) is a retired American basketball player who played Mel Grant Counts (born October 16 1941 in Coos Bay Oregon) is a retired American NBA player from 1965&ndash1976 Keith Raymond Erickson (born 19 April 1944 in San Francisco California) is a former American Basketball player Tom Hawkins may refer to Tom Hawkins (basketball, an American basketball player Tom Hawkins (footballer Tom Hawkins a John Francis "Johnny" Egan (born January 31 1939 in Hartford Connecticut) is a former professional Basketball player and coach The lack of a second guard next to West (and thus, the lack of speed and quickness) concerned coach Bill Van Breda Kolff; after losing Clark and Gail Goodrich, who joined the Phoenix Suns after the 1968 expansion draft, he said: "Egan gets murdered on defense because of his [lack of] size. Gail Charles Goodrich Jr (born April 23, 1943 in Los Angeles California) is a former professional Basketball player in the National The Phoenix Suns are a professional Basketball team based in Phoenix Arizona. . . but if I don't play him, we look like a bunch of trucks. "^[73] In addition, Cherry observed that Chamberlain was neither a natural leader nor a loyal follower, which made him difficult to fit in. ^[72] While he was on cordial terms with Jerry West, he often argued with team captain Elgin Baylor; latter explained later: "We were good friends, but. . . [in] black culture. . . you never let the other guy one-up you. "^[72] The greatest problem was his tense relationship with Lakers coach Butch Van Breda Kolff: 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. ^[72] In return, the center blasted Van Breda Kolff as "the dumbest and worst coach ever". ^[29][72] Laker Keith Erickson observed that "Butch catered to Elgin and Jerry. . . and that is not a good way to get on Wilt's side. . . that relationship was doomed from the start. "^[72]

Chamberlain experienced a problematic and often frustrating season. Van Breda Kolff benched him several times, which never happened in his career before; in mid-season, the perennial scoring champion had two games in which he scored only six and then only 2 points. ^[73] Playing through his problems, Chamberlain averaged 20. 5 points and 21. 1 rebounds a game that season. ^[39] However, Jack Kent Cooke was pleased, because since acquiring Chamberlain, ticket sales had gone up by 11 percent. ^[73]

In the the playoffs, the Lakers dispatched of Chamberlain's old club, the San Francisco Warriors with 4–2 after losing the first two games, and then defeated the Atlanta Hawks and met Chamberlain's familiar rivals, Bill Russell's Boston Celtics. The 1969 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1968-1969 season. The Golden State Warriors are an American professional Basketball team based in Oakland, California. The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional Basketball team based in Atlanta Georgia. ^[73] Going into the series as 3-to-1 favourites, the Lakers won their first two games, but dropped the next two. Chamberlain was criticized as a non-factor in the series, getting neutralized by Bill Russell with little effort. ^[73] But in Game 5, the Lakers center struck back, grabbed 31 rebounds and led Los Angeles to a 117-104 win. In Game 6, the Celtics won 99–90, and Chamberlain only scored eight points; Cherry accuses him of choking, because if "Chamberlain had came up big and put up a normal 30 point scoring night", L. A. would have probably won its first championship. ^[73]

Game 7 featured a surreal scene: in anticipation of a Lakers win, Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke had put up thousands of balloons in the rafters of the Forum in Los Angeles. This display of arrogance motivated the Celtics and angered Jerry West. ^[73] In that match, Chamberlain experienced his second Game 7 debacle. The Lakers trailed by 76–91 after three quarters. But powered by a limping Jerry West, who played with a deep thigh bruise after Game 5, the Lakers mounted a comeback; but then, Chamberlain twisted his knee after a rebound and had to be replaced by Mel Counts. Mel Grant Counts (born October 16 1941 in Coos Bay Oregon) is a retired American NBA player from 1965&ndash1976 With three minutes to go, and West and Counts hitting clutch baskets, the Lakers trailed by only 102–103. But when the Celtics tightened up their defense, the Lakers committed costly turnovers and lost the game 106–108 despite 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists of Jerry West, who became the first and only NBA Finals MVP from the losing team. ^[73]

After the game, the key question was why Chamberlain had stayed out the final six minutes. At the time of his final substitution, he had scored 18 points (hitting 7 of his 8 shots) and grabbed 27 rebounds, significantly better than the 10 points of Mel Counts on 4-of-13 shooting. ^[73] To justify a late minute sub, either Chamberlain's injury had to be grave, or Van Breda Kolff's trust in Counts absolute. Among others, Bill Russell did not believe Chamberlain's injury was grave, and openly accused him of being a malingerer: "Any injury short of a broken leg or a broken back is not enough. Malingering is a medical and psychological term that refers to an individual fabricating or exaggerating the symptoms of mental or physical disorders "^[73] Ironically, Van Breda Kolff came to Chamberlain's defense, insisting the often-maligned Lakers center hardly was able to move in the end. ^[73] He himself was perceived as "pig-headed" for benching Chamberlain, and soon resigned as a Lakers coach. ^[73] Cherry comments that according to some journalists, that Game 7 "destroyed two careers: Wilt's because he wouldn't take over and Van Breda Kolff because he wouldn't give in". ^[73]

In his second Lakers year under new coach Joe Mullaney, Chamberlain seriously injured his knee. The 1969–70 NBA Season was the 24th season of the National Basketball Association. Joseph A Mullaney ( November 17 1925 &ndash March 8 2000) was a successful American Basketball player and coach He missed almost the entire 82-game regular season, only appearing in the final 12 games, but managed to average 27. 3 points, 18. 4 rebounds and 4. 1 assists per game. ^[39] Again, the Lakers charged through the playoffs, and in the 1970 NBA Finals, the Lakers were pitted against the New York Knicks, loaded with future Hall-of-Famers Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Walt Frazier. The 1970 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1969-1970 season. Road to the Finals The New York Knicks had a very successful season their 60 wins coming as a result of team play instead of big-name Willis Reed Jr (born June 25 1942 is a retired American Basketball player David Albert DeBusschere (October 16 1940 &ndash May 14 2003 was an American professional Basketball player and coach in the NBA. William Warren "Bill" Bradley (born July 28 1943 is an American hall of fame Basketball player Rhodes scholar, and former Walter "Clyde" Frazier (born March 29 1945 in Atlanta Georgia) is a retired American Basketball player in the National Basketball Association Cherry observed that Reed, a prolific midrange shooter, was a bad matchup for Chamberlain: having lost lateral quickness due to his injury, the Lakers center was often too slow to block Reed's preferred high post jump shots. ^[74] In Game 1, Reed masterminded a 124–112 win in which he scored 37 points on Chamberlain. In Game 2, Chamberlain scored 19 points, grabbed 24 rebounds and blocked Reed's shot in the final seconds, leading the Lakers to a 105–103 win. ^[74] Game 3 featured Jerry West hitting an unbelievable 60-foot buzzer beater to tie the game at 102; however, the Knicks took the game 111–108. is a Manga series by Takehiko Inoue. The series debuted on the web and was later published in print format by Shueisha, being serialized in its ^[74] In Game 4, Chamberlain scored 18 points and grabbed 25 rebounds and helped tie the series at two games each. ^[74] But in Game 5, things seemed to go awry for the Knicks: trailing by double digits, Reed pulled his thigh muscle and seemed to be done for the series. By conventional wisdom, Chamberlain now should have dominated against little-used Knicks backup centers Nate Bowman and Bill Hosket or forwards Bradley and DeBusschere, who gave up more than half a foot against the Lakers center. Nathaniel "Nate the Snake" Bowman (born March 19, 1943 in Fort Worth Texas; died December 11, 1984 in New York New Bill Hosket may refer to two basketball players Bill Hosket Sr ^[74] Instead, the Lakers gave away their 13 point halftime lead and succumbed to the aggressive Knicks defense: L. A. committed 19 second half turnovers, and the two main scorers Chamberlain and West shot the ball only three and two times, respectively, in the entire second half. ^[74] The Lakers lost 100–107 in what was called one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history. ^[74] In Game 6, Chamberlain scored 45 points and almost single-handedly equalized the series in a 135–113 Lakers win, and with Reed out, the Knicks seemed doomed prior to Game 7 in New York. ^[74]

However, the hero of that Game 7 was Willis Reed. He famously hobbled up court, scored the first four points, and inspired his team to one of the most famous playoff upsets of all time. ^[75] At halftime, the Knicks were already up by 27, and despite scoring 21 points, Chamberlain could not prevent his third consecutive painful Game 7 loss. The Lakers center himself was criticized for his inability to dominate his injured counterpart, but Cherry pointed out that Chamberlain's feat - coming back from career-threatening injury himself - was too quickly forgotten. ^[74]

In the 1970-71 NBA season, the Lakers made a notable move by signing future Hall-of-Fame guard Gail Goodrich, who came back from the Phoenix Suns after playing for L. The 1970–71 NBA season was the 25th season of the National Basketball Association. Gail Charles Goodrich Jr (born April 23, 1943 in Los Angeles California) is a former professional Basketball player in the National The Phoenix Suns are a professional Basketball team based in Phoenix Arizona. A. until 1968. Chamberlain averaged 20. 7 points, 18. 2 rebounds and 4. 3 assists,^[39] once again led the NBA in rebounding and the Lakers won the Pacific Division title. After losing Elgin Baylor to an Achilles tendon rupture that effectively ended his career, and especially after losing Jerry West after a knee injury, the handicapped Lakers were seen as underdogs against the Milwaukee Bucks of freshly-crowned MVP Lew Alcindor, better known under his later Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and veteran Hall-of-Fame guard Oscar Robertson in the Western Conference Finals. The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional Basketball team based in Milwaukee Wisconsin. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr; April 16 1947 is an American athlete and retired professional Basketball player widely considered Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24 1938 in Charlotte Tennessee) nicknamed " The Big O " is a former American NBA player with The 1971 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1970-1971 season. Winning the regular season with 66 wins, the Bucks were seen as favourites against the depleted Lakers; still, many pundits were looking forward to the matchup between the 34-year old Chamberlain and the 24-year old Abdul-Jabbar. ^[76] In Game 1, Abdul-Jabbar outscored Chamberlain 32–22, and the Bucks won 106–85. In Game 2, the Bucks won again despite the Lakers center scoring 26 points, four more than his Milwaukee counterpart. Prior to Game 3, things became even worse for the Lakers when Keith Erickson, West's stand-in, had an appendectomy and was out for the season; with only rookie Jim McMillan easing the scoring pressure, Chamberlain churned out a 24-point-24-rebound effort in Game 4 to a Lakers win, but finally the Bucks soundly defeated the Lakers 116–98 at home. An appendicectomy (or appendectomy) is the surgical removal of the Vermiform appendix. There were several independent candidates who contested the 1979 Canadian federal election, none of whom were elected ^[77] Although Chamberlain lost, he was lauded for holding his own against MVP Abdul-Jabbar, who was not only 10 years younger but still had two healthy knees. ^[76]

After the 1971 playoffs, Chamberlain had an offer to fight heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali. The 1971 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1970-1971 season. Biography Early life Cassius Clay Jr was born on January 17 1942 The 15-round fight would have taken place on July 26, 1971 in the Houston Astrodome but Chamberlain finally refused the match. Events 657 - Battle of Siffin. 811 - Battle of Pliska; Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. For the aeronautical use see Astrodome (aviation Reliant Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome ^[19] In an 1999 interview, Chamberlain stated that boxing trainer Cus D'Amato wanted to train him for the fight, and they offered Ali and him $5 million each to battle each other. Constantine "Cus" D'Amato ( January 17, 1908 &ndash November 4, 1985) was a boxing manager and trainer who handled the careers However, after checking back with his father, Chamberlain finally said no. ^[78][79]

In the 1971-72 NBA season, the Lakers hired former Celtics star guard Bill Sharman as head coach. The 1971–72 NBA season was the 26th season of the National Basketball Association. William Walton "Bill" Sharman (born May 25 1926 in Abilene Texas) is a former professional Basketball player and coach Sharman introduced morning shoot-arounds, in which the perennial latecomer Chamberlain regularly participated (in contrast to earlier years with Dolph Schayes) and transformed him into a defensive-minded, low-scoring post defender in the mold of his old rival Bill Russell. William Felton "Bill" Russell (born February 12 1934 in Monroe, Louisiana) is a retired American professional Basketball ^[80] Furthermore, he told Chamberlain to use his rebounding and passing skills to quickly initiate fastbreaks to his teammates, forwards Happy Hairston and MacMillian, guards Goodrich and West, and bench players Flynn Robinson and LeRoy Ellis. Fast break is an offensive strategy in Basketball. In a fast break a team attempts to move the ball up court and into scoring position as quickly as possible so that the defense Harold "Happy" Hairston ( May 31, 1942 &ndash May 1, 2001) was an American professional Basketball player who Flynn James Robinson (born April 28, 1941 in Elgin Illinois) is an American former professional Basketball player LeRoy Ellis (born March 10 1940 in Far Rockaway New York) is a retired American Basketball player ^[81]

While no longer being the main scorer, Chamberlain was named the new captain of the Lakers: after his Achilles tendon rupture, perennial captain Elgin Baylor had ended his career, leaving a void the center now filled. Elgin Gay Baylor (born September 16 1934 in Washington DC) is a retired American basketball player who played Initially, Sharman had wanted Chamberlain and West to share this duty, but West declined, stating that he was injury-prone and wanted to solely concentrate on the game. ^[82] Chamberlain accepted his new roles and posted an all-time low 14. 8 points, but also won the rebound crown with 19. 2 rpg and led the league with a . 649 field goal percentage. ^[39] Powered by his defensive presence, the Lakers would embark on an unprecedented 33 game win streak en route to a then-record 69 wins in the regular season. This is a list of the longest regular season winning streaks in National Basketball Association history

In the post-season, the Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls in a sweep,^[83] then went on to face the Milwaukee Bucks of young superstar center and regular-season MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar again. The Chicago Bulls are an American professional Basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional Basketball team based in Milwaukee Wisconsin. The matchup between Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar was hailed by LIFE magazine as the greatest matchup in all of sports. Chamberlain would help lead the Lakers past Jabbar and the Bucks in 6 games. ^[83] Particularly, Chamberlain was lauded for his final Game 6 performance, which the Lakers won 106–100 after trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter: he scored 24 points and 22 rebounds, played a complete 48 minutes and outsprinted the younger Bucks center on several late Lakers fast breaks. ^[84] Jerry West called it "the greatest ball-busting performance I have ever seen. "^[84]

In the 1972 NBA Finals, the Lakers again met the New York Knicks; the Knicks were shorthanded after losing Willis Reed to injury, and so, undersized 6'8" Jerry Lucas had the task to defend against the 7'1" Chamberlain. The 1972 NBA Finals was the played at the conclusion of the 1971-72 NBA season. Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30 1940 was a Basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s and is now a memory education expert ^[85] However, prolific outside shooter Lucas helped New York to win Game 1, hitting 9 of his 11 shots in the first half alone; in Game 2, which the Lakers won 106–92, Chamberlain put Lucas into foul trouble, and the Knicks lost defensive power forward Dave DeBusschere to injury. David Albert DeBusschere (October 16 1940 &ndash May 14 2003 was an American professional Basketball player and coach in the NBA. ^[85] In Game 3, Chamberlain scored 26 points and grabbed 20 rebounds for another Lakers win, and in a fiercely battled Game 4, the Lakers center was with playing with five fouls late in the match. Having never fouled out in his NBA career - a feat he was very proud of - he played aggressive defense despite the risk of fouling out, and blocked two of Lucas' shots in overtime, proving those wrong who said he only played for his own stats; he ended scoring a game-high 27 points. ^[85] But in that game, he had fallen on his right hand, and was said to have "sprained" it; in fact, it was broken. For Game 5, Chamberlain's hands were packed into thick pads normally destined for defensive linesmen in American Football; he was offered a painkilling shot, but refused because he feared he would lose his shooting touch if his hands became numb. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with ^[85] In Game 5, Chamberlain scored 24 points, 29 rebounds, and helped the L. A. Lakers win their first championship with a decisive 114–100 win. ^[85] Chamberlain was named Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals,^[39] and was admired for dominating the Knicks in Game 5 while playing injured. ^[85]

The 1972-73 NBA season was to be Chamberlain's last, although he did not know this at the time. The 1972–73 NBA season was the 27th season of the National Basketball Association. In his last NBA year, the Lakers had lost substance: Happy Hairston was injured, Flynn Robinson and LeRoy Ellis had left L. A. , and veteran Jerry West struggled with sensitive hamstrings. ^[86] Chamberlain averaged 13. 2 points and 18. 6 rebounds, still enough to win the rebounding crown for the 11th time in his career. In addition, he shot with an all-time NBA record .727 accuracy from the field, bettering his own mark of . This list exhibits the National Basketball Association 's top single-season field goal percentages. 683 from the 1966–67 season — neither percentage has been topped by any other player. ^[39] It was the ninth time Chamberlain would lead the league in field goal percentage. The Lakers won 60 games in the regular season and reached the 1973 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. For the third time in four seasons the New York Knicks of the Eastern Conference met the Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference for the NBA World Championship in the This time, the tables were turned: the Knicks now featured a healthy team with a rejuvenated Willis Reed, and the Lakers were now handicapped by several injuries. ^[86]

In that series, the Lakers won Game 1 with 115–112, but the Knicks won Games 2 and 3; things worsened when Jerry West injured his hamstring yet again. In Game 4, the shorthanded Lakers were no match for New York, and in Game 5, the valiant, but injured West and Hairston had miserable games, and despite Chamberlain scoring 23 points and grabbing 21 rebounds, the Lakers lost 93-102 and the series. ^[87][88] Chamberlain did not yet know that this loss was the last professional game of his career.

San Diego Conquistadors

In 1973, the San Diego Conquistadors of the NBA rival league ABA signed Chamberlain as a player-coach for a $600,000 salary. The San Diego Conquistadors, nicknamed the "Q's" were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego California. The American Basketball Association ( ABA) was a professional Basketball league founded in 1967, and eventually merged in part with the National ^[89] However, the Lakers sued their former star and successfully prevented him from actually playing, because he still owed them the option year of his contract. ^[4] Barred from playing, Chamberlain mostly left the coaching duties to his assistant Stan Allbeck, who recalled: "Chamberlain. . . has a great feel for pro basketball. . . [but] the day-to-day things that are an important part of basketball. . . just bored him. He did not have the patience. "^[89] The players were split on Chamberlain, who was seen as competent, but often indifferent and more occupied with promotion of his autobiography Wilt: Just Like Any Other 7-Foot Black Millionaire Who Lives Next Door than with coaching. ^[89] In his single season as a coach, the "Qs", as the Conquistadors were colloquially called, went a mediocre 37–47 in the regular season and lost against the Utah Stars in the Division Semifinals. This page is about the American Basketball Association (ABA team ^[89] However, Chamberlain was not pleased by the meagre Qs' attendance: the crowd was an average 1,843, hardly filling half of the Qs' small San Diego 3,200-seat sports arena. ^[89] After the season, Chamberlain retired from professional basketball.

Post-NBA career

After his stint with the Qs, Chamberlain successfully went into business and entertainment, made money in stocks and real estate, opened a popular Harlem nightclub, Big Wilt's Smalls Paradise, and invested in broodmares. Real estate is a legal term (in some jurisdictions notably in the USA, United Kingdom Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African American cultural and business center ^[32] 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,^[90] and made money by appearing in ads for Drexel Burnham, Le Tigre Clothing and Foot Locker. Drexel Burnham Lambert was a major Wall Street Investment banking firm which first rose to prominence and then was driven into bankruptcy in February 1990 by its Le Tigre is an American brand of Apparel designed to rival Lacoste in styling Foot Locker Inc ( is an American sportswear and footwear retailer with its headquarters in New York City, and operating in approximately 20 countries worldwide ^[32]

After his basketball career, volleyball became Chamberlain's new passion: being a talented hobby volleyballer (albeit due to lack of technique, not as excellent as volleyball All-American Lakers team mate Keith Erickson) during his Lakers days,^[87] he became board member of the newly founded International Volleyball Association in 1974 and became its president one year later. Keith Raymond Erickson (born 19 April 1944 in San Francisco California) is a former American Basketball player The International Volleyball Association was a short lived Co-ed professional Volleyball league in the United States from 1975 to 1979 ^[6] As a testament to his importance, the IVA All-Star game was only televised because Chamberlain also played in it: he rose to the challenge and was named the game's MVP. ^[6] He played occasional matches for the IVA Seattle Smashers before the league folded in 1979. However, Chamberlain had 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. ^[6]

In addition, Chamberlain played the villain in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Conan the Destroyer (1984), where his most remarkable spoken phrase is "thieves should be hanged": this caused his physician Dr. Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger ( German ˌaɐnɔlt aloʏs ˈʃvaɐtsənɛɡɐ born July 30 1947 is an Austrian American Bodybuilder, Actor Conan the Destroyer is a 1984 film directed by action/fantasy veteran Richard Fleischer ( 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Vikings Lorber to jokingly greet Chamberlain with "thieves should be hanged" whenever they met. ^[91] When million-dollar contracts became common in the NBA, Chamberlain increasingly felt he had been underpaid during his career. ^[92] A result of this resentment was the 1997 book Who's Running the Asylum? Inside the Insane World of Sports Today (1997), in which he harshly criticized the NBA of the 1990s for being too disrespectful of players of the past. ^[93]

Even far beyond his playing days, Chamberlain was a very fit person. In his mid-forties, he was able to humble a young Los Angeles Lakers rookie called Magic Johnson in practice,^[94] and even in the 1980s, he flirted with making a comeback in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA team based in Los Angeles, California. In the 1980-81 NBA season, coach Larry Brown recalled that the 45-year old Chamberlain had received an offer by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 1980–81 NBA season was the 35th season of the National Basketball Association. Lawrence Harvey Brown (born September 14 1940 in Brooklyn, New York, United States) is the head coach of the National Basketball Association The Cleveland Cavaliers (also known as the Cavs) are a professional Basketball team based in Cleveland Ohio. When Chamberlain was 50, the New Jersey Nets had the same idea, and Chamberlain declined again. The New Jersey Nets are a professional Basketball team in the National Basketball Association that plays in the Eastern Conference 's Atlantic ^[94] Chamberlain however participated in several marathons instead. The marathon is a long-distance foot race with an official distance of 42 ^[4] He would stay an epitome of physical fitness for years to come, until his health rapidly worsened in 1999. ^[32]

"He was basketball's unstoppable force, the most awesome offensive force the game has ever seen. "

— First line of Chamberlain's biography on nba. com[2]

Legacy

Main article: List of career achievements by Wilt Chamberlain

The 7-foot-1, two-time NBA champion Chamberlain is universally regarded as one of the most extraordinary and dominant basketball players ever. This article concerns the career achievements of National Basketball Association (NBA Hall-of-Fame player Wilt Chamberlain, who holds numerous NBA records setting ^[5] The 1972 NBA Finals MVP is holder of numerous official NBA all-time records, establishing himself as a scoring champion, all-time top rebounder and setting yardsticks in field goal accuracy. This list exhibits the National Basketball Association 's top single-season scoring averages This list exhibits the National Basketball Association 's top single-season rebounding averages of which the top 18 are shared by only Wilt Chamberlain and Bill This article concerns the career achievements of National Basketball Association (NBA Hall-of-Fame player Wilt Chamberlain, who holds numerous NBA records setting He was also responsible for several rule changes, including widening the lane as well as changes to rules regarding inbounding the ball and shooting free throws. Chamberlain's main weakness was free throw shooting, where he had the second lowest career free throw percentage in NBA history, behind only Ben Wallace,^[95] and later acknowledged he was a "psycho case" in this matter. Ben Camey Wallace (born September 10 1974 in White Hall Alabama) is an American professional Basketball player in the National ^[37]

For his feats, Chamberlain was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame (1978), named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996), ranked #2 in SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time (2003) and #13 in the ESPN list "Top North American athletes of the century"^[96] and voted second best center of all time by ESPN behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on March 6, 2007. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in downtown Springfield Massachusetts, honors players who have shown exceptional skill at Basketball SLAM Magazine is an American Basketball magazine that has been in circulation since 1994, and is published by PRIMEDIA. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr; April 16 1947 is an American athlete and retired professional Basketball player widely considered Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[97] His on-court rivalry against Bill Russell is acknowledged as the greatest NBA rivalry of all time. ^[5]

In economics, Chamberlain became the namesake of the so-called "Wilt Chamberlain Argument". Libertarian philosopher Robert Nozick states that if fans agreed to pay to see him play, then Chamberlain was entitled to higher compensation because of his superior ability [on the court]. Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Robert Nozick ( November 16, 1938  &ndash January 23, 2002) was an American Philosopher and Pellegrino University Nozick used Chamberlain as a real-life example to demonstrate that non-entitlement theories of justice were inherently unjust. Justice as Fairness is the phrase used by the philosopher John Rawls to refer to his distinctive theory of Justice. Distributive justice concerns what is just or right with respect to the allocation of goods in a society ^[98]

Personal life

Chamberlain was one of eleven children of Olivia and William Chamberlain, respectively a housekeeper and a janitor. ^[4][99] He lived in a lower middle class family with two brothers and six sisters, losing two siblings who died shortly after birth. ^[99] Chamberlain remembers having a comfortable, loving upbringing, unaffected by racial or religious issues. Mother Olivia frequently worked in upper-class Jewish households, so the Chamberlain family grew up with a favourable view on Jewish culture in general. ^[99]

As a teenager, Chamberlain felt as a freak because of his height, and had a stutter which later disappeared, but back then further diminished his self-confidence. His childhood friend Tom Fitzhugh recalled: "I don't remember him having a date . . . he was probably a virgin when he left high school. "^[100] Lifelong friend Sonny Hill added: "White people. . . would say 'By golly, look how tall that nigger is'. . .  Wilt could not hide himself. . . that left scars. "^[101] But as fame and admiration came, he became the alpha male of later years, as Overbrook team mate Mel Brodsky reported: "He came into high school very humble. By his junior year he was cocky as hell, he knew he could do anything he wanted. "^[101] Overbrook coach Cecil Mosenson said: "As he got older, he became somewhat of an egotist. I don't blame him, I would be an egotist too if. . . I were Wilt. "^[102] Lakers coach Bill van Breda Kolff (a known critic) added that Chamberlain had been revered and pampered since he was 15: "I felt sorry for Wilt. . . he was bound to be spoilt and impressed with himself. "^[103]

As a player, Sixers owner Jack Ramsay added that Chamberlain often felt maligned, because people only saw him as big (he hated his nickname "Wilt the Stilt"), and as his career progressed, increasingly as a loser. ^[104] Chamberlain frequently felt like the head villain and said of himself: "Nobody roots for Goliath. "^[2] However, he also took a fair share of the blame himself and had a love-hate relationship to his "Goliath" image, as Lakers team mate Jerry West remarked: "He liked to stir the pot. Jerry Alan West (born May 28 1938 is a retired American Basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National . . he liked a bit of controversy. . . yet he was extremely sensitive. . . one night he asked: 'Why do they always boo me and never boo you?' I said: 'If people knew you better, no way that would happen. '^[103] He added that Chamberlain was friendly and well-informed, but also came over as egotistical and aloof because he thought he was the best in everything. ^[29] His sometimes inaccessible character is testified by numerous clashes with coaches (Dick Harp, Dolph Schayes, Bill van Breda Kolff), but he got on well with others like Alex Hannum, Joe Mullaney and Bill Sharman.

Star status

Chamberlain was the first big earner of professional basketball: his 1959 $30,000 rookie contract was $5,000 more than the previous best earner, Celtics star guard Bob Cousy. ^[33] He was basketball's first player to earn more than $100,000 a year, and earned an unprecedented $1. 5 million during his Lakers years. ^[105] As a Philadelphia player, he could afford renting a New York apartment and commuting to Philadelphia. ^[106] In addition, he would often stay out until late in the night and only wake up at noon,^[80] a point that became notorious in the 1965–66 NBA season.

When he became a Laker, Chamberlain built a million-dollar mansion he called "Ursa Major" (the stars of the Big Dipper appear in that constellation) in Bel-Air. Ursa Major ( is a Constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere Bel Air is a wealthy and prominent faux-gated residential community in the Westside of the city of Los Angeles California, United States. It had a 2,200-pound pivot as a front door and contained great displays of luxury. Cherry describes his house as a miniature playboy mansion, where he regularly held parties and lived out his later-notorious sex life. This was also helped by the fact that he was a near-insomniac who often simply skipped sleeping. ^[107] Chamberlain lived alone, relying on a great deal of automated gadgets, with two cats named Zip and Zap and several Great Dane dogs as company. In addition, Chamberlain drove a Ferrari, a Bentley, and engaged James Bond car designer Peter Bohanna to design the Chamberlain Searcher I, a $400,000 custom sports car. Ferrari SpA is an Italian Sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy Bentley Motors Limited is an English manufacturer of luxury Automobiles and Grand Tourers Bentley Motors was founded in England James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story ^[32]

Friendships and rivalries

Although Cherry points out that Chamberlain was an egotist, he added that he had good relationships with many contemporaries and enjoyed a great deal of respect. He was especially lauded for his good rapport with his fans, often providing tickets and signing autographs. Dr. Jack Ramsay recalled that Chamberlain regularly took walks in downtown Philadelphia and acknowledged honking horns with the air of a man enjoying all the attention. ^[68] Jerry West called him a "complex. . . very nice person",^[108] and NBA rival Jack McMahon even said: "The best thing that happened to the NBA is that God made Wilt a nice person. John Joseph (Jack McMahon ( December 3 1928 &ndash June 11 1989) was a professional Basketball player and coach . . he could all have killed us with his left hand. "^[109] Celtics contemporary Bob Cousy even assumed that if Chamberlain had been less fixated on being popular, he would have been meaner and able to win more titles. ^[110]

During most of his NBA career, Chamberlain was good friends with Bill Russell. William Felton "Bill" Russell (born February 12 1934 in Monroe, Louisiana) is a retired American professional Basketball Chamberlain often invited Russell over to Thanksgiving, and at Russell's place, conversation mostly concerned Russell's electric trains. ^[111] But as the championship count became increasingly lopsided, the relationship got strained, and turned hostile after Russell accused Chamberlain of "copping out" in the notorious Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals. ^[111] The two men did not talk to each other for over 20 years, until Russell apologized privately, then publicly in a 1997 joint interview with Bob Costas: "There was a thing almost 30 years ago. Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas (born March 22, 1952) is a Sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s . . I was wrong. "^[111] Still, Chamberlain maintained a level of bitterness, regretted that he should have been "more physical" with Russell in their games and privately continued accusing his rival for "intellectualizing" basketball in a negative way. ^[111]

More hostile was Chamberlain's relationship to fellow Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, ten years his junior. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr; April 16 1947 is an American athlete and retired professional Basketball player widely considered Although Abdul-Jabbar idolized him as a teenager and was once part of his inner circle,^[52] the student/mentor bond deteriorated into intense mutual loathing, especially after Chamberlain retired. Chamberlain often criticized Abdul-Jabbar for a perceived lack of scoring, rebounding and defense, although Cherry points out that Abdul-Jabbar is virtually peerless regarding scoring, rebounding and call-ups to the NBA All-Defensive Teams. ^[112] In return, Abdul-Jabbar criticized him for being a Republican and supporting Richard Nixon (both seen by Jabbar as a betrayal of Black America) and living like a playboy. ^[112] When Jabbar broke Chamberlain's all-time scoring record in 1984, matters had improved, but after that, Chamberlain continued criticizing the new scoring champion. When Abdul-Jabbar published his autobiography in 1990, he retaliated by calling him "Wilt Chumberlame, a crybaby and a quitter", and the relationship remained strained until the end. ^[112]

Love life and "20,000 women" claim

Although shy and insecure as a teenager, adult Chamberlain became well-known for his womanizing. As his lawyer Seymour "Sy" Goldberg put it: "Some people collect stamps, Wilt collected women. "^[107] Swedish Olympic high jumper Annette Tannander, who met him when he was 40 and she 19, remembers him as a bona fide pick-up artist who was extremely confident yet respectful: "I think Wilt hit on everything that moved. Annette Tannander Bank (née Annette Tannander born 1958 is a retired Swedish athlete who participated in the Heptathlon and High jump events A pickup artist, commonly abbreviated PUA, is a term used to describe a man who is skilled in meeting attracting and seducing women . . [but] he never was bad or rude. "^[107] Many of Chamberlain's personal friends testified he had a "magnetic personality", once had 23 women in 10 days, had no problems organizing a threesome (or more), and particularly enjoyed a TV skit on the show In Living Color in which a mother and her daughter approach a Vietnam Wall-like list of women who slept with him, both of them pointing out that their names are on it. A threesome is a form of Group sex involving three people of any gender combination This article is about the television series For the band see Living Colour. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national War memorial located in Washington D ^[107]

In 1991, Chamberlain wrote his second autobiography, A View from Above. There, the lifelong bachelor claimed he had sex with 20,000 women. For this to be true, he would have had to had sex with 1. 14 women per day from the age of 15 up until the day of his death, a rate of almost eight women a week. (One wag asked if that number was "regular season only, or does that include the playoffs?") Quickly, he became target for jokes and jibes, and fellow African-American superstar Arthur Ashe was highly critical, blasting Chamberlain for embarrassing black men and fueling prejudices about their sexual behavior. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Arthur Robert Ashe Jr ( July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an African American Tennis player who was born and raised Chamberlain defended himself: "I was just doing what was natural - chasing good-looking ladies, whoever they were and wherever they were available" and pointed out he never started a relationship with a married woman. ^[113] In a 1999 interview shortly before his death, Chamberlain regretted not explaining the sexual climate at the time of his escapades, and warned other men who admired him for it, closing with the words: "Having a thousand different ladies is pretty cool, I have learned in my life I've found out that having one woman a thousand different times is much more satisfying. "^[78] Chamberlain also acknowledged he never came close to marrying, and had no intention of raising any children. ^[32]

Cherry believes that Chamberlain's extreme sex drive was fueled from the female rejection he had experienced as a teenager, causing him to overcompensate. ^[107] Although his life was highly promiscuous, his lifelong friend and on-and-off girlfriend Lynda Huey, eleven years his junior, said: "He had an inability of combining friendship and sexuality. "^[114] Shaw added: "Wilt never liked to admit a weakness. . . [but] you cannot be married and be Superman. . . you cannot appear invulnerable to your mate. "^[115]

Death

Chamberlain had a history of heart trouble. In 1992, he was hospitalized for three days following an irregular heartbeat, and in 1999, his situation deteriorated rapidly. After undergoing dental surgery in that year, he lost 50 pounds, was in great pain and seemed unable to recover from the stress. On October 12, 1999, Chamberlain died in Bel-Air, California. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Bel Air is a wealthy and prominent faux-gated residential community in the Westside of the city of Los Angeles California, United States. ^[3] His agent Sy Goldberg stated Chamberlain died of congestive heart failure, and for about a month, doctors had been draining his legs of fluid that had accumulated because of the heart problem. He was survived by sisters Barbara Lewis, Margaret Lane, Selina Gross and Yvonne Chamberlain, and brothers Wilbert and Oliver Chamberlain. ^[3]

NBA players and officials mourned the loss of a player they universally remembered as a symbol of the sport. His lifelong on-court rival and personal friend Bill Russell stated "the fierceness of our competition bonded us together for eternity", and Celtics coach Red Auerbach praised Chamberlain as vital for the success of the entire NBA. William Felton "Bill" Russell (born February 12 1934 in Monroe, Louisiana) is a retired American professional Basketball Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20 1917 &ndash October 28 2006 was a Basketball coach of the Washington Capitols, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks Ex-Lakers team mate Jerry West fondly remembered him as an utterly dominant, yet friendly and humorous player, and fellow Hall-of-Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Johnny Kerr, Phil Jackson and Wes Unseld called Chamberlain one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Jerry Alan West (born May 28 1938 is a retired American Basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr; April 16 1947 is an American athlete and retired professional Basketball player widely considered John G “Red” Kerr (born July 17, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois) is a retired American NBA Basketball player who now works Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana) is a retired American Basketball player and current coach of the Westley Sissel "Wes" Unseld (born March 14 1946 in Louisville Kentucky) is an American former Basketball player ^[116] Four days after Chamberlain's death, on October 16, 1999,^[117] a strong earthquake shook Southern California, causing people to joke that The Big Dipper, as he was called, must have arrived at The Biggest Dipper. Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity.

See also

• List of National Basketball Association players with 60 or more points in a game
• List of National Basketball Association top individual scoring season averages
• List of National Basketball Association top rookie scoring averages
• List of basketball players who have scored 100 points in a single game
• List of National Basketball Association top individual rebounding season averages
• List of National Basketball Association top rookie rebounding averages
• List of National Basketball Association players with 40 or more rebounds in a game
• List of National Basketball Association top individual field goal percentage seasons

Further reading

• Chamberlain, Wilt; Shaw, David (1973). List of National Basketball Association players who have scored 60 or more points in a single game This list exhibits the National Basketball Association 's top single-season scoring averages This list exhibits the National Basketball Association 's top rookie single-season scoring averages Scoring 100 points in a game is a rare accomplishment in the sport of Basketball. This list exhibits the National Basketball Association 's top single-season rebounding averages of which the top 18 are shared by only Wilt Chamberlain and Bill This list exhibits the National Basketball Association 's top rookie single-season rebounding averages List of National Basketball Association players who have had 40 or more rebounds in a single game This list exhibits the National Basketball Association 's top single-season field goal percentages. Wilt: Just Like Any Other 7-Foot Black Millionaire Who Lives Next Door. New York: Macmillan.  
• Chamberlain, Wilt (1992). A View From Above. New York: New York Signet Books. ISBN 0-451-17493-3.  
• Chamberlain, Wilt (1997). Who's Running the Asylum? Inside the Insane World of Sports Today. International Promotions. ISBN 1-57901-005-9.  
• Cherry, Robert (2004). Wilt: Larger than Life. Wilt Larger Than Life (ISBN 1572439157 is a biography of deceased NBA basketball Hall-of-Fame Wilt Chamberlain, written by journalist Robert Cherry Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 1-57243-672-7.  
• Heisler, Mark (2003). Giants: The 25 Greatest Centers of All Time. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 1-57243-577-1.  
• Pluto, Terry (1992). Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA in the Words of the Men Who Played, Coached, and Built Pro Basketball. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-74279-5.  
• Pomerantz, Gary M. (2005). Wilt, 1962: The Night of 100 Points and the Dawn of a New Era. New York: Crown. ISBN 1-4000-5160-6.  

Footnotes

External links

• Wilt Chamberlain at the Internet Movie Database
• ESPN News story about sexual criticism
• Basketball Hall of Fame biography
• University of Kansas Men's Basketball
• NBA History: Wilt Chamberlain Summary

Preceded by Hal Lear	NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (men's) 1957	Succeeded by Elgin Baylor
Preceded by Elgin Baylor	NBA Rookie of the Year 1960	Succeeded by Oscar Robertson
Preceded by Elgin Baylor, Bob Pettit	NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player 1960	Succeeded by Oscar Robertson
Preceded by Bob Pettit	NBA Most Valuable Player 1959-60	Succeeded by Bill Russell
Preceded by Bill Russell	NBA Most Valuable Player 1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68	Succeeded by Wes Unseld
Preceded by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	NBA Finals Most Valuable Player 1972	Succeeded by Willis Reed
Preceded by K. C. Jones	San Diego Conquistadors Head Coach 1973–1974	Succeeded by Alex Groza

Not to be confused with Hal Greer, another basketball player Harold C At the conclusion of the NCAA men's and women's Division I Basketball championships (the "Final Four" tournaments the Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Elgin Gay Baylor (born September 16 1934 in Washington DC) is a retired American basketball player who played Elgin Gay Baylor (born September 16 1934 in Washington DC) is a retired American basketball player who played The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA award given since the 1952–53 NBA season, to the Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24 1938 in Charlotte Tennessee) nicknamed " The Big O " is a former American NBA player with Elgin Gay Baylor (born September 16 1934 in Washington DC) is a retired American basketball player who played Robert E Lee "Bob" Pettit (born December 12 1932 in Baton Rouge Louisiana, U Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24 1938 in Charlotte Tennessee) nicknamed " The Big O " is a former American NBA player with Robert E Lee "Bob" Pettit (born December 12 1932 in Baton Rouge Louisiana, U The 1959–60 NBA season was the 14th season of the National Basketball Association. William Felton "Bill" Russell (born February 12 1934 in Monroe, Louisiana) is a retired American professional Basketball William Felton "Bill" Russell (born February 12 1934 in Monroe, Louisiana) is a retired American professional Basketball The 1965–66 NBA Season was the 20th season of the National Basketball Association. The 1966–67 NBA Season was the 21st season of the National Basketball Association. The 1967–68 NBA Season was the 22nd season of the National Basketball Association. Westley Sissel "Wes" Unseld (born March 14 1946 in Louisville Kentucky) is an American former Basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr; April 16 1947 is an American athlete and retired professional Basketball player widely considered The National Basketball Association Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The 1972 NBA Finals was the played at the conclusion of the 1971-72 NBA season. Willis Reed Jr (born June 25 1942 is a retired American Basketball player The San Diego Conquistadors, nicknamed the "Q's" were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego California. Alexander John Groza ( October 7, 1926 &ndash January 21, 1995) was an American Basketball player who was banned from the NBA

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