when did wilt chamberlain retire when did wilt chamberlain retire

[89] Jerry West called him a "complex very nice person",[208] and NBA rival Jack McMahon even said: "The best thing that happened to the NBA is that God made Wilt a nice person he could have killed us all with his left hand. Cherry says that Chamberlain was not a natural leader or a loyal follower, which made him difficult to fit in. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. One night, they got up to 25. [132] Chamberlain was named the NBA Finals MVP,[62] and he was admired for dominating the Knicks in Game 5 while playing injured. Former teammate Billy Cunningham remarked The NBA Guide reads like Wilt's personal diary. He personally preferred "The Big Dipper", which was inspired by his friends who saw him dip his head as he walked through doorways. [41][u] Russell won 11 NBA titles in his career while Chamberlain won two. The first team to retire Chamberlain's No. [135][136], In 1973, the San Diego Conquistadors of the NBA rival league ABA signed Chamberlain as a player-coach for a $600,000 salary. This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. [89] Cherry adds several personal reasons, among them Chamberlain felt he had grown too big for Philadelphia, sought the presence of fellow celebrities, which were plenty in Los Angeles, and finally also desired the opportunity to date white women, which was possible for a black man in Los Angeles but hard to imagine elsewhere back then. [q] The team also featured an All-Rookie forward Billy Cunningham in the new sixth man role. [71] Much like later center Shaquille O'Neal, Chamberlain would be fouled intentionally, and was a target of criticism because of it. He once said that "no one cheered for Goliath," but the response to his passing proved that to be false. [i] In comparison, the previous top earner was Bob Cousy of the Celtics with $25,000, the same figure Eddie Gottlieb used to buy the Warriors franchise in 1952. During his two championship seasons, Chamberlain led the league in rebounding, while his scoring decreased. Shaq never scored 100 points in a single game or averaged as many rebounds or assists as Chamberlain, but he did make 15 All-Star Teams (compared to Wilt's 13) and 14 All-NBA Teams (compared to Wilt's 10).Add to the fact Shaq won 2 more rings and 2 more Finals MVPs means he had a longer and better career than Wilt. He then multiplied that number by the number of days he had been alive at the time minus 15 years. [10][12][p] When Chamberlain left the Warriors, owner Franklin Mieuli said: "Chamberlain is not an easy man to love the fans in San Francisco never learned to love him. [65] Additionally, he was on the hardwood for an average of 48.53 minutes, playing 3,882 of his team's 3,890 minutes. Many of those moments were in Philly, where he spent four seasons (1964-68), won regular season MVP three out of those four seasons and led the team . [110] Chamberlain described Van Breda Kolff as "the dumbest and worst coach ever". [26] After visiting KU and conferring with the school's renowned coach Phog Allen, Chamberlain proclaimed that he was going to play college basketball at Kansas. He took the game so seriously that he threw up in the locker room before almost every game. While Chamberlain was from Philadelphia, this was the new name of the relocated Syracuse Nationals, a former rival. Go back in time and learn about Wilt Chamberlain's early years growing up, and early years in the NBA. After his retirement, Chamberlain explored other opportunities. [141], Volleyball became Chamberlain's new athletic passion. [86] In Game 5, Chamberlain scored 46 points and grabbed 34 rebounds, but the Celtics won the game 120112 and the series. That was how the 20,000 number came into existence. [92] In Game 6, the Warriors were trailing 123122 with 15 seconds left. [1] He was a frail child, nearly dying of pneumonia in his early years and missing a whole year of school as a result. Kosloff and Chamberlain worked out a truce, and later signed a one-year, $250,000 contract. After several Tar Heel turnovers, the game was tied at 46 at the end of regulation.[38]. Wilt Chamberlain retired in 1973, at the end of the '72-'73 season, to pursue other interests. . When coach Schayes planned to hold a joint team practice the next day, Chamberlain said that he was too tired to attend, and he refused Schayes' plea to at least show up and shoot a few foul shots with the team. He was voted into the Hall of Fame back in 2011. "[9] It was also in this period of his life when his three lifelong nicknames "Wilt the Stilt", "Goliath", and his favorite, "The Big Dipper", were born. The closest any player has gotten to 100 points was the Lakers', Rick Barry, Confessions of a Basketball Gypsy: The Rick Barry Story, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, List of career achievements by Wilt Chamberlain, List of basketball players who have scored 100 points in a single game, List of National Basketball Association annual field goal percentage leaders, List of National Basketball Association annual minutes leaders, List of National Basketball Association annual rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association career minutes played leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association franchise career scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association longest winning streaks, List of National Basketball Association rookie single-season rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association rookie single-season scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association single-game assists leaders, List of National Basketball Association single-game playoff scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association single-game rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association single-game scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association single-season rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association single-season scoring leaders, List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 30 or more rebounds in a game, "Chamberlain, Wilt(on) Norman Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures-HighBeam Research", "Chamberlain rated greatest in court game", "Overbrook and Its Greatest Get Back Together", "Helen Kutsher, Pampering Matriarch of a Grand Borscht Belt Resort, Dies at 89", "Farrell defeats Overbrook and Chamberlain", "Mr. Basketball USA winners: ESPNHS national player of the year honorees date back to 1955", "Christian Street YMCA unveils its Wall of Fame", "Another forgotten accomplishment Worthy of Recognition Today", https://www.inquirer.com/philly/sports/sixers/Wilt_Chamberlain_NCAA_rules_free_throw_shooting_Kansas.html, "Triple OT: The 50th Anniversary of 1957 Championship | KUsports.com", "Syracuse Nationals at Philadelphia Warriors Box Score, November 4, 1959", "New York Knicks at Philadelphia Warriors Box Score, November 10, 1959", "Philadelphia Warriors vs Detroit Pistons Box Score, January 25, 1960", "New York Knicks at Philadelphia Warriors Box Score, February 25, 1960", "Players to have recorded 50 points and 30 rebounds in the playoffs", "Philadelphia Warriors at Syracuse Nationals Box Score, October 22, 1960", "Boston Celtics at Philadelphia Warriors Box Score, November 24, 1960", "Philadelphia Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers Box Score, November 29, 1960", "Chamberlain's 100-point game proves some things better with age", "Anthony Davis breaks Wilt's All-Star scoring record, earns MVP honors", "NBA's Greatest Moments 'Havlicek Stole the Ball! Wilt Chamberlain retired in 1973. Knowing how good he was, the opponents resorted to freeze-ball tactics and routinely used three or more players to guard him. He disliked the ones that portrayed his height negatively, such as "Wilt the Stilt" and "Goliath". But Chamberlain didn't mind "The Big Dipper," or "Dipper," a nickname given to him by friends because he had to duck his head when passing through a doorframe. [134] In that series, the Lakers started off with a 115112 win, but the Knicks won Games 2 and 3; things worsened when West again injured his hamstring. In November 1998, he signed with Ian Ng Cheng Hin, CEO of Northern Cinema House Entertainment, to do his own bio-pic, wanting to tell his life story his way. When he became a Laker, Chamberlain built a million-dollar mansion in Bel-Air named after Ursa Major, as a play on his nickname "The Big Dipper". [47], Despite his foul line woes, Chamberlain set the NBA record, later tied by Adrian Dantley, for most free throws made (28) using the underhand technique in a regular-season game in his 1962 100-point game. In 1959, Chamberlain played his first professional game in New York City against the Knicks, scoring 43 points. [38] With 10 minutes to go, North Carolina led 4037 and stalled the game, as they passed the ball around without any intention of scoring a basket. [132] In that game, he fell on his right hand and was said to have sprained it but it was actually broken. [88] Greer, who was considered a consummate professional and often clashed with him because of his attitude, spoke positively of the new Chamberlain: "You knew in a minute the Big Fella [Chamberlain] was ready to go and everybody would follow."[88]. [71], In the 196263 NBA season, Gottlieb sold the Warriors franchise for $850,000,[o] to a group of businessmen led by Franklin Mieuli from San Francisco and the team relocated to become the San Francisco Warriors under new coach Bob Feerick. [87] Cherry is critical of Chamberlain because, while conceding he was the only Sixers player who performed in the series, he says his unprofessional, egotistical behavior set a bad example for his teammates.[86]. In his first game, he scored 52 points and grabbed 31 rebounds, breaking both all-time Kansas records in an 8769 win against the Northwestern Wildcats, a team having Chamberlain's future NBA teammate Joe Ruklick. With no sleep and a hangover, he boarded the train to Philadelphia at 8 AM. What age did Wilt Chamberlain retire? [26], In his 2004 biography of Chamberlain Wilt: Larger than Life, Robert Allen Cherry describes that Chamberlain wanted a change and did not want to be near Philadelphia, also eliminating New York City, was not interested in New England, and snubbed the South because of racial segregation; this left the Midwest as Chamberlain's probable choice. And for a damn good reason. [5] Among others, UCLA offered Chamberlain the opportunity to become a movie star, the University of Pennsylvania wanted to buy him diamonds, and Chamberlain's coach at Overbrook, Cecil Mosenson, was even offered a coaching position if he could persuade him. Wilt Chamberlain, the 7-foot-1-inch star of the . [88] Off the court, Chamberlain invited the team to restaurants and paid the entire bill, knowing he earned ten times more than all the others. [10] He was listed as 7ft 1in (2.16m) tall and 258 pounds. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:50AM. Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. Astrological Sign: Leo, Death Year: 1999, Death date: October 12, 1999, Death State: California, Death City: Bel Air, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Wilt Chamberlain Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/athletes/wilt-chamberlain, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: May 7, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. "[43], Despite some reluctance, after the trade, Chamberlain found himself on a promising Sixers team that included veteran shooting guard Hal Greer, a future Hall-of-Famer, and talented role players in point guard Larry Costello, small forward Chet Walker, and centers Johnny "Red" Kerr and Lucious Jackson. During his NBA career, Chamberlain committed few fouls despite his rugged play in the post, and he never fouled out of a regular-season or playoff game in his 14-year NBA career. The Warriors were led by two future Hall-of-Famers in star forward Rick Barry and Chamberlain's one-time backup and center Nate Thurmond. Chamberlain had other plans, however, pursuing interests outside of basketball. [63] Cherry comments that Chamberlain was "difficult" and did not respect coach Johnston, who was unable to handle the star center. In addition, Chamberlain drove a Ferrari, a Bentley, and had a Le Mans-style car called Searcher One designed and built at a cost of $750,000 in 1996. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. The last time being in 1989, when Wilt was 55 years old! [62] His efficiency that season was reflected by a streak of 35 consecutive made field goals over the course of four games in February. [142] He played occasional matches for the IVA Seattle Smashers before the league folded in 1979. Sharman introduced morning shoot-arounds, in which the perennial latecomer Chamberlain regularly participated, in contrast to earlier years with Schayes, and transformed him into a defensive-minded, low-scoring post defender in the mold of his old rival Russell. He did not care for the Sixers' coach Dolph Schayes because in his view Schayes had made several disrespectful remarks when they were rival players. After the Knicks finished off the game with a late flourish led by Phil Jackson and Earl Monroe, Chamberlain made a dunk with one second left, which turned out to be the last play of his NBA career. [150] He had been working on the screenplay notes for over a year at the time of his death. Yes, Wilt Chamberlain won a championship. [146] He would continue to epitomize physical fitness for years to come, including participating in several marathons. There's a reason why one of Wilt Chamberlain's many nicknames was "The Record Book". He led the NBA in scoring seven times, field goal percentage nine times, minutes played eight times, rebounding eleven times, and assists once. Wilt Chamberlain retired in 1973, at the end of the '72-'73 season, to pursue other interests. Chamberlain was known to sportswriters by several nicknames during his playing career, calling attention to his great height since his high school days. [130] West called it "the greatest ball-busting performance I have ever seen". Chamberlain broke Tom Gola's Philadelphia high school scoring record and graduated with 2,252 points, averaging 37.4 points per game. John arrived home intoxicated and, according to testimony by Lorena, raped his wife. The playmaker is Golden State's all-time leader . Several players and publications have argued that Chamberlain is the greatest of all time. When Chamberlain was 50, the New Jersey Nets had the same idea but were declined. [62] Chamberlain won his first field goal percentage title and was so dominant that he scored almost 32% of his team's points and collected 30.4% of their rebounds. [117], After the playoffs, Chamberlain challenged heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali to a fight. For good reason. [42] Chamberlain likened his assist title to legendary home-run hitter Babe Ruth leading the league in sacrifice bunts, and felt he dispelled the myth that he could not and would not pass the ball. Every time Chamberlain went to bed with a different woman, he put a check in his Day-Timer. This conflict had been going along for a while. In his 50.4 points per game season, it was 35.3%. Wilt Chamberlain. [32][e] Inbounding the ball over the backboard was banned because of Chamberlain. 13 retired by the Warriors, 76ers, and Lakers. . Chamberlain had an on-court rivalry with Boston Celtics' center Bill Russell, suffering a long string of losses. [154] After undergoing dental surgery in the week before his death, he was in great pain and seemed unable to recover from the stress. [212] Chamberlain accompanied Nixon to the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr.,[213] and he considered himself a Republican. In Game 4, Boston won 114108. [158] On-court rival and personal friend Bill Russell stated, "the fierceness of our competition bonded us together for eternity. When it comes down to the closing minutes of a tough game, an important game, he doesnt want the ball, he doesnt want any part of the pressure. [195] In addition, he would often stay out late into the night and wake up at noon. and "The tree will fall! Wilt's basketball career ended in October 1969, when he retired at the age of 33. Wilt Chamberlain retired from the NBA in 1973, and many thought his sports career was over. [106], In Game 7, 15,202 stunned Philadelphia fans witnessed a 10096 defeat for the Sixers, making it the first time in NBA history that a team lost a series after leading 31. Wilt Chamberlain was the first NBA player to score more than 30,000 cumulative points over his career, and the first and only player to score 100 points in a single game. Chamberlain had a history of cardiovascular disease, and was briefly hospitalized in 1992 for an irregular heartbeat. He holds numerous NBA regular season records in scoring, rebounding, and durability categories; and blocks were not counted during his career. Wilt Chamberlain retired in 1973. Wilt Chamberlain was the first NBA player to score more than 30,000 cumulative points over his career, and the first and only player to score 100 points in a single game. Cherry says that the Sixers shot badly (Greer, Jones, Walker, Jackson, and Guokas hit a combined 25 of 74 shots), while Chamberlain grabbed 34 rebounds and shot 4-of-9 for a total of 14 points. It was a small consolation that he was again named an All-American, along with future NBA Hall-of-Famers Elgin Baylor of Seattle University and Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati, plus Chamberlain's old rival Guy Rodgers, now playing for Temple University. "[86] In Game 3, he scored 31 points and 27 rebounds for the road win. us, High School: 13. Many of his nicknames were derived from his stature. Jones. Van Breda Kolff benched him several times, which never happened in his career before; in mid-season, Chamberlain, a perennial scoring champion, had two games in which he scored only six and then only two points. [210], During most of his NBA career, Chamberlain was good friends with Bill Russell. By the time he retired in 1973, Chamberlain had amassed an amazing array of career statistics. In that series, they again succumbed to Russell's Boston Celtics, this time losing 41. 's western division title series with Milwaukee, he (Chamberlain) decisively outplayed basketball's newest giant superstar, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, eleven years his junior. At the top of his game, Chamberlain was selected for the All-NBA first team for three consecutive years: 1960, 1961 and 1962. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? [79], In the 196465 NBA season, the NBA widened the lane from 12 feet to 16 feet especially because of centers like Chamberlain. Heat 111-107 Hornets Heat tied Bulls atop East at All-Star break with 2 OT win over . ", "Toronto Raptors vs. Los Angeles Lakers recap", "ESPN's 'SportsCentury' Goes Back-Back-Back", "Top N. American athletes of the century", "Daily Dime: Special Edition The game's greatest giants ever", "Ranking the top 74 NBA players of all time: Nos. [14], During summer vacations, Chamberlain worked as a bellhop at Kutsher's Hotel. Having lost lateral quickness due to his injury, Chamberlain was often too slow to block Reed's preferred high-post jump shots. [88] Cunningham commented that Hannum "never backed down" and "showed who was the boss". Chamberlain later branched out in acting, appearing in the 1984 action film Conan the Destroyer with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Owing to his strong start, he still managed to put up a season-average 27.3 points, 18.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. [130] Chamberlain performed so well in the series that Time stated: "In the N.B.A. He led the Christian Street YMCA to the title in the national YMCA tournament in High Point, North Carolina, beating the local favorite and defending champion High Point team 8579. Wilt Chamberlain won 2 championships. "[93] In Game 5, the Sixers overpowered the Celtics 140116, ending Boston's historic run of eight consecutive NBA titles. [b] Owners Milton and Helen Kutsher subsequently kept up a lifelong friendship with Chamberlain. [207], Cherry says that although Chamberlain was an egotist, he had good relationships with many contemporaries and enjoyed a great deal of respect. [62], The Lakers again charged through the playoffs, reaching the NBA Finals, where they were pitted against the New York Knicks, loaded with future Hall-of-Famers Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Walt Frazier. [62] On March 18, 1968, in a 158128 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers,[97] Chamberlain reportedly had a quintuple-double with 53 points, 32 rebounds, 14 assists, 24 blocks, and 11 steals. Teammate Monte Johnson stated that Chamberlain had "unbelievable endurance and speed and was never tired. [184] 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. Chamberlain did it in 1966-67 and 1967-68; Only player in NBA history to average . His number 13 was retired by the Kansas Jayhawks, Harlem Globetrotters, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers. Still, his feats as a player were not forgotten. . By season's end, Chamberlain racked up more than 4,000 pointsbecoming the first NBA player to do soscoring an average of 50.4 points per game. In Game 4, the shorthanded Lakers were no match for New York. Chamberlain trained with Cus d'Amato but later backed out, withdrawing the much-publicized challenge,[119] by way of a contractual escape clause that predicated the AliChamberlain match on Ali beating Joe Frazier in a fight scheduled for early 1971, which became Ali's first professional loss, enabling Chamberlain to legally withdraw from the bout. After two years at Kansas, a frustrated Chamberlain wanted to go pro, but the NBA didn't allow players to join the league until their graduating class had been completed. For Abdul-Jabbar, 75, the hubbub over his pursuit of Wilt Chamberlain's scoring record nearly 39 years ago was little more than a distraction in the final weeks of the 1983-84 regular season . He hated being called "Wilt the Stilt," or "the Stilt," which came from a local reporter covering high school athletics. Inside the Insane World of Sports Today, in which he criticized the NBA of the 1990s for being too disrespectful of players of the past.[148]. He had five seasons where he committed less than two fouls per game, with a career-low of 1.5 fouls during the 1962 season, in which he also averaged 50.4 points per game. ", "Greatness Revisited: Why Wilt Chamberlain Was the Greatest NBA Player Ever", "11 Memorable Wilt Chamberlain Performances", "Are all sports records made to be broken? Sophomore season (1957): National runner-up to North Carolina, Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (19591965), 195960 NBA season: MVP, All-Star Game MVP and Rookie of the Year, 196061 NBA season: Scoring, rebounding, durability, and field goal titles, 196162 NBA season: 100-point game and 42-point All-Star Game record, 196263 NBA season: Individual success, move to San Francisco, and playoff miss, 196364 NBA season: First NBA Finals loss to the Celtics, 196465 NBA season: Trade to the 76ers, Division Finals loss to the Celtics, 196566 NBA season: MVP and second Division Finals loss to the Celtics, 196667 NBA season: Back-to-back MVP and first NBA title, 196768 NBA season: Third straight MVP and assist champion, 196869 NBA season: Second NBA Finals loss to the Celtics, 196970 NBA season: First NBA Finals loss to the Knicks, 197071 NBA season: Conference Finals loss and challenge to Muhammad Ali, 197172 NBA season: Finals MVP and second NBA title, 197273 NBA season: Second NBA Finals loss to the Knicks, Overbrook had previously produced star basketball players like. 2 in Slam ' s top 500 NBA players of all time in 2011, In honor of Chamberlain, his jerseys have been retired six times, by Overbrook High . Cherry criticizes his performance, saying that if "Chamberlain had come up big and put up a normal 30 point scoring night", the Lakers would have probably won their first championship at Los Angeles. [188] While previously friends, after Russell criticized Chamberlain for his performance during Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals, the two did not speak for two decades. Bouncing elsewhere. He was tired of being double-teamed, or even triple-teamed, and of teams coming down on him with hard personal fouls. This angered the team, who preferred an early schedule to have the afternoon off, but Schayes just said: "There is no other way." What did chamberlain do about the munich agreement? Chamberlain was criticized as a non-factor in the series, getting neutralized by Russell with little effort. Wilt Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936. "Wilt was one of the greatest ever, and we will never see another like him," said basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar accused Chamberlain of being a traitor to the black race for his Republican political leanings, support of Richard Nixon, and relationships with white women. He spent his last year in basketball in a coaching position, due to a contractual issue. At the time of his final substitution, he had scored 18 points (hitting seven of his eight shots) and grabbed 27 rebounds, significantly better than the 10 points of Counts on 4-of-13 shooting. Wilt retired from the NBA after the 1972-73 season with the . [35], Chamberlain's prospects of playing under Allen ended when the coach turned 70 shortly after and retired in accordance with KU regulations. [41] On November 10, 1959, Chamberlain recorded 39 points and a new career-high 43 rebounds in a 126125 win over the visiting Knicks. Still sporting the trademark shaved head, wide smile and infectious laugh that made him a pop culture icon for decades, on Feb. 15, 2008, Curly became just the fifth Globetrotter in the team's illustrious history to have his jersey number retired, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Marques Haynes, Meadowlark Lemon and Goose Tatum. As of 2019, he is the first and the only player in NBA history to record 50 points and 35 rebounds in an NBA playoff game. [26], In 1955, Chamberlain entered University of Kansas (KU). Levi may be living proof", "Elvira's Cassandra Peterson Accuses NBA Pro Wilt Chamberlain of Sexual Assault: 'I Kept That a Secret', "Elvira accuses basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain of sexual abuse", 4th-quarter radio broadcast of Chamberlain's 100-point game, How Chamberlain's 100-point game almost went unrecorded, Image of Chamberlain making a dunk during a Los Angeles Lakers vs. Milwaukee Bucks game in 1971, 1957 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans, 1958 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player, NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award, Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs, The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Wayland Baptist Women's Teams (19481982), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wilt_Chamberlain&oldid=1142545797, All-American college men's basketball players, American Basketball Association announcers, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, National Basketball Association All-Stars, National Basketball Association broadcasters, National Basketball Association players with retired numbers, Track and field athletes from Pennsylvania, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Career statistics and player information from, Career statistics and coach information from, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 01:04. [110], For the 196869 NBA season, Chamberlain joined a squad featuring his fellow former All-American, forward Elgin Baylor, and the Hall-of-Fame guard Jerry West, along with backup center Mel Counts, forwards Keith Erickson and Tom Hawkins, and talented 5'11" guard Johnny Egan. He also made several film and television appearances, as well as hosted his own talk show. [158], Chamberlain is holder of numerous official NBA all-time records. The 210-pound Lemon later recounted how Chamberlain was "the strongest athlete who ever lived". The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Chamberlain divided that number in half, to be conservative and to correct for degrees of variation. [Wilt Chamberlain] and I will be friends through eternity. "[137] 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.