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EARLY LIFE Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , Chamberlain drew national attention playing at Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia . He played two years for the University Of Kansas (freshmen were then ineligible to play NCAA varsity basketball), where he earned All-America n honors twice and led the Jayhawks to the 1957 Championship Game (which they lost to North Carolina 54-53 in three overtimes). After a frustrating junior year in which Kansas did not even reach the NCAA Tournament (at the time, teams that had lost their league championship were not invited), he decided to turn pro, citing that he wanted to be paid for being double and triple teamed every night. Chamberlain was contracted to the Philadelphia Warriors , who had picked him in 1955 as a territorial pick. However, he was ineligible to play in the NBA until his college class graduated in 1959 . He played a season with the Harlem Globetrotters until finally becoming eligible to join the Warriors. He was listed as the third pick in the NBA Draft but was actually a territorial pick. NBA CAREER Philadelphia Warriors/San Francisco Warriors In his first year with the Warriors ( 1960 ), Chamberlain led the league in scoring, averaging 37.6 Points per game, and Rebounding , with 27 per game. He became the first of two players (with Wes Unseld , 1969 ) to be named MVP and Rookie Of The Year in the same season. The Warriors lost to the Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals that year, which would be a repeated occurrence in Chamberlain's career. Since the Celtics were in the same Eastern Division as the Warriors, Chamberlain and Co. could not even reach the NBA Finals without finding a way to beat them. The Boston Celtics were at the beginning of their legendary run of winning 11 NBA championships in 13 seasons. In 1963 , the Warriors relocated to San Francisco , and in 1964 Chamberlain and the San Francisco Warriors lost to the Celtics in the NBA Finals. After that season, Chamberlain was traded back to Philadelphia, where the Syracuse Nationals had recently moved to become the 76ers . Philadelphia 76ers Back in the Eastern Division, Wilt's appearance in the finals was thwarted by the Celtics' on-going dynasty. The Eastern Conference Finals that year came down to the final seconds of Game 7, when the Celtics won by one point with a legendary play: when the 76ers' Hal Greer attempted to get the ball inbounds, John Havlicek stole it to preserve the Celtic lead. Chamberlain was the centerpiece of the formidable 1967 Sixers team that set a then-record of 68 regular-season wins and went on to finally knock off the Celtics en route to the NBA title, where they defeated San Francisco. In that series, Chamberlain scored a relative humble 17.7 points per game, but snared an incredible 28.7 rebounds per game. In fact, his ''worst'' rebounding game that series was Game 6 with 23. His glass-cleaning exercise was made even more astonishing by the fact his opposing center was top rebounder Nate Thurmond , who averaged 26.7 RPG himself in that series. Chamberlain and Thurmond became the 5th and 6th (and until today, last) players who snared 20+ rebounds in every game of the NBA Finals until today {Link without Title} . Los Angeles Lakers Two years later, Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers , where was teamed with future Hall-of-Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West , creating one of the most prolific basketball scoring machines of all time. However, Baylor and Chamberlain only played a handfull of games together as teammates due to career-ending and/or season-ending knee injuries. In Wilt's case, the surgeon needed to drill a hole through his kneecap and pass a tendon through it. The recovery from such extensive surgery was long and ardrorous, and the effects slowed Wilt down for the rest of his career, converting him from an offensive machine into a rebounding and defensive specialist. The knee injury also severely limited the number of games that Wilt played against young Milwaukee Bucks center Lew Alcindor . Wilt was the only basketball player to ever block one of Alcindor's "sky-hook" shots. The Lakers were heavily favored to win the 1969 NBA Finals against the old, battered Celtics, but then Chamberlain became the victim of one of the most controversial coaching decisions in NBA history. In Game 7, Wilt hurt his leg with six minutes left to play, with the Lakers trailing by nine points. Lakers' coach Bill Van Breda Kolff took him out, and when Chamberlain wanted to return with three minutes left, Van Breda Kolff decided to bench him until the end. The Celtics won 108-106. The fact that at the time Chamberlain asked out of the game, the Lakers had been trailing by nine points, but then mounted a comeback to pull within one by the time he asked back in caused some to assume that Chamberlain had not really been injured, but instead had given up and "copped out" of the game when it looked as though the Lakers would lose. Because of this, he was branded by some as a scapegoat and a quitter. Even Bill Russell ridiculed him, almost causing Chamberlain to end their friendship. However, when Chamberlain's teammate Jerry West heard of Van Breda Kolff's decision, he was utterly disgusted, and passionately defended Chamberlain. {Link without Title} Furthermore, even Van Breda Kolff, who never got along with Chamberlain (a factor that some speculate may have played a part in his decision to not put Chamberlain back in--a desire by Van Breda Kolff to prove he could win without Chamberlain), has always himself defended Chamberlain's injury as being fully legitimate. In 1970 , the acquisition of the sharpshooting guard Gail Goodrich helped with the Lakers' offensive firepower with the loss of Baylor. In the NBA Finals , the Lakers were matched up against the New York Knicks , one of the best defensive teams of the post-Russell-Celtics era. Both teams fought a hard, grueling series, but in Game 5, Chamberlain's opposing center Willis Reed suffered a serious thigh injury. The Knicks won that game, but they were demolished in Game 6 with Chamberlain's strong offense, and they looked doomed in Game 7 without their starting center. However, Reed limped onto the court, won the opening tip-off against Chamberlain, and scored the first four points, inspiring his team to one of the most famous playoff upsets of all time {Link without Title} . Reed was only able to play a small fraction of the game. The Knicks back-up center was told by his coach that his role in the game was to stand behind Chamberlain nearly all the time, and to keep his elbow jabbed in the middle of Wilt's back. This worked because the referees never punished him for this foul tactic. That game might have been Chamberlain's greatest on-court failure, since he scored only 21 points (his season average had been 27.3) on only 16 shots, quite few in a Game 7, made worse by the fact that match-up Reed was hardly able to move that night. Further, Wilt shot an abysmal 1-of-11 from the foul line {Link without Title} . In 1971 , the Lakers made a notable move by signing former Celtics star guard Bill Sharman as the head coach. Sharman reinvented the aging Chamberlain as a defensive stopper. This proved very successful, as Chamberlain was elected to the All-NBA First Defensive Team for the first time in his career, and the Lakers set a new record for most victories in a season, 69, including an astounding 33-game winning streak, the longest in any American professional sport. Chamberlain, however, jokingly claimed to be unimpressed: "I played with the Harlem Globetrotters and we won 445 in a row," he said at the time, "and they were all on the road." However, he and West would win their first and only Lakers title in 1972 , notably in the first season without Elgin Baylor . The other stars of this team were the forwards, scorer Jim McMillian and Happy Hairston , a rebounding and defensive specialist. In the series against the Knicks, Wilt scored 19.2 PPG and was elected Finals MVP mainly due to his incredible rebounding. He grabbed boards at a clip of 23.2 RPG and in fact snared 116 of 515 total rebounds, so statistically, he snatched about ''every fourth rebound'' by himself, defensively and offensively -- at age 36 {Link without Title} . San Diego Conquistadors In 1973 , the San Diego Conquistadors of the American Basketball Association , a league that had been founded to compete with the NBA, offered Chamberlain a $600,000 contract as player-coach, and Chamberlain accepted. The Conquistadors quickly circulated publicity photos of Chamberlain in a Conquistadors uniform holding an ABA ball. However, Chamberlain still owed the Lakers the option year on his contract, and they sued, arguing that this barred Chamberlain from playing for another team, even though it was in a different league. The case was arbitrated in the Lakers' favor, and Chamberlain was kept off the court. He never played another game in either league. Chamberlain did coach the Conquistadors in that season, however, and he played on the court in practices and scrimmages with the team. LEGACY The 7-foot 2-inch (2.16 m) Chamberlain holds nearly 100 NBA records, including the record for most points in a game: 100. He is still the only player to score 4,000 or more points in one season, and it has been very rare for anyone else to score 3,000. He also recorded a phenomenal 55 rebounds in one game, and averaged 27 rebounds per game that season, setting the all-time record for rebounds in a season, one that still stands and has never been threatened by anyone else. He averaged 50 points and 44 points per game during two seasons, but no one else in the NBA has topped or approached 40 points per game. or more p.p.g. in college basketball has only been achieved four times. The 100-point game Going into the 1961-62 season, the NBA record for most points in a single game was held by Elgin Baylor of the Lakers, with 71 points. On December 8 , 1961 , Chamberlain and the Warriors played Baylor and the Lakers; Chamberlain scored 78, breaking Baylor's record, with the game going into triple overtime. Legendary Laker broadcaster "Chick" Hearn often told the story that he asked Baylor after the game whether Baylor was bothered that he'd lost the record in that manner, with Chamberlain having had 15 extra minutes of game time to score the points to reach and then surpass Baylor's previous-record 71. According to Hearn, Baylor replied that he wasn't bothered by it because "one day, that guy is going to score 100." Indeed, not three months later, on March 2 , 1962 , in a 169-147 victory over the New York Knicks at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania , Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game — no overtime necessary. In fact, it was reported that Chamberlain scored the pivotal basket with 46 seconds remaining in the game, but there was nothing that could be done to stop the relatively small crowd from completely mobbing the floor. Unfortunately, there exists no video footage of this phenomenal achievement because the game was not televised, although there is an audio record since the game was broadcast over the radio and recorded. Chamberlain's stat line was 36-of-63 on field goals and 28-of-32 on free throws, remarkable because Chamberlain made barely half his free throws during his career. At the time of the game, the Three-point Line had not yet been instituted. Remarkably, Chamberlain initially said that he was ''embarrassed'' by these stats, proclaiming his shame at taking 63 field-goal attempts and making "only" 36 {Link without Title} . The game was somewhat controversial because, by all accounts, by the fourth quarter both teams had ceased playing a normal game in which each team actually tries to win the game; rather, the efforts of both teams focused entirely on whether Chamberlain would score 100 points. Instead of trying to score quickly, as a trailing team would normally do in hopes of mounting a comeback, the Knicks began holding the ball to run out the clock. Some say the Knicks began fouling Chamberlain intentionally so that he would have to shoot free throws rather than get closer shots at the basket, and that they would also intentionally foul other Warrior players who had the ball, so that they would have no chance to pass it to Chamberlain. For their part, the Warriors also began fouling Knicks players intentionally, when the Knicks had the ball, in order to stop the clock (that again being the exact opposite of the usual strategy of a team that is leading) and get the ball back for Chamberlain. The Knicks in this game were led by three players with 30 points apiece, but still, their cumulative total was topped by Chamberlain. Chamberlain's 78-point triple-overtime game against the Lakers also remained as the second-highest single game point total for over 40 years, until January 22 , 2006 , when L.A. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors . Records and feats
1) Most free throws attempted, 2) Most free throws made, and 3) Most free throws missed. The record for most free throws made was eventually broken by Jerry West, but the other two records still stand.
Chamberlain-Russell rivalry His battles with Center Bill Russell were legendary; they were fierce competitors on the court, yet were close personal friends off the hardwood. Chamberlain and Russell would end up facing each other in 143 games over their careers. By comparison, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson (Also one of the best rivalries in basketball history) played each other only 32 times. ''The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame...'' ESPN television series, '' The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... '' featured an episode in season 1 which argued that Chamberlain could not be blamed for losing to Bill Russell in seven of their eight playoff match-ups during their rivalrous NBA careers. Retired jerseys Chamberlain's impact on the game is also reflected by the fact that his number-13 jersey has been retired by five different teams, including:
THE GREATEST BASKETBALL PLAYER OF ALL TIME? One of the most controversial topics for basketball fans is the question of whether Chamberlain is the ''greatest'' player ever. His incredible array of statistics is unmatched, but the argument sometimes brought against him is that he won "only" two titles. On that basis, several players arguably rival Chamberlain for the title of greatest basketballer of all time:
Chamberlain himself stated in first autobiography, ''Wilt: Just Like Any Other 7-Foot Black Millionaire Who Lives Next Door'': "I’m just not naturally competitive and aggressive. I don’t have a killer instinct". (page 187) This was painfully evident in one case, namely the Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals , famous for Knicks center Willis Reed hobbling up court with only one intact thigh. Given Reed's immobility, Chamberlain should have been able to score almost at will. Instead, Chamberlain contributed only 21 points, and his Lakers lost the game, and the championship, to the Knicks. Nonetheless, Chamberlain's supporters offer several arguments for him as the game's greatest player. In his prime, Wilt was so dominant (and strangely reviled, much in contrast to Michael Jordan ) that the NBA felt compelled to change several rules to thwart him, creating an offensive goaltending rule and by outlawing the inbound pass over the backboard, the dunk from the foul line in a free-throw attempt, and the Alley Oop . They also widened the lane in an attempt to slow his progress down. In direct comparison, Chamberlain was considered more well-rounded than Russell, and was statistically more dominant than any other player. Even Russell, one of the best defensive players of all time, could only slow Chamberlain down, with Chamberlain averaging 28.7 PPG and 28.7 RPG against Russell In fact Chamberlain's overall rebounds per game was only 22.9 so Chamberlain actually rebounded better against the supposedly superior defensive player Russell. [http://www.nba.com/history/players/chamberlain_stats.html Chamberlain's offensive power was unmatched, and defensively, he claimed two All-NBA Defensive First Team spots, notably at the ages of 36 and 37 (note: the NBA All-Defensive Team was not selected until the 1968-69 season, well into Chamberlain's career). On the whole, Chamberlain receives his fair share of votes in the so-called "GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) argument." ACCOLADES
PERSONAL LIFE Wilt also earned accolades in other sports. In (where he founded and starred in a pro league), and Auto Racing . He flirted with Boxing , and he was offered a pro Football contract by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1966 . He also was an actor, celebrity and businessman after his playing career concluded. In 1984 , he played a supporting role alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film '' Conan The Destroyer ''. Chamberlain always wore a Rubber Band around his Wrist , due to a Superstition , and was fond of saying that "Nobody roots for Goliath ." "20,000 women" claim Chamberlain wrote four books, including his second Autobiography , '' A View From Above '' (1991), in which he controversially claimed to have had Sex with almost 20,000 women — this would have meant, on average, having had sex with more than one new woman every day of his life since the age of 15. Because of that, many people doubt his specific number, though few question the fact of wild sexual behavior. He drew heavy criticism from many public figures, who accused him of fulfilling Stereotype s about African American s, and of behaving irresponsibly, especially given the AIDS crisis, which was well underway by the 1980s (when many of the conquests were made). Chamberlain defended himself, saying "I was just doing what was natural — chasing good-looking ladies, whoever they were and wherever they were available". He also noted that he never tried to sleep with a woman who was Married . Chamberlain was a lifelong bachelor and fathered no known children. In spite of his extensive sexual escapades, there is no known record of his ever being the target of a Paternity lawsuit. Death On October 12 , 1999 , Wilt Chamberlain died of a Heart Attack in his sleep in his Los Angeles, California home. He had been under the care of cardiologists and other physicians for heart problems for the final several years of his life. He was 63 years old. TRIVIA
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