In 1955, Wilt Chamberlain of Overbrook High School in Philadelphia was a basketball sensation with a national reputation. He went on to become a unanimous all-American at the University of Kansas where he was so dominant they changed the college rules on goaltending and lane width. To accommodate his elongated frame, Wilt also changed motor-vehicle design by taking out the front seat and motoring around campus while operating his VW bug from the back seat.
The agile, powerfully built, seven-one Chamberlain was a tsunami on offense and a defensive mountain range. Wilt the Stilt, better known as The Big Dipper (his favorite nickname), controlled the offensive boards, and was a master of the tip-in, dunk, finger roll, and fall-away jumper. He was also a defensive rebounding terror and shot-blocker. Wilt could dominate most opponents and teams, and, if he had been allowed to play, would probably have been an NBA force while still a senior in high school.
Wilt Chamberlain rewrote the rules and the record books at Kansas and in the NBA while becoming the principal offensive force in basketball history. Following his remarkable college years and a national championship game in 1957 that Kansas lost in triple overtime to the University of North Carolina, Chamberlain joined the Harlem Globetrotters for a short stint. He next played for the then Philadelphia Warriors, followed by the San Francisco Warriors, the renamed Philadelphia 76ers, and finally the Los Angeles Lakers from 1968-73.
Chamberlain was voted NBA rookie of the year in 1960. By 1962 he was already a three-time, all-NBA choice. In the 1962 All-Star game, Chamberlain set a record with 42 points, even though the West won and opponent Bob Pettit was named MVP. In his first three years Wilt led the league in rebounding and scoring while posting individual game totals of 72, 73, and 78 points. During the 1962 season he averaged 50.4 points a game.¹⁸
Even with a star of Wilt’s magnitude, NBA attendance was spotty in 1962, the year Philadelphia owner Eddie Gottlieb bused his Warriors west to Hershey, PA for a March regular-season game with the New York Knicks. Unfortunately, only about 4,000 Chocolate-Town fans showed up. Since that time, however, 379,521 fans have claimed they were there. And many of those said they saw the game in Philadelphia or New York.
The Warriors dominated the Knicks from the tip-off and led 42-26 at the end of the first quarter with Wilt scoring 23 points. By halftime, Chamberlain had 18 more, and the players and fans knew something special was going on. He hit 10 baskets and, for a habitually poor foul shooter, an eye-popping 8-for-8 free throws in the third quarter. He then scored three quick field goals to open the fourth quarter and was at 75 points.¹⁹
With the crowd screaming “Give it to Wilt” and the Knicks pressing to avoid the ignominy of allowing 100 points, Chamberlain’s teammates fed him relentlessly, and with five minutes left he reached 89 points.
During the tumultuous final five minutes Wilt used his complete shooting repertoire to reach 98 with 1:27 left. He scored the 99th and 100th points on a dunk, the frenzied fans took over the floor, and the game that showcased the consummate individual performance in NBA history was never finished. Despite the shortened game, Philadelphia won 169-147. Defense took a holiday during Wilt’s Hershey, PA extravaganza, or stayed back in Philadelphia and New York, or was visiting Willy Wonka in the Chocolate Factory, or maybe Willy gave Wilt a chocolate bar with a golden ticket.
The Big Dipper, who sportswriter Dick Schapp called one of the two or three greatest athletes of the 20th century, went on to post superb career numbers in minutes played per game, scoring, and rebounding. He won championship rings with the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers and the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers.
Wilt Chamberlain will be forever compared to the Celtics’ Bill Russell. The two giants waged fervent pivot battles for years, and fans still argue over who was the better player. Let’s just say that if you were choosing sides in a pickup game back then, neither one would hurt your team’s chances.
Excerpted from the print and e-Book Guts in the Clutch: 77 Legendary Triumphs, Heartbreaks and Wild Finishes in 12 Sports with a Foreword by Drew Olson of ESPN.
18 Courtesy of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/Chamberlain.htm, available as of 6/27/05
19 Basketball Hall of Fame, Chamberlain, available as of 6/27/05
