Wilton Norman “Wilt” Chamberlain: Basketball
Wilton Norman “Wilt” Chamberlain (August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was the first NBA player to score more than 30,000 cumulative points during his entire career and holds the NBA all-time records in scoring, rebounding and durability. He played for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers. He attended the University of Kansas and played with the Jayhawks in 1956 leading the team to the NCAA finals in 1957. Before playing in the NBA, he was part of the Harlem Globetrotters. Chamberlain is the first and only player to score 100 points within a single game.
Greatest Sporting Achievements
Wilt Chamberlain suffered professional losses before having a successful career in the sport. His greatest achievements include two NBA championships, four regular-season MVP award, Rookie of the Year award, an NBA Finals MVP award and being part of the 13 All-Star Games and ten All-NBA First and Second Teams.
He was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978 and was elected into the NBA’s 35th Anniversary Team of 1980 and in 1996, he was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
Why Was He So Good?
The NBA Encyclopedia introduced Wilt Chamberlain with this line, “He was basketball’s unstoppable force, the most awesome offensive force the game has ever seen.” Chamberlain is regarded one of the most dominant players in the entire history of the NBA.
What You May Not Know
- Wilt Chamberlain had so many nicknames during his playing career. He was picked on for being so tall, standing 7’1”. They called him “Goliath” and “Wilt the Stilt” but didn’t mind when they called him “The Big Dipper”. It was given to him in school because he was known to dip his head as he walked through classroom doors.
- He retired in 1973 and wrote his autobiography called Wilt: Just Like Any Other 7-Foot Black Millionaire Who Lives Next Door. He even became a coach and started acting where he appeared in the Conan the Destroyer, an action film released in 1984 with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Related Pages
- More basketball players
- Athlete Database home
- About the sport of Basketball
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