After that season, coach Hannum wanted to be closer to his family on the West Coast; he left the Sixers to coach the Oakland Oaks in the newly founded ABA. Countless suggestions were offered; he shot them underhanded, one-handed, two-handed, from the side of the circle, from well behind the line, and even banked it in. Chamberlain averaged 30.1 points a game in his career, including a record 50.4 in the 1961-62 season with Philadelphia. [62], Chamberlain's 4,029 regular-season points made him the only player to break the 4,000-point barrier. [62] He later acknowledged that he was a "psycho case" in this matter. In the third overtime, the Tar Heels scored two consecutive baskets, but Chamberlain executed a three-point play, leaving KU trailing 5251. . Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. [114], In the 197071 NBA season, the Lakers made a notable move by signing future Hall-of-Fame guard Gail Goodrich, who came back from the Suns after playing for the Lakers until 1968. Going ahead 32, the Sixers defeated the Knicks 11597 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). .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, The Man Behind the First All-Black Basketball Team, 8 Times Brothers Have Faced Off in a Championship, Every Black Quarterback to Play in the Super Bowl, Soccer Star Christian Atsu Survived an Earthquake. In his last season, the Lakers lost substance, as Happy Hairston was injured, Robinson and LeRoy Ellis had left, and the veteran West struggled with injury. Wilt Chamberlain, of the Philadelphia Warriors, holding a sign reading "100" in the dressing room in Hershey, Pa., on March 2, 1962, after he scored 100 points as the Warriors defeated the New York . [12] In an April 1965 issue of Sports Illustrated, Chamberlain conducted an interview titled "My Life in a Bush League" where he criticized his fellow players, coaches, and NBA administrators. So Katz crafted the lofty proposal of luring 45-year-old Wilt Chamberlain out of retirement after being out of the league for nine seasons. Wilt has been retired for nearly 13 years now. 1. [18] He has been retroactively honored as Mr. Basketball USA for 1955, the earliest such selection. [41] In that season, Chamberlain again dominated his opposition by recording 33.5 points and 24.6 rebounds a game, leading the league in both categories. [159][160][161] Contemporary colleagues were often terrified to play against Chamberlain. [158], Chamberlain is holder of numerous official NBA all-time records. [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. "[38] KU won 7365 in overtime, after which police had to escort the Jayhawks out. For his part, Ali refused to be intimidated at this potentially formidable opponent and instead played psychological games to weaken Chamberlain's confidence with public boasts of "Timber!" [103], For these feats, Chamberlain won his fourth and final MVP title. It almost worked. [56] Chamberlain broke eight NBA records, and he was named both Rookie of the Year and MVP that season. According to Flynn Robinson, after the record-setting streak, Lakers owner Cooke sought to reward each of his players, who were expecting perhaps a trip to Hawaii, with a $5 pen set. He then multiplied that number by the number of days he had been alive at the time minus 15 years. Irv Kosloff, who owned the Sixers alone after Richman's death, pleaded with Wilt to move to Philadelphia during the season, but was turned down. Last Update: Jan 03, 2023. [201], In Chamberlain's second book, A View from Above, he claimed to have had sex with twenty thousand women. After his . Chamberlain could lift luggage to the second floor window without needing to use the stairs. He needed only 56 games to score 2,102 points, which broke the all-time regular-season scoring record of Bob Pettit, who needed 72 games to score 2,101 points. [4], Chamberlain was 6ft 11in (2.11m) when he entered Philadelphia's Overbrook High School. 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. Most importantly, he was not afraid to stand up to the dominant Chamberlain, who was known to not communicate with coaches he did not like. He also played for the Harlem Globetrotters before joining the NBA, where he played for the Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Clyde Drexler had his no. [40], Having lost the enjoyment from NCAA basketball and wanting to earn money, he left college and sold the story named "Why I Am Leaving College" to Look for $10,000, a large sum when NBA players earned $9,000 in a whole season. In his recently published book, "A View From Above," the 7-foot-1 Chamberlain claims that the Lakers tried to coax him out of retirement in . In 1978, Chamberlain was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chamberlain scored 29 points, 36 rebounds, and 13 assists, and he was praised by the Celtics' Russell and K. C. 5 in ESPN's list of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team,[180] and No. With no sleep and a hangover, he boarded the train to Philadelphia at 8 AM. Chamberlain was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. "[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. In addition to Chamberlain's regular-season accomplishments, he scored 42 points in the All-Star Game. Coach Hannum once suggested he shoot his famous fadeaway jumper as a free throw, but Chamberlain feared drawing more attention to his one great failing. [56][k] In Game 6, Heinsohn scored the decisive basket with a last-second tip-in,[56] as the Warriors lost the series 42. 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]. "[111], In the 196970 NBA season, Chamberlain began the season under new coach Joe Mullaney strongly, averaging 32.2 points and 20.6 rebounds per game over the first nine games of the season. He is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game as well. After losing Clark and Gail Goodrich, who joined the Phoenix Suns after the 1968 NBA expansion draft, he said: "Egan gets murdered on defense because of his [lack of] size but if I don't play him, we look like a bunch of trucks. [130] West called it "the greatest ball-busting performance I have ever seen". Chamberlain won his second championship as a member of the 1972 Lakers, a team which set a record with a 33-game winning streak. "[110], Chamberlain experienced an often-frustrating season. Club", "In 112 Career Games, Wilt Chamberlain Averaged 8.8 Blocks Per Game. Chamberlain blocked Quigg's shot but was also called for the foul. Chamberlain became coach of the San Diego Conquistadors for a year before turning to business and entertainment. [195] In addition, he would often stay out late into the night and wake up at noon. According to Wilt's book A View From Above, he said Lakers owner Jerry Buss tried to lure him out of retirement multiple times. [88] Cunningham commented that Hannum "never backed down" and "showed who was the boss". That is totally ridiculous. Wilt Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [86], In the playoffs, the Sixers again met the Boston Celtics and had home-court advantage for the first time. The man was 6-foot-8 and weighed 220 pounds. He ran the 100-yard dash in 10.9 seconds, shot-putted 56 feet, triple jumped more than 50 feet, and won the high jump in the Big Eight Conference track and field championships three straight years. He helped the Lakers win the 1972 NBA championship, triumphing over the New York Knicks in five straight games, and was named the NBA Finals MVP. [112] During the ninth game, he had a serious knee injury, suffering a total rupture of the patellar tendon at the base of his right kneecap,[113] and he missed the next several months before appearing in the final three games of the 82-game regular season, the first season in which he failed to reach 20 rebounds per game. [111] Cherry comments that some journalists reported how Game 7 destroyed two careers: "Wilt's because he wouldn't take over and Van Breda Kolff because he wouldn't give in. Then, Phog Allen retired. He achieved an average of 30.1 points per game over his career and holds several records, including for most points scored in one season (4,029) and most points scored in a single game (100). Former teammate Billy Cunningham remarked The NBA Guide reads like Wilt's personal diary. [95], In the 196768 NBA season, matters continued to turn sour between Chamberlain and Kosloff, the Sixers' sole surviving owner. [71] Much like later center Shaquille O'Neal, Chamberlain would be fouled intentionally, and was a target of criticism because of it. Wilt 13 Chamberlain. [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. [3] However, according to Chamberlain, "basketball was king in Philadelphia", so he eventually turned to the sport in 7th grade. After that I play defense and get the ball off the boards. 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. When Greer attempted to inbound the ball to Walker, John Havlicek stole it to preserve the Celtics' lead. He played for the Philadelphia Warriors (which later became the San Francisco Warriors), the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers. [88] Concerning basketball, he persuaded him to change his style of play. Chamberlain played in the NBA from 1959 to 1973. Overbrook in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Draft: [107] Chamberlain then asked for a trade and Sixers general manager Jack Ramsay traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers for Darrall Imhoff, Archie Clark, and Jerry Chambers. Jones. Wilt is easy to hate people came to see him lose. [184] The two reconciled after two decades, but Chamberlain maintained a level of bitterness, regretted that he had not been "more physical" with Russell in their games, and privately continued accusing his rival for intellectualizing basketball in a negative way. Do you have a blog? 6 in a similar list by The Athletic. Wilt Chamberlain retired in 1973, at the end of the '72-'73 season, to pursue other interests. According to Sixers general manager Jack Ramsay, "Harvey [Pollack] said he used to tell one of his statisticians to keep track of Wilt's blocks in big games. [92] In Game 6, the Warriors were trailing 123122 with 15 seconds left. Wilt Chamberlain averaged 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. 13 was the Los Angeles Lakers in November 1983. Chamberlain, always a poor free throw shooter, battled the "loser" label, before finally breaking through and winning the 1967 NBA Finals as a member of the 76ers. Kareem also won six rings to Wilt's two. All rights reserved. Many of his nicknames were derived from his stature. [10] He was listed as 7ft 1in (2.16m) tall and 258 pounds. Wilt Chamberlain won 2 championships. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested! Basketball is 94 feet long and 10 feet high. What age did Wilt Chamberlain retire? [96] Although there is no written proof for or against, Schayes and Sixers lawyer Alan Levitt assumed Chamberlain was correct. [132], The 197273 NBA season was to be Chamberlain's last, although he did not know this at the time. [202][203] According to his contemporary Rod Roddewig, Chamberlain documented his love life using a Day-Timer. When he dunked, he was so fast that a lot of players got their fingers jammed [between Chamberlain's hand and the rim]." [106] In Game 2, Philadelphia evened the series with a 115106 victory, and won Games 3 and 4, with Chamberlain suspiciously often played by Celtics backup center Wayne Embry, causing the press to speculate Russell was worn down. He tried coaching for a time, and was a popular pitchman for commercials. By the time he retired in 1973, Chamberlain had amassed an amazing array of career statistics. [14], During summer vacations, Chamberlain worked as a bellhop at Kutsher's Hotel. Eventually he dropped her off at 6 am the next morning. By the time he retired in 1973, Chamberlain had amassed an amazing array of career statistics. [85], In the 196566 NBA season, the Sixers experienced tragedy when Ike Richman, the Sixers' co-owner as well as Chamberlain's confidant and lawyer, died of a heart attack while attending a road game in Boston. [69] Each team won their home games, so the series was split at three after six games. This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. According to sportswriter Roland Lazenby, a journalist close to the Lakers, Chamberlain was angry at Kosloff for breaking the alleged ChamberlainRichman deal. Bouncing elsewhere. Chamberlain was one of the few players of his . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [197] Chamberlain lived alone,[198] relying on a great deal of automated gadgets, with two cats named Zip and Zap and several Great Dane dogs as company. In the Eastern Division Semifinals, they were pitted against the New York Knicks. In the scuffle, Chamberlain injured his hand, and Philadelphia lost the next two games. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. Wilt Chamberlain improved his previously dismal free throw percentage (barely 50%) by throwing underhand (granny) style, hitting 28/32 in the famous game where he scored 100 point. After attending the funeral, Chamberlain called out to the angry rioters who were setting fires all over the country, stating King would not have approved. He played on the school's varsity team for three years, scoring more than 2,200 points in total. He died in Bel-Air, California, in 1999. [a] Chamberlain had a natural advantage against his peers; he soon was renowned for his scoring talent, his physical strength, and his shot-blocking abilities. His former rival Bill Russell told the press that "he and I will be friends through eternity.". Two months later, Mileti hired Stan Albeck as the team's second head coach.. "[111] In spite of their earlier quarrels, Van Breda Kolff came to his defense, insisting the often-maligned Chamberlain hardly was able to move in the end. While actively promoting the sport in 1982, Chamberlain said he was considering a return to athletic competition in masters athletics. and No. Wilt retired from the NBA after the 1972-73 season with the . Philadelphia Warriors, 1st round (3rd pick, 3rd overall), 1959 NBA Draft (territorial selection), Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1979 (Full List), More Wilt Chamberlain pages at Sports Reference. - Celeb Answers; 2 2.Wilt Chamberlain - Wikipedia; 3 3.How a retired Wilt humbled Magic Johnson in a pickup game nearly 4 4.Wilt Chamberlain: Career retrospective - Yardbarker.com; 5 5.Wilt Chamberlain declined Sixers' invitation to come out of 6 6.Legends profile: Wilt Chamberlain . The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. He retired in 1969 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame six years later. He retired at the age of 35 after 12 seasons in the NBA. As a result of his style of play change, Chamberlain averaged a career-low 24.1 points and took only 14% of the team's shots,[r] but was extremely efficient with a record-breaking .683 field goal accuracy. Wilt Chamberlain averaged 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. [90][91] For these feats, Chamberlain earned his third MVP award. [120] In a 1999 interview, Chamberlain stated that D'Amato had twice before, in 1965 and 1967, approached him with the idea, and that he and Ali had each been offered $5 million for the bout. Take a look back at one of the most dominant big men in NBA history, Wilt Chamberlain. Reportedly, Chamberlain once broke Kerr's toe with a slam dunk. His intention was that the Celtics would throw the ball in so fast that the prolific shot-blocker Chamberlain was not yet back under his own basket, and Boston could score an easy fastbreak basket. As his lawyer Seymour "Sy" Goldberg put it: "Some people collect stamps, Wilt collected women. NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain at 43 years old, once played against a prime Magic Johnson and destroyed him in a pickup game. [10][11], Chamberlain led the team to two city championships, and over three seasons Overbrook logged a 563 win-loss record. 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. [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. [26], In 1955, Chamberlain entered University of Kansas (KU). 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. In that year, Chamberlain set several all-time records which have never been threatened, as he averaged 50.4 points and grabbed 25.7 rebounds per game. [204], In response to public backlash regarding his promiscuity, Chamberlain later emphasized that "the point of using the number was to show that sex was a great part of my life as basketball was a great part of my life. [137] After the season, Chamberlain retired from professional basketball; in addition, he was displeased by the meager attendance, as crowds averaged 1,843, just over half of the team's small Golden Hall, a 3,200-seat sports arena. By doing this, he won Chamberlain's respect. Cherry notes that there was a certain tension within the team, as 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 occupied the center spot; however, as the season progressed, the three began to mesh better. Each team scored two points in the first overtime, while Kansas froze the ball in return, keeping the game tied at 48, in the second overtime. Winning the regular season with 66 wins, the Bucks were seen as favorites against the depleted Lakers; still, many pundits were looking forward to the matchup between the 34-year-old Chamberlain and the 24-year-old Alcindor. [43][110] Erickson commented 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. Learn more and register. Wilt Chamberlain was a mythical figure. Particularly, Chamberlain was lauded for his performance in Game 6, which the Lakers won 104100 after trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter; Chamberlain scored 24 points and 22 rebounds, played all 48 minutes, and outsprinted the younger Bucks center on several late Lakers fast breaks. We were spat on, pelted with debris, and subjected to the vilest racial epithets possible. The Big Dipper participated in pickup games regularly, going well into his 40s and played against many of the . He was 50 years old at the time, and the New Jersey Nets were actually going to offer him a contract for the last few games of their season and postseason. Red Kerr set a pick on Sam Jones to free Chet Walker. [114] Instead, the Lakers gave away their 13-point halftime lead and succumbed to the aggressive Knicks defense, as they committed 19 second-half turnovers, and the two main scorers (Chamberlain and West) shot the ball in the entire second half only three and two times, respectively. EDITORS Kareem Abdul-Jabbar passed Wilt Chamberlain for the NBA's career scoring lead on April 5, 1984 during a game against the Utah Jazz in Las Vegas. And for a damn good reason. [48][h] Chamberlain became the NBA's highest paid player when he signed for $30,000, in his rookie contract. When it came time for college, Chamberlain was sought after by many top college basketball teams. Chamberlain stayed with the Warriors as they moved out to San Francisco in 1962. "[12], Rick Barry wrote Ill say what most players feel, which is that Wilt is a loserHe is terrible in big games. In response, Chamberlain had everybody put all the pens in the middle of the floor and stepped on them. The playmaker is Golden State's all-time leader . The NBA did not formally track blocks and thefts until 1972, thus while these quadruple doubles may have occurred, they are not official. [61], Chamberlain surpassed his rookie season statistics, as he averaged 38.4 points and 27.2 rebounds per game. Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a family of nine children, the son of Olivia Ruth Johnson, a domestic worker and homemaker, and William Chamberlain, a welder, custodian, and handyman. Boston won the first two games on the road, winning 11596 and 11493; while Chamberlain played within his usual range, his supporting cast shot under 40%. [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. [6], Chamberlain was the catalyst for several 1956 NCAA basketball rule changes, including the rule which requires that a shooter maintain both feet behind the line during a free-throw attempt. He did not have the patience. [74], In the 196364 NBA season, Chamberlain got yet another new coach in Alex Hannum and was joined by promising rookie center Nate Thurmond, who eventually entered the Hall of Fame. Therein lies the tie to Chamberlain. Several players and publications have argued that Chamberlain is the greatest of all time. Would you believe Wilt Chamberlain, 53 at the time? In the semifinals, North Carolina also needed triple overtime to advance over. Outwardly, Schayes defended him as "excused from practice", while his teammates knew the truth and were much less forgiving. "[93] In Game 5, the Sixers overpowered the Celtics 140116, ending Boston's historic run of eight consecutive NBA titles. The Celtics prevented a sweep by winning Game 4 with a 121117 victory. When Abdul-Jabbar published his autobiography in 1990, he wrote a paper titled "To Wilt Chumperlane", in which he stated: "Now that I am done playing, history will remember me as someone who helped teammates to win, while you will be remembered as a crybaby, a loser, and a quitter." Why did Wilt Chamberlain retire from the NBA? In Game 4, Boston won 114108. 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. It had a 2,200-pound pivot as a front door and contained great displays of luxury. [149] Chamberlain played a villainous warrior and counterpart of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1984 film Conan the Destroyer. He wished people would understand that their roles were different. Wilt Chamberlain, while still considered by most to be the most dominant offensive force in history, only won two NBA titles in his career, one with the Philadelphia 76ers in . [111] Among others, Russell did not believe Chamberlain's injury was grave and accused him of being a malingerer, stating: "Any injury short of a broken leg or a broken back is not enough. 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. Wilt Chamberlain claims that his vertical, during his prime, was "46 to 48 inches, easy. [5], Chamberlain's game evolved over the years. [43] According to Ramsay, Chamberlain threatened to jump to the ABA after Hannum left and forced the trade. [92] Philadelphia fans chanted "Boston is dead! More than 7 feet (2.1 metres) tall, Chamberlain was an outstanding centre . They never meant anything to Wilt Chamberlain, though. [111] Playing through his problems, Chamberlain averaged 20.5 points and 21.1 rebounds a game that season. Allen's age was no surprise, of course, but most people . Why did wilt chamberlain retire? Kobe was able to score more points faster than Chamberlain because he's such a good outside shooter and had an opportunity to score more points per shot than Chamberlain did. [47] He appeared in ads for TWA, American Express, Volkswagen, Drexel Burnham, Le Tigre Clothing, and Foot Locker. "[10] Gottlieb coaxed Chamberlain back into the NBA, sweetening his return with a salary raise to $65,000,[58][l], Chamberlain's 196061 NBA season started with a 42-point and 31-rebound performance in a 133123 road win against the Syracuse Nationals. [163] During Chamberlain's time, defensive statistics like blocks and steals had not been recorded yet. [142] As a testament to his importance, the IVA All-Star game was televised only because Chamberlain also played in it; he rose to the challenge and was named the game's MVP. 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. He could talk on any subject. [89] The motivation for this move remains in dispute. Prior to the 196667 NBA season, Schayes was replaced by a familiar face, the more assertive Alex Hannum. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Wilt Chamberlain " To Bill, every game-every championship game-was a challenge, a test to his manhood. "[162] He was a scoring champion, all-time top rebounder, and accurate field goal shooter. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. [89] Cherry says there is a strange pattern in that game, as in a typical Sixers game Chamberlain got the ball 60 times in the low post but only 23 times in Game 7, with seven in the third quarter and twice in the fourth quarter. In his first varsity game, Wilt scored 52 points and picked up 31 . Wilt Chamberlain averaged the unbreakable record of 50.4 . 13 jersey in an emotional halftime ceremony. Chamberlain dominated his older college teammates by scoring 42 points (1635 from the field, 1012 on free throws), grabbing 29 rebounds, and registering 4 blocks. [62] Cooke was pleased because ticket sales went up by 11% since acquiring Chamberlain. The matchup between Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar was hailed by Life as the greatest matchup in all of sports. [56] The teams split the first two games, but Chamberlain got fed up with Heinsohn and punched him during Game 3. Find out more. He won seven scoring, eleven rebounding, nine durability, and nine field goal percentage titles; and he once led the league in assists. In that game, Tar Heels coach Frank McGuire used several unorthodox tactics to thwart Chamberlain. The two were fierce competitors on the court, but they developed a friendship away from the game. [142] He played occasional matches for the IVA Seattle Smashers before the league folded in 1979. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. He had no problem going places, no problem being recognized as Wilt Chamberlain." West recalled being on a team flight to St. Louis on March 2, 1962, and the . In his mid-forties, he was able to humble rookie Magic Johnson in practice,[146] and he flirted with making a comeback in the NBA in the 1980s. 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. [186] Russell's Celtics won seven of eight playoff series against Chamberlain's Warriors, 76ers, and Lakers teams, and went 5737 against them in the regular season and 2920 in the playoffs. [142], Starting in the 1970s, he formed Wilt's Athletic Club, a track and field club in southern California,[143] coached by then UCLA assistant coach Bob Kersee in the early days of his career. Cherry doubts whether Chamberlain would have chosen KU if he had known that Allen was going to retire. [146] He would continue to epitomize physical fitness for years to come, including participating in several marathons. He also holds the record for most points in a single game (aiming for a double-double), with 50. "[158], Several NBA players and officials were saddened at the loss of a player they remembered as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.