Wilt Chamberlain - Few athletes have ever reached the level of domination that Wilt Chamberlain achieved throughout his basketball career. An offensive force second to none, "Wilt the Stilt" is one of only two players who have scored more than 30,000 points in an NBA career. A high school legend at famed Overbrook High School in the heart of Philadelphia, Chamberlain was the most coveted schoolboy recruit in the country. He opted for the storied basketball program at the University of Kansas, where he led the Jayhawks into the 1957 NCAA finals, losing in triple overtime to top-ranked North Carolina. Because Chamberlain's skills were so far advanced than his competitors, several rule changes were enacted to harness his awesome ability. These rules changed included widening the lane, instituting offensive goaltending and revising rules governing inbounding the ball and shooting free throws.
At Kansas, Chamberlain found himself guarded by as many as three players at one time. And, when opponents weren't "gang-guarding" him, they held the ball for long stretches. Frustrated by these tactics, the Big Dipper left school and briefly toured with the Harlem Globetrotters. The seven-foot-one tower of power joined the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors in the 1959-60 season and was an immediate attention grabber and dominating force. Chamberlain became the first player in NBA history named MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season, and along the way set eight NBA season records. He averaged 37.6 ppg and 27 rpg his first season, and was named to the All-Star team. Through 14 spectacular NBA seasons with the Philadelphia Warriors (1959-62), Golden State Warriors (1962-65), Philadelphia 76ers (1965-68) and the Los Angeles Lakers (1968-73), Chamberlain was named league MVP four times (1960,1966-68) and was an All-NBA First Team selection seven times. Named to 13 NBA All-Star Games, Chamberlain set All-Star Game career records for most rebounds (197), most points in a single game (42), and in 1960 earned MVP honors. The multi-talented Chamberlain led the NBA in scoring seven consecutive years (1959-65), rebounding 11 times and in 1968 led the league in assists. In 1961-62, Wilt enjoyed a Hall of Fame season. He established remarkable records for points (4,029, 50.4 ppg), and against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962, he scored 100 points, a mark that has withstood the test of time.
When Chamberlain left the NBA in 1973, he had captured two championships — in 1967 with the Philadelphia 76ers and in 1972 with Los Angeles. Upon retirement, Wilt held numerous records: he scored 50 or more points 118 times, 60 or more points 32 times, and is the NBA's all-time rebounding leader with 23,924. Although his feats were often credited to his tremendous size, Chamberlain was a true natural who possessed exceptional speed, agility, stamina and strength. His legendary battles with Bill Russell will forever remain etched into the NBA's glorious history.
