Chamberlain, Wilt

Chamberlain was born in 1936 in Philadelphia , PA , into a family of nine children, the son of Olivia Ruth Johnson , a domestic servant and housewife, and William Chamberlain , a welder, watchman, and handyman. ^[10] He was a weak child, he almost died of pneumonia at an early age and as a result he missed a whole year at school ^[11] . In the early years, Chamberlain was not interested in basketball, because he believed that this was a "game for sissies" ^[12] . Instead, he was an avid athlete: in his youth, he jumped 6 feet 6 inches high, ran 440 yards in 49.0 seconds and 880 yards in 1: 58.3, threw a disc at a distance of 53 feet and 4 inches and a long jump of 22 feet ^{[ 13]} . But, according to Chamberlain, "basketball was the king in Philadelphia," so he eventually turned to the sport ^[14] . Chamberlain was a very tall child, at the age of 10 years ^[15] he was 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m) when he enrolled in Philadelphia Overbrook High School ^[5] . Thus, he had a natural advantage over his peers; he soon became known for his talent for scoring, his physical strength and block shots ^[16] .

As a star player in Overbrook Panthers, Chamberlain scored an average of 31 points per game during the 1953 school season and led his team to a victory, 71–62, over Northeastern High School where Guy Rogers played, Chamberlain's future partner on the NBA team. He scored 34 points when Overbrook won the Public League title and won a place in the Philadelphia Championship against the rival Catholic League winner, Western Catholic ^[17] . Despite the good play of center and 29 points, the Panthers were defeated, 54-42. In the second season at Overbrook , he continued to fruitfully score points, scoring 71 points in high school against Roxborough ^[18] . The Panthers comfortably won the Public League title after defeating the Northeast again, where Chamberlain scored 40 points. Then they won the city title, beating the South Catholic with a score of 74-50. He scored 32 points and led Overbrook to the result of the season - 19 wins and 0 losses. During the summer holidays, he worked as a messenger at Kutsher's Hotel . Subsequently, the owners Milton and Helen Kutscher maintained a friendship with Wilt throughout their lives, and, according to their son Mark , “they were his second parents” ^[19] . Red Auerbach , the Boston Celtics coach, spotted a talented teenager at Kutscher’s and invited him to play one-on-one against the outstanding national champion of Kansas University , Bourne, B.H. , holder of the title of the most outstanding player in the 1953 NCAA finals. Chamberlain won with a score of 25-10; Bourne was so dejected that he abandoned a promising career in the NBA and became a tractor engineer (“If there are such good guys in the school, I thought it’s not worth going to the professionals”) ^[20] .

In the third and final season of Chamberlain in Overbrook , he continued to score, gaining 74, 78 and 90 points in the next three games. The Panthers won the Public League for the third time, beating West Philadelphia 78-60, and in the city championship match they met again with the Western Catholics. With 35 points, Chamberlain led Overbrook to an easy victory - 83-42 ^[21] . Three years later, in the end, Chamberlain led Overbrook to two city championships, set a 56–3 record and broke Tom Gol ’s high school record with 2252 points, scoring an average of 37.4 points per game ^{[22] [23] [24]} . After his last season at Overbrook , more than two hundred universities tried to hire a child prodigy ^[25] . In a 2004 biographical book on Chamberlain, Robert Cherry wrote that Chamberlain wanted change and therefore did not want to stay in Philadelphia (also excluding New York), was not interested in New England and neglected the south due to racial segregation ; thus, Chamberlain's choice fell on the Midwest ^[26] . In the end, after visiting Kansas University and talking with renowned school coach Fog Allen , Chamberlain said he was going to play basketball at a college in Kansas. ^[26]

In 1955, Chamberlain entered the University of Kansas. In his first year, he played for the Jayhawks freshmen team, led by a trainer, Fog Allen , whom he admired. Chamberlain was also a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity , where he was president of his freshman class. ^[27] Chamberlain's first year debut was highly anticipated. The freshmen team was put up against the university team, which was profitable to win the conference this year. Chamberlain dominated his senior players in college, gaining 42 points (16-35 per game, 10-12 free throws), making 29 rebounds and four block shots ^[7] . However, Chamberlain's prospects for playing under the leadership of Allen ended when the coach soon turned 70 years old, and he resigned. In turn, Chamberlain had a bad relationship with Allen's successor, Dick Harpe. Chamberlain's biographer, Robert Cherry , doubted whether Chamberlain would choose the University of Kansas if he knew that Allen would be about to resign. ^[28]

On December 3, 1956, Chamberlain made his debut as a centerpiece. In his first game, he scored 52 points and got 31 rebounds, breaking both Kansas records in a 87–69 victory against the Northwest team, for which Chamberlain’s future team mate, Joe Ruklik, played for ^[29] . His teammate, Monte Johnson , testified to his athleticism: "Wilt ... had incredible stamina and speed ... and never got tired." Leading a talented team that included Maurice King, Gene Elstun, John Parker, Ron Loneski and Lew Johnson , the Jaichoks went 13-1 until they lost the game 56-54 against the Oklahoma state team the ball last three and a half minutes without making a throw, as the rule of 24 seconds has not yet been entered ^[30] . As in Overbrook , Chamberlain again demonstrated his diverse sports talent. He ran 100 yards in 10.9 seconds, shot put - 56 feet, made a triple jump of more than 50 feet and won high jumps at the G8 Athletics Championships for three consecutive years ^[31] .

In 1957, 23 teams were selected to participate in the NCAA tournament. The Regional Midwest Championships were held in Dallas , Texas , which was segregated at the time. Kansas University player John Parker later said: “The crowd was brutal. "They spat on our faces, threw garbage and exposed them to the most disgusting racial epithets." The University of Kansas (KU) won 73–65 in overtime, after which the police were forced to accompany Jayhoks. The next game against Oklahoma City was just as unpleasant: KU won 81-61 under strong racist violence ^[29] . In the semifinals, Chamberlain's team, the Jayhawks, easily defeated San Francisco's two-time current national champion, 80-56. Wilt scored 32 points, made 11 rebounds and 7 seven block shots. Chamberlain demonstrated his growing arsenal of offensive movements. He had outstanding speed throughout the game, and several times took a quick break, including making block shots. His stellar performance led to the irresistible leadership of Kansas.

Chamberlain was named for the All-America national team and led the Jayhawks to the NCAA finals against the Tar Hills of the University of North Carolina . In this game, the Tar Hills coach , Frank McGuire , used several extraordinary tactics to thwart Chamberlain. On the starting face-off in that match against Chamberlain came the smallest rival player, Tommy Cairns . It was a kind of challenge to Chamberlain. Throughout the game, Chamberlain was faced with constant doubling or even straining of opponents and an almost complete lack of help from partners. Focusing on Chamberlain, the throw from the game at Jayhoks was 27%, in contrast to 64% of the Tar Hills , the score at the end of the first half was 22-29 ^[29] . In the first overtime, each team scored two points, and in the second overtime, Kansas kept the score at 48. As a result, the fight turned out to be serious, and who is stronger, it turned out only in the third overtime. Chamberlain lost his first final. However, Chamberlain, who scored 23 points and 14 rebounds, ^[29] was named the Most Outstanding Fourth NCAA Final Player in 1957 ^[23] .

In 1957 - 1958, the matches of Jayhox were even more unpleasant for him. Knowing how dominant he was, opponents resorted to tactics in which three or more players participated to guard him ^[32] . However, Chamberlain scored an average of 30 points per season and led the Jayhawks to 18-5, losing three games, while he was absent due to urinary infection ^[32] : Since KU finished second in the league, and at that time only the winners of the conference were invited to the NCAA tournament, the season for Jayhawks ended. Having lost the pleasure of NCAA basketball and wanted to make money, he dropped out of college and sold the story titled “Why am I leaving college” to Look magazine for $ 10,000, which was a very large amount, as NBA players earned $ 9,000 for the entire season ^{[ 32]} . In two seasons in Kansas, he scored an average of 29.9 points and 18.3 rebounds per game. In total, he scored 1,433 points and 877 rebounds ^[33] , and led Kansas to the same Big Seven championship ^[6] . By the time Chamberlain turned 21 years old (even before he became a professional), he had already appeared in Time , Life , Look, and Newsweek magazines ^[34] .

For many years after Chamberlain left Kansas University, critics claimed that he either really wanted to leave the white Midwest, or was embarrassed, could not bring home the victory in the NCAA basketball tournament.

Harlem Globotrotters

After his disappointment in college basketball, Chamberlain decided to become a professional player before finishing his graduation year ^[35] . However, at that time, the NBA did not accept players until they graduated from the graduation class. Therefore, Chamberlain was forbidden to join the NBA for a year, and he decided to play for Harlem Globotrotters in Harlem in 1958, for which he received a huge sum of $ 50,000 for that time ^{[4] [23]} (today it’s about 434,000 US dollars ^[36] ).

Chamberlain became a member of the Harlem Globotrotters team, which went down in history playing in Moscow in 1959. Before the start of the game at the V. I. Lenin Central Stadium in Moscow, they were greeted by the first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Khrushchev N. S. ^[37] .

Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors

On October 24, 1959, Chamberlain finally made his NBA debut as Philadelphia Warriors ^[4] . Chamberlain immediately became the highest paid NBA player, signing a contract for $ 30,000 (today it is about $ 258,000) ^[36] . By comparison, the previous top player was Bob Cousey of the Boston Celtics , whose contract was $ 25,000.

In the 1959-60s NBA season, Chamberlain joined the Philadelphia Warriors , coached by Neil Johnston . The team included Tom Gaul and Paul Arizin , who were included in the Basketball Hall of Fame , as well as Ernie Beck and his old rival, Guy Rogers . It is noteworthy that the entire starting five consisted of residents of Philadelphia. In his first NBA game against the New York Knicks , the newly-made center scored 43 points and made 28 rebounds. ^[38] In its fourth game, Philadelphia met the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics and their coach, who was in the Hall of Fame, Red Auerbach , whose proposal he rejected several years ago. On the floor, Chamberlain met his future long-standing rival, Bill Russell , who is now called one of the best defensive centers in the game ^[38] . Despite the fact that Chamberlain overtook Russell, 28 vs. 30 points, Boston won the game. Chamberlain and his constant sworn enemy will become one of the NBA’s greatest rivals of all time ^[2] . However, these two were friends off the parquet, like later rivals, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird ^[39] .

In his first NBA season, Chamberlain scored an average of 37.6 points and made 27 rebounds, convincingly breaking the previous record for the regular season. In just 56 games, he scored 2.102 points, thereby breaking the record of Bob Pettit , who scored 2101 points in the regular season for 72 games ^[40] . Chamberlain broke eight NBA records and was named the most valuable player ( MVP ) of the NBA regular season and became the Rookie of the Year this season. This record was able to be repeated only by the player introduced to the Hall of Fame , Anseld Wes , in the NBA season 1968 - 69 ^{[1] [40]} . Chamberlain ended his debut season with the Most Valuable Player Award in the NBA All-Star Game in 1960 at the Eastern Conference, with a score of 23 points and 25 rebounds. Also, it became obvious that he was the strongest “shooter” of the free-throw, over time Chamberlain admitted that he was simply “obsessed” with this ^[41] . The Warriors entered the NBA playoffs of 1960 and defeated Syracuse Nationals , thereby organizing a meeting with the champions of the East Division, the Boston Celtics . Cherry described in his book how the Celtics trainer, Red Auerbach , instructed his striker, Tom Hainson , to commit personal fouls on Chamberlain: whenever Warriors shot free throws, Hineson grabbed and pushed Chamberlain to prevent him from quickly running backwards; the goal was for the Celtics to throw as quickly as possible so that the shot block master Chamberlain didn’t have time to return under his own basket and Boston could score easy points ^[40] . In the third game, Chamberlain was fed up with Hainson and punched him. In a brawl, Wilt injured his hand, and Philadelphia lost the next two games ^[40] . In the 5th game with a healthy hand, Chamberlain scored 50 points. But in the 6th game, Hainson scored a decisive goal in the last seconds. As a result, the Warriors lost the series with a score of 4-2 ^[2] .

Then the newcomer Chamberlain shocked the Warriors fans, saying he was thinking of resigning. He was tired of the team’s double and triple attack, and of the teams raining hard on him. Chamberlain was afraid that one day he might lose his composure ^[2] . The Celtics striker, Hineson, said: “Half of the fouls against him were tough fouls ... he took the worst blow of any player in history” ^[2] . Eddie Gottlieb persuaded Chamberlain to return to the NBA, sweetening his return by raising his salary to $ 65,000 ^[42] (today it is about $ 550,000 ^[43] ).

The following season ( 1960 - 61 ) Chamberlain surpassed the statistics of the debut season, gaining an average of 38.4 points and making 27.2 rebounds per game. He became the first player to overcome the barrier of 3000 points, and the first and so far the only player to overcome the barrier in 2000 rebounds in one season ^[44] . Chamberlain also won his first title as a percentage of scoring shots and the total number of shots made and set an absolute record for rebounds in one game - 55 ^[1] . Chamberlain was so dominant in the team that he scored almost 32% of his team’s points and made 30.4% of their rebounds ^[43] .

Chamberlain again failed to turn his game into team success, this time he fought with Syracuse Nationals in three games ^[45] . Cherry noted that Chamberlain was "difficult" and did not respect coach Neil Johnston , who was unable to cope with the star center. Gottlieb noted: “My mistake was that I could not find a strong coach ... [Johnston] was not ready for great times” ^[46] . In Chamberlain's third season, Frank McGuire , who led Tar Hills at the time of Chamberlain's painful defeat in the NCAA final, became Warriors' coach. This year, Wilt set several records that no one broke. In the 1962 season , he scored an average of 50.4 points and made 25.7 rebounds per game ^[44] . March 2, 1962 in Hershey, Pennsylvania , in a game against New York Knicks Wilt scored 100 points . Chamberlain made 36 exact two-point shots from 63 attempts and scored 28 free throws from 32. Chamberlain scored a record number of points - 4029, that is, 50 points on average per game. This made him the only player who overcame the milestone of 4000 points ^[2] . The only one who was able to overcome the milestone of 3000 points is Michael Jordan , who scored 3041 points in the 1986–87 season in the NBA. Chamberlain again crossed the line in 2000 rebounds, gaining 2052. In addition, he was on the floor for an average of 48.53 minutes per match, playing 3882 minutes out of 3890 minutes of his team ^[44] . Since Chamberlain played in overtime , he spent an average of more minutes per game than 48; in fact, Chamberlain would have reached 3890 minutes if he had not been put on the bench in one game after the second technical foul eight minutes before the end of the game ^[47] .

His extraordinary feats in the 1962 season were later the subject of a book by Wilt, 1962 , by Gary M. Pomeranz (2005), who used Chamberlain as a metaphor for the rebellion of Black America ^[48] . In addition to Chamberlain's achievements in the regular season, he scored 42 points in 1962 in the NBA All-Star Game; the record that stood until Anthony Davis beat him in 2017 ^[49] . In the 1962 NBA playoffs, Warrior Z met again with the Boston Celtics in the East Division final. This team was named by Bob Cousey and Bill Russell as the greatest Celtics of all time. ^[50] In the 7th game, in which an intense struggle unfolded, the Celtics defender, Sam Jones, made a decisive throw two seconds before the end of the game, thereby winning the series for Boston ^{[51] [52]} . In subsequent years, Chamberlain was criticized for gaining an average of 50 points, but did not win the title. In his defense, Warriors' trainer, Frank McGuire , said that "Wilt was just a superman," and noted that Warriors lacked a permanent second sniper, playmaker and second major player to relieve Chamberlain’s pressure ^[41] .

In the 1962–63 NBA season, Eddie Gottlieb sold the Warriors franchise for $ 850,000 (today about $ 7.04 million) to a group of businessmen led by Marty Simmons from San Francisco, and the team moved to become San Francisco Warriors under the guidance of the coach Bob Firic ^[53] . However, this also meant that the team broke up, since Paul Arizin chose to end his player’s career rather than leave his family and work for IBM in Philadelphia, and Tom Gola was homesick, asking for a deal with the New York Knicks in the middle of the season ^{[54 ]} . After both snipers left, Chamberlain continued a series of statistical feats, gaining an average of 44.8 points and 24.3 rebounds per game this year. ^[44] Despite his individual success, the Warriors lost 49 of 80 games and missed the play off ^[55] .

In the 1963–64 NBA season, Chamberlain was led by another new coach, Alex Hannum , and he was joined by a promising rookie, Nate Thurmond , who eventually entered the Hall of Fame . Former soldier Hannum, who later entered the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach, was a deft psychologist who emphasized defense and assists. Most importantly, he was not afraid to confront the dominant Chamberlain, who, as was known, did not communicate with coaches that he did not like ^[56] . With the support of a valuable newcomer, Turmond, Chamberlain spent another good season - 36.9 points and 22.3 rebounds ^[44] , and the Warriors went all the way to the NBA Finals. In this series, they again lost to the Boston Celtics , led by Russell, this time losing 4-1 ^[57] . But, as Cherry noted, not only Chamberlain, but, in particular, Hannum, deserves great respect because he got a team that was in very poor condition. Together with Turmond, they turned the team into an NBA Finalist ^[58] .

The next NBA season of 1964–65, the Warriors started terribly and ran into financial problems. In 1965, Chamberlain was sold to Philadelphia Seventi Sixers , the new name is Syracuse Nationals. In return, the Warriors received Paul Newman, Connie Dirking, Lee Schaffer and $ 150,000 ^{[2] [1]} (which corresponds to approximately 1.19 million dollars today). When Chamberlain left Warriors, the owner, Franklin Mieli, said: “Chamberlain is not easy to love, and San Francisco fans have never learned to love him. Wilt is easier to hate ... people came to see his loss ” ^[35] .

Philadelphia Seventi Sixers

Chamberlain continued his career with the promising Philadelphia Seventy Sixers team, which included defenders Hal Greer , a future member of the Hall of Fame, and talented point guard players Larry Costello , Chet Walker and Lucius Jack. Cherry notes that the team had a certain tension: Greer, before, was the undisputed leader and did not want to give up his powers, and Jackson was a talented center, and now he was forced to become a heavy forward, because Chamberlain took the center position; however, during the season, all three were able to play ^[59] .

Chamberlain's statistics continued to be outstanding - 34.7 points and 22.9 rebounds in the second half of the season ^[44] . After defeating the Cincinnati Royals , led by Oscar Robertson in the 1965 NBA playoffs, Sixers met with Chamberlain’s eternal rival Boston Celtics . The press called it an equal fight in all positions, even in the center game, where Bill Russell was supposed to give Chamberlain a tough fight ^[60] . Indeed, the two teams shared the first six games, the last game being held at the Boston Garden Celtics. In the seventh game, both center ones were great: Chamberlain scored 30 points and 32 rebounds, and Russell scored 16 points, made 27 rebounds and eight assists. ^[60] For the fifth time in seven years, Russell’s team again deprived Chamberlain of the title ^[2] . According to Chamberlain, it was then that people began to call him a “loser” ^[1] . In addition, Chamberlain gave an interview in the April issue of Sports Illustrated , in which he criticized his colleagues, coaches, and the NBA administration. ^[61] Chamberlain later commented that he realized how the interview contributed to undermining his public image ^[61] .

In the 1965–66 season, the Sixers survived the tragedy when Ike Richman , co-owner of the Sixers, as well as Chamberlain's trustee and lawyer, died of heart disease. In the regular season, the Sixers achieved an excellent result - 55-25, and for his strong game Chamberlain received his second award from the NBA Most Valuable Player ^[2] . This season, the center dominated again, scoring 33.5 points and making 24.6 rebounds per game, leading the league in both categories ^[44] .

In the 1966 NBA playoffs , the Sikesrs met the Celtics again and gained an advantage on the home ground for the first time. However, Boston easily won the first two away games, winning 115-96 and 114-93. A sports journalist, Joe McGinnis, commented: “The Celtics played like champions, and the Sixers seemed to have just started playing.” ^[62] In the 3rd game, Chamberlain scored 31 points and 27 rebounds in an important away game, and the next day the coach, Chayes, planned to conduct a joint team practice. However, Chamberlain said that he was "too tired" to attend, and even refused the request of Shayes at least to appear and break some free throws with the team. In the fourth game, Boston won 114-108 ^[62] . Chamberlain was suspended from the game due to refusal to participate in the training process. Despite the fact that in the fifth game Chamberlain was excellent, having scored 46 points and made 34 rebounds, but the Celtics won the match with a score of 120-112, as well as a series ^[63] . Cherry criticized Chamberlain's unprofessional and selfish behavior during the match ^[62] . Before the start of the 1966-1967 season, the friendly but insecure Chayes gave way to the deft and firm Alex Hannum. At a noisy meeting in the locker room, Hannum touched on several key points he had seen last season, and some of them put Chamberlain in a disadvantage. Sixster striker, Chet Walker, claimed that on several occasions players had to separate Chamberlain and Hannum to prevent fistfight ^[64] . Forward, Billy Cunningham, observed that Hannum “never backed down” and “showed who was in charge.” By doing this, he won the respect of Chamberlain ^[65] . As for basketball, he convinced him to change his playing style. He wanted to load up other players who could score, such as a future member of the Basketball Hall of Fame , Hal Greer , and rookie, Billy Cunningham . Hannum wanted Chamberlain to concentrate more on defense ^{[1] [66]} .

As a result, Chamberlain became a less dominant player, gaining only 14% of the points of the whole team (for comparison, he previously scored 50.4 points, which was 35.3%), but extremely effective: he scored an average career minimum of 24, 1 points, but was the leader in the league in rebounds (24.2), took third place in assists (7.8) and played excellent on the defensive ^[44] . Its effectiveness this season has been reflected in a series of 35 goals scored over four games in February ^{[67] [68]} . For these exploits, Chamberlain received his third MVP award. Earlier, the selfish Chamberlain began praising his teammates. He praised the hardworking Luke Jackson for “maximum forward power,” Hal Greer called the deadly jump jumper, and point guard, Wali Jones, an excellent defender and an outsider ^[65] . Off-site, the center invited the whole team to restaurants and paid the whole bill, knowing that he earned 10 times more than everyone else.65 Greer, who was considered an unsurpassed professional and who often clashed with the center, spoke positively about the new Chamberlain: “Everyone was ready to go for the new Big Boy [Chamberlain]” ^[65] .

In the 1967 NBA playoffs, the Sixers again battled the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division finals and again gained an edge on home flooring. In the first game, the Sixers defeated Boston with a score of 127-112, in which Hal Greer scored 39 points, and Chamberlain made a quadruple - double : 24 points, 32 rebounds, 13 assists and (unofficially calculated) 12 block shots ^{[ 69]} . In the second game, the Sixers won in overtime with a score of 107-102 ^[69] . In the third game, Chamberlain made 41 rebounds and helped his team win with a score of 115-104. In the fourth game, the Celtics also won - 121–117. And in the fifth game, the Sixers simply defeated the Celtics, beating 140-116, which effectively put an end to the historic Boston race of eight consecutive NBA titles. Center Sickers scored 29 points, made 36 rebounds and 13 assists ^[69] .

In the 1967 NBA Finals , the Sixers fought against Chamberlain's former team, the San Francisco Warriors , and his successor, Nate Termond , and star striker Rick Barry . The Sixers won the first two games in which Chamberlain and Greer claimed responsibility for defensive dominance, but San Francisco won two of the next three games. ^[69] In the sixth game, the Warriors lost by a difference of one point (123–122), and fifteen seconds before the end of the match in an incredible fight they wrested a victory from the Warriors and became champions. He said: “It is wonderful to be part of the greatest basketball team ... to be a champion is the same as having a big round shine inside” ^[69] . Chamberlain himself called the team the best in the history of the NBA ^[44] . In 2002, a writer, Wayne Lynch, wrote a book about this remarkable Sixers season, focused on Chamberlain. In the 1967-1968 season , Chamberlain and the sole survivors of the Sixers, Irv Kosloff, began to disagree. This conflict continued for some time: in 1965, Chamberlain claimed that he and the late Richman had developed an agreement that would give the center a 25% franchise as soon as he completed his career ^[70] . Although there is no written evidence for or against, the former Sixers trainer, Dolph Schyes , and the Sixers lawyer, Alan Levitt, suggested that Chamberlain was right ^[69] ; in any case, Kosloff rejected the request, which made Chamberlain furious. His contract ended in 1967, Kosloff and Chamberlain entered into a truce, and then signed a one-year contract for $ 250,000 ^[69] .

Chamberlain continued to concentrate on the team game, scoring 24.3 points and making 23.8 rebounds per season ^[44] . Seventy Sixers had the best league record for the third season in a row. Chamberlain went down in history, becoming the only centerpiece in the history of the NBA, ending the season as a leader in the number of successful broadcasts (702). In second place is point guard Lenny Wilkens (in 1989 he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame ), having made 683 transfers ^[24] . For these exploits, Chamberlain received his fourth and final MVP title ^[2] . After winning 62 games, the Sixers easily took first place in the 1968 NBA playoffs. In the semifinals of the 1968 East Division, they met with Knicks . As a result, the Sixers defeated the Knicks , with a score of 115-97, after Chamberlain scored 25 points and 27 rebounds in the sixth game.

In the 1968 East Division final, the Sixers met again with the Boston Celtics, again with the advantage of home flooring, and this time, as reigning champions. Despite the former failure of the Sixers, the coach, Hannum, was confident that he would “beat the Celtics in less than seven games”: he pointed to the age of the main players - Bill Russell and defender, Sam Jones, who were 34 years old ^[71] . The first game took place on April 5, 1968 , immediately after the assassination of Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968. In a game called "unreal" and "devoid of emotion," the Sixers lost with a score of 127-118 ^[71] . In the second game, “Philadelphia” equalized, beating 115-106 in the match, and also won the third and fourth games. Despite the fact that the Celtics were very tired, nevertheless, they managed to rally and win the fifth and sixth games, with a score of 122-104 and 114-106 ^[71] . In the seventh game, the Sixers were unable to get together and lost with a score of 100-96.

After this season, coach, Alex Hannum, wanted to be closer to his West Coast family; he left the Sixers to coach the Auckland Oaks at the newly founded American Basketball Association ^[72] . Chamberlain then asked for a deal, and the Sixers CEO Jack Ramsey exchanged it for Darral Imhoff, Archie Clark and Jerry Chambers of the Los Angeles Lakers ^[66] . Cherry adds a few personal reasons for moving to the Lakers: the centerman felt that he had become too big for Philadelphia, wanted to play with other celebrities, who were many in Los Angeles, and finally also looked for the opportunity to meet with white women, which was real for a black man in Los Angeles, but hard to imagine elsewhere in those days ^[73] .

Los Angeles Lakers

On July 9, 1968, Chamberlain was the centerpiece of a major deal between the Seventy Sixers and the Los Angeles Lakers , which gave center, Darral Imhoff , forward, Jerry Chambers , and quarterback, Archie Clark , of Philadelphia. ^[74] The owner of the Lakers, Jack Kent Cook , entered into an unprecedented contract with Chamberlain, paying him $ 250,000 after taxes (about $ 1.8 million in real value); in comparison, the previous Lakers leader, Jerry West , received $ 100,000 before taxes (about 720,000 in real terms) ^[75] .

Chamberlain joined a team of the Hall of Fame frontman , Elgin Baylor , and Hall of Fame quarterback Jerry West , as well as back center, Mel Counts, forward Keith Erickson and Tom Hawkins and a talented 5'11-inch quarterback, Johnny Egan. The absence of a second defender worried the coach, Butch Van Brad Kolff, as the Lakers lost Clark and Gail Goodrich , who joined the Phoenix Suns after the 1968 draft. Cherry noted that Chamberlain found it difficult to adapt and adapt, as he was neither a born leader nor an ardent follower ^[75] . Being on friendly terms with Jerry West, he often argued with team captain Elgin Baylor. The biggest problem was his strained relationship with the Lakers coach Butch van Breda Kolff: pejoratively calling the rookie “Cargo,” he later complained that Chamberlain was selfish, never respected him, relaxed too much in training, and paid too much attention to his own statistics ^[75] . In turn, the center called Van Brad Kolff "the most stupid and worst coach in history." ^{[35] [75]} Forward Keith Erickson observed that “Butch catered to Elgin and Jerry ... and this was not the best way to make friends with Wilt. ... that the relationship was doomed from the start. ^[75]

Chamberlain survived a troubled and often frustrating season. Van Breda Kolff kept him on the bench several times, something that had never been in his career; in the middle of the season, the multi-year champion played two games in which he scored only six, and then only two points ^[76] . Despite all his problems, Chamberlain scored an average of 20.5 points and 21.1 rebounds in the game this season ^[44] . However, Jack Kent Cook was pleased, because since the acquisition of Chamberlain, ticket sales have grown by 11% ^[76] . In the 1969 NBA playoffs , the Lakers beat the former Chamberlain club, the San Francisco Warriors, with a score of 4–2, losing the first two games, then defeating the Atlan Hawks and meeting with Chamberlain’s old rival, the Boston Celtics and Bill Russell . The Lakers won the first two games, but lost the next two. In the fifth game, the center of the Lakers scored 13 points and made 31 rebounds, with the result that Los Angeles won 117-104. In the sixth game, the Celtics won 99-90, and Chamberlain scored only 8 points; Cherry claims that if Chamberlain scored his usual 30 points, the Lakers would probably have won their first championship ^[76] .

The seventh game was a surreal scene: in anticipation of victory, the Lakers owner, Jack Kent Cook, installed thousands of balloons on the rafters of the Forum in Los Angeles. This manifestation of arrogance motivated the Celtics ^[76] . In the seventh game, the Lakers were 91-76 after three quarters, but then, Chamberlain injured his knee and was replaced by Mel Counts . Three minutes before the end of the match, the Lakers drove just one point - 103-102. Despite the triple-double of Jerry West , the Lakers lost the game with a score of 108-106. West scored 42 points, made 13 rebounds and 12 assists. Westes was the only player in NBA history to receive the title of Most Valuable Player in the NBA Finals , despite being on the losing team. ^[76] After the game, many wondered why Chamberlain had spent the last six minutes on the bench. Bill Russell did not believe that Chamberlain's injury was serious, and openly accused him of simulating: “Any injury other than a leg or back fracture is no excuse” ^[76] . Ironically, Van Breda Kolff defended Chamberlain, arguing that the center Lakers could hardly move at the end of the match. Soon, Van Breda Kolff stepped down as Lakers coach ^[76] . Cherry comments that, according to some journalists, the seventh game "destroyed two careers: Wilt and Van Brad Kolff ^[76] .

In the second year of the Lakers game, under the leadership of a new coach, Joe Mullani, Chamberlain seriously injured his knee. He was injured in the ninth game of the regular season, having suffered a complete rupture of the patella tendon at the base of his right patella ^[77] , and missed the next few months before appearing in the last three games of the regular season consisting of 82 games. Thanks to an excellent start, he managed to score an average of 27.3 points, 18.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. ^{[44] The} Lakers again got into the playoffs, and in the 1970 NBA finals the Lakers fought against New York Knicks ”starring the future stars of the Hall of Fame , Willis Reed , Dave Debuche , Bill Bradley and Walt Fraser . Cherry noticed that Reed, a fruitful mid-level player, was a tough opponent for Chamberlain, as he lost speed due to his injury, and the center Lakers often did not manage to block Reed's throws ^[78] . In the first game, the New Yorkers won 124–112, in which Reed scored 37 points. In the second game, Chamberlain scored 19 points, got 24 rebounds and put a block shot to Reed in the last seconds of the match, leading the Lakers to victory - 105-103 ^[78] . In the third game, Nyx won, with a score of 111-108 ^[78] . In the fourth game, Chamberlain scored 18 points and received 25 rebounds and helped achieve 2: 2 in the series ^[78] . In the fifth game, the Lakers lost 107-100. In the sixth game, he scored 45 points, received 27 rebounds and, winning with a score of 135-113, equalized in the series.

The hero of the seventh game was Willis Reed. The Knicks were leading in the first half, 27-21, and Chamberlain was unable to prevent a third consecutive loss in the seventh game. Center Lakers himself was criticized for not being able to control his injured knee, but Cherry noted that a real feat - returning from an injury that threatens his entire career - was forgotten too quickly ^[78] .

In the 1970–71 NBA season, the Lakers made a successful change by signing with defender Gail Goodrich , a future member of the Hall of Fame who returned from the Phoenix Suns . Chamberlain scored an average of 20.7 points, made 18.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists, thanks to which the Lakers won the title of the Pacific Division. After the loss of Eugene Baylor due to the rupture of the Achilles tendon, which actually ended his career, and especially after the loss of Jerry West , due to a knee injury, the Lakers found themselves in a very difficult situation, since their possibilities were limited. At the end of the Western Conference, the Lakers seemed weaker against Milwaukee Bucks and the recently titled MVP , Lew Alcindor, and veteran of the Hall of Fame , quarterback, Oscar Robertson . Having won the regular season with 66 wins, Milwaukee Bucks was considered the favorite against the emaciated Lakers; however, many experts were looking forward to the match between the 34-year-old Chamberlain and the 24-year-old Alzindor ^[79] . In the first game, Abdul-Jabbar (Alcindor changed his name) beat Chamberlain 32-22, and Bucks won 106-85. In the second game, the Bucks won again, even though the center Lakers scored 26 points, four more than his Milwaukee counterpart. In the third game, Chamberlain scored 24 points and made 24 rebounds, and the Lakers won with a score of 118-107. But in the fourth game, the Bucks beat the Lakers, 117-94, taking the lead in the 3-1 series. In the fifth game, Milwaukee closed the series in the home game, winning 116–98 ^[80] . Although Chamberlain lost, he was praised for fighting against the title holder of the Most Valuable NBA Finals player, Alzindor, who was not only 10 years younger, but also healthy ^[79] .

After the 1971 playoffs , Chamberlain challenged the legendary heavyweight boxer, Mohammed Ali. A 15 round meeting would take place on July 26, 1971 at the Houston Astros . Chamberlain trained with Cus d'Amato , but later retreated, withdrawing the widely publicized challenge. In a 1999 interview, Chamberlain said that boxing coach Cus d'Amato twice, in 1965 and 1967, approached a basketball star with this idea and that he and Ali offered everyone five million dollars for a fight. In 1965, Chamberlain consulted with his father, who saw Ali fight, and finally said no. ^{[81] [82]}

In the NBA season 1971 - 1972 , the Lakers hired former Celtics star defender Bill Sharman as head coach. Sharman introduced the morning training sessions, in which the late Chamberlain regularly participated (unlike previous years with Dolph Schayes) and turned him into a defender who scores little, in the prototype of his old rival Bill Russell ^[83] . In addition, Sharman ordered Chamberlain to use his skills in rebounds and transmissions ^[84] . No longer the main shooter, Chamberlain was appointed the new captain of the Lakers: after breaking the Achilles tendon, the long-standing captain, Elgin Baylor , left his place. Sharman originally wanted Chamberlain and West to share this place, but West refused, saying that he was prone to injuries and wanted to focus solely on the game ^[85] . Chamberlain accepted his new roles and showed a record low number of points per game - 14.8, but won the rebound crown - 19.2 and led the league with a score of .649% - the percentage of scoring scores and the total number of shots made ^[44] . Thanks to his defense, the Lakers began an unprecedented series of victories from 33 games on the way to the then record 69 wins in the regular season. According to Flynn Robinson , after a record-breaking series, the Lakers owner, Cook, awarded each of his players, who were expecting a “trip to Hawaii,” with a $ 5 kit. In response, Chamberlain "made everyone put their pens in the middle of the room and step on them ^[86] .

In the playoffs, the Lakers met with Milwaukee Bucks and regular centerline superstar and MVP Karim Abdul-Jabbar (formerly Lew Alzindor). The match between Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar was hailed by Life Magazine as the greatest match in all sports. Chamberlain helped beat the Lakers of Abdul Jabar and the Bucks in six games. In particular, Chamberlain was praised for the sixth game, in which the Lakers won 104-100 after falling 10 points in the fourth quarter: he scored 24 points and 22 rebounds in 48 minutes of playing time ^[87] . Jerry West called it “the greatest game I have ever seen.” ^[87] Chamberlain played so well in the series that Time magazine wrote: "In the title series of the NBA West Division with Milwaukee, he (Chamberlain) decisively outplayed the newest giant basketball superstar, Karim Abdul-Jabbar, who is eleven years younger than him" ^[88] .

In the 1972 NBA Finals , the Lakers met again with the New York Knicks ; The Knicks weren’t in full force after losing Willis Reed due to an injury that was 6'9 feet (205.74 cm) tall and therefore, undersized Jerry Lucas (6'8 - 203.2 cm) had the task of defending himself against Chamberlain (7'1- 216 cm) ^[89] . However, a successful shooter, Lucas, helped New York win the first game, hitting 9 of 11 shots in the first half. In the second game, the Lakers won 106–92, and the Knicks lost their forward, Dave Debuche , due to an injury ^[89] . In the third game, Chamberlain scored 26 points and received 20 rebounds, thereby leading the Lakers to victory, and in the fourth game, the center Lakers received five fouls at the end of the game. This was the first time in his entire career, and he regarded it as a feat of which he was very proud. This was proved by the fact that he played an aggressive defense, despite the risk of getting a foul, and that he focused not only on his statistics; he scored 27 points in the game ^[89] . But in that game he fell on his right hand, and they said that he “stretched” it; in fact she was broken. In order for him to play in the fifth game, Chamberlain's hands were packed in thick linings, usually intended for defenders in American football; he was offered an analgesic injection, but he refused, because he was afraid to lose his sensitivity and ability to hit if his hands were numb ^[89] . In the fifth game, Chamberlain scored 24 points, made 29 rebounds, eight assists and eight block shots . (Although block shots were not in the official NBA statistics at that time, the announcer, Keith Jackson, calculated block shots during the broadcast). Chamberlain's outstanding multifaceted performance helped the Lakers win their first championship in Los Angeles with a decisive victory - 114-100 ^[89] . Chamberlain was named the Most Valuable Player in the NBA Finals ^[44] , and admired the fact that he dominated the Nyx in the fifth game, being injured ^[89] .

The NBA season 1972 - 1973 was supposed to be the last for Chamberlain, although at that time he did not know this. In their last season, the Lakers lost their founding players: Happy Hairston was injured, Flynn Robinson and Leroy Ellis left, and veteran Jerry West struggled with injury ^[90] . Chamberlain averaged 13.2 points and 18.6 rebounds, which was enough to win the rebound crown for the 11th time in his career. In addition, he improved his own statistics on the percentage of scoring shots and the total number of shots made, from 683% in the 1966/67 season to 727% in the 72/73 season ^[44] . This was the ninth time that Chamberlain led the league. The Lakers won 60 games in the regular season and reached the 1973 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. This time everything changed places: “Nyx” was now a healthy team with younger Willis Reed, and the “Lakers” now suffered from several injuries ^[90] . In this series, the Lakers won the first game with a score of 115-112, but the Knicks won the second and third games; it got worse when Jerry West again injured his hamstring. In the fourth game, the lack of healthy Lakers players made itself felt. Despite the fact that Chamberlain scored 23 points and got 21 rebounds, the Lakers lost the game - 102-93 and the series ^{[90] [91]} . In the last fifth game, Chamberlain made a slam dunk one second before the end of the match. This was his last throw in the NBA career.

San Diego Conquistadors (1973-1974)

In 1973, the San Diego Conquistadors from the rival NBA league, ABA ( American Basketball Association ) signed a contract with Chamberlain as a player-coach for a salary of $ 600,000 ^[92] . However, the Lakers sued their former star and successfully prevented him from actually playing, because he still owed them an optional year of his contract ^[1] . Deprived of the opportunity to play, Chamberlain basically left the duties of a coach to his assistant, Stan Albek, who recalled: “Chamberlain ... feels great in professional basketball ... but the everyday things that are an important part of basketball ... he just got bored. He just had patience " ^[92] . The players were divided into those who considered Chamberlain a competent coach, but more often than not, indifferent and more busy promoting their autobiography "Wilt: like any other 7-foot black millionaire who lives in the neighborhood," than with coaching. Once he skipped a game to sign autographs for a book ^[92] . The only season in which he played as a coach for the Conquistadors was mediocre - 37–47 in the regular season, losing to the “Utah Stars” in the semi-finals of the division. Nevertheless, Chamberlain was dissatisfied with the meager attendance of the Conquistadors matches: the average audience was 1843 people, a little more than half of the Conquistadors small sports arena in San Diego with 3200 seats ^[92] . After the season, Chamberlain left professional basketball.

After his work at Conquistadors, Chamberlain successfully engaged in business and entertainment, earned money on promotions and real estate, bought a popular nightclub in Harlem, which he renamed Smalls Paradise and invested in tribal mares. Chamberlain also sponsored his personal professional volleyball and athletics teams, and also provided high-level teams for girls and women in basketball, athletics, volleyball and softball ^[93] and made money appearing in TWA, American Express , Volkswagen ., Drexel Burnham, Le Tigre Clothing and Foot Locker. After his basketball career, volleyball became Chamberlain's new passion: he was a talented amateur volleyball player in the days of the Lakers ^[94] , he became a member of the board of directors, the newly created International Volleyball Association in 1974, and then its president a year later ^[95] . Chamberlain promoted this sport so effectively that he was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame: he became one of the few athletes who were entrenched in various sports ^[95] .

In 1976, Wilt turned his interest towards the cinema, creating a film production and distribution company to make his first film called “Go for It” ^{[96] [97]} . Since the 1970s, he founded the Wilt Athletic Club in Southern California, specializing in a variety of athletics disciplines, such as hurdling ^[98] . The club was coached by UCLA's former assistant coach, Bob Kersey , in the early days of his career. Among the team members were: Florence Griffith , before she set the current world records at distances of 100 and 200 meters; three-time world champion Greg Foster ^[99] and future Olympic gold medalists Andre Phillips, Alice Brown and Janet Bolden .

Chamberlain played the villainous warrior and double Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Conan the Destroyer (1984). In November 1998, he signed with Jan Ng Cheng Hin, CEO of Northern Cinema House Entertainment (NCH Entertainment ), to create his own biographical film, wanting to tell his life story in his own way ^[100] . At the time of his death, he worked on notes for the script for over a year. "He was the most curious person I have ever known. He wrote a script about his life. He was interested in world affairs, sometimes he called me late at night and discussed philosophy. I think he will be remembered as a Great Man. He made a living a game of basketball, but he was more than just a basketball player. He could speak on any subject. He was a Goliath , "said Sai Goldberg, Chamberlain’s longtime lawyer ^[101] . When contracts for a million dollars became commonplace in the NBA, Chamberlain increasingly felt that he was underpaid throughout his career. The result of this outrage was the 1997 book, “Who Governs Almshouse? In the Mad World of Sports Today ”(1997), in which he sharply criticized the NBA of the 1990s for being too disrespectful to players of past years ^[102] . Even far beyond his playing days, Chamberlain was in very good shape. When he was well over forty, he could beat rookie Magic Johnson , and even in the 1980s, he announced his return to the NBA. In the 1980–81 season, NBA coach Larry Brown recalled that Chamberlain, 45, had received an offer from the Cleveland Cavaliers . When Chamberlain was 50 years old, the New Jersey Nets had the same idea, but was rejected. Nevertheless, he will continue to personify the best physical form for many years, participating also in several marathons ^[1] .

Individual achievements and recognition

Chamberlain is considered one of the most prominent and dominant basketball players in NBA history. ^[103] The most valuable player in the 1972 NBA Finals is the holder of numerous official NBA records for all time, having established himself as a champion in points, an absolute record holder in the selection and number of shots that hit the basket ^[104] . He was the leader in the NBA by the number of points seven times, the percentage of scoring scores and the total number of completed throws (field goal percentage - fgp) nine times, playing time eight times, rebounds eleven times, and assists one time ^[48] . Chamberlain is most remembered for the Stochkov match ^{[105] [48]} , which is considered one of the greatest basketball records ^{[106] [107] [108]} . Decades after his record, many NBA teams did not even score an average of 100 points per game. The only player who tried to get as close as possible to a record 100 points was the Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers , who scored 81 points in 2006 ^{[109] [110] [111]} . Bryant subsequently said that Chamberlain’s record was “unthinkable ... ^[112] . Chamberlain’s main weakness was his notorious free throws, where he ranks third in the career with the lowest percentage of free throws in NBA history - 51.1%. Chamberlain claimed that he deliberately missed free throws so his teammate could pick up the ball and score two points instead of one ^[113] , but later admitted that he was a “psycho” in this matter. ^[41] On the other hand, he made, surprisingly, few fouls in his entire career in the NBA, despite his During his 14-year career in the NBA, Chamberlain never scored the maximum number of fouls in the regular season or in the playoffs. On average, playing 45.8 minutes per game in his entire career, he received on average only two fouls per game . "At first he was a scorer. Then he became the king of rebounds and assists. Then in 1972, with our great Lakers team, he focused on the defensive goal, ”said Bill Sharman. ^[114] In his two seasons of the championship, Chamberlain led the rebounds in a series, while his score was reduced to 24 and 15 points per game, by the years 1971-1972, when he was 35 and running less, he scored nine points per game, compared to forty points in his record 1961–62 season.48 For his exploits, Chamberlain was included in the Memorial Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history , ranked ranked 2nd in the top 50 NBA players of all time SLAM Magazine ^[115] and 13 on the ESPN list of “Best North American Athletes of the Century” ^[116] and was recognized as the second best center ever in ESPN's history after Karim Abdul-Jabbar March 6, 2007 ^[117] During his career, Chamberlain competed with future celebrity Hall of Fame celebrities, including Russell, Thermond, Jerry Lucas and Walt Bellamy , who later faced Abdul-Jabbar, Dave Cowensem , and Alvin Hayzem ^[118] .

Star Status

Chamberlain was the first basketball player to make a large sum of money; he immediately became the highest paid player after joining the NBA. He was the first basketball player to earn at least $ 100,000 a year and earn unprecedented $ 1.5 million over his years at the Lakers ^[119] . Playing in Philadelphia Seventi Sixers , he could afford to rent an apartment in New York, and ride and play in Philadelphia ^[120] . When he started playing the Lakers, Chamberlain built a million-dollar mansion in Bel Air, which he called the Big Dipper, after his basketball nickname (jazz composer, Thad Jones, also called the Big Dipper honor of a basketball star). Robert Allen Cherry, a journalist and author of the biography Wilt: More Than Life, describes his house as a miniature Playboy mansion, where he regularly had parties and lived his famous, later, sex life. This was also facilitated by the fact that Chamberlain suffered from insomnia and often simply did not sleep ^[121] . Chamberlain lived alone ^[122] , relying on many automatic devices, with two cats named Zip and Zap and several dogs. In addition, Chamberlain drove a Ferrari , Bentley, and a Le Mans-style car called the Searcher-1, designed and manufactured in 1996 at a price of $ 750,000 ^[123] . After his death in 1999, Chamberlain's property was valued at $ 25 million ^[124] .

Love Stories

Although Chamberlain was a shy and insecure teenager, he became known for his love of the female sex when he became an adult. As his lawyer Seymour “Sai” Goldberg put it: “some people collect stamps, Wilt collects women” ^[121] . The Swedish Olympic high jumper, Annette Tonnander , who met him when he was 40 and she was 19, recalls him as a pick-up, who was extremely confident, but respectful: “I think Wilt fell for everything that moved ... but he was not bad or rude ” ^[121] . Many of his close friends testified that he once had 23 women in 10 days. But in a 1999 interview, shortly before his death, he turned to other men who admired his sexual experience, completing the thought with the words: “men who think that having a thousand different ladies is pretty cool are completely wrong, since having one woman a thousand times is much more beautiful " .

Chamberlain had heart problems. In 1992, he was briefly hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat. According to those close to him, he eventually started taking medications for heart disease ^[125] . In 1999, his condition worsened sharply. During this time, he lost 50 pounds ^[126] . After undergoing dental surgery a week before his death, he was in severe pain and seemed unable to recover from stress. On October 12, 1999, Chamberlain died in Bel Air, California, at the age of 63. ^{[5] [127]} He was cremated . His agent, Sai Goldberg, said Chamberlain died of congestive heart failure. He was survived by the sisters Barbara Lewis, Margaret Lane, Selina Gross and Yvonne Chamberlain, as well as brothers Wilbert and Oliver Chamberlain ^[5] .

Players and NBA officials were saddened by the loss of a player whom they always remembered as a symbol of sport. His lifelong rival on the floor and a close friend, Bill Russell , said that “the fury of our rivalry ties us together forever,” and Celtics coach Red Auerbach praised Chamberlain's contribution as vital to the success of the entire NBA. Former Lakers teammate Jerry West remembered him as an extremely dominant but friendly and fun player, while fellow Hall of Fame Karim Abdul-Jabbar , Johnny Kerr , Phil Jackson and Wes Anseld called Chamberlain one of the greatest players in sports history ^[128] .

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