by Trent Lorcher

Created on: June 17, 2008   Last Updated: January 22, 2009

"The first time I guarded Wilt," remarks Bob Ferry, "I stood behind him and he was so wide that I couldn't see the rest of the game." (TALL TALES by Terry Pluto, 236). Johnny Kerr claims, "Once Wilt got upset with me and dunked the ball so hard it went through the rim with such force that it broke my toe as it hit the floor." (237). Atlanta Hawks president Stan Kasten calls him, "literally and figuratively a larger-than-life sports figure."

I call him Paul Bunyan.

HIGH SCHOOL and COLLEGE

At 7'1", 275 lbs., Wilt Chamberlain dominated basketball like none other. In high school he scored more than 2200 points in three seasons. In his first college game at the University of Kansas, he scored 52 points and grabbed 31 rebounds. In his two seasons there, Chamberlain averaged over 30 points per game and was named All-American twice.

THE NBA

In his 13 year NBA career, with Philadelphia and Los Angeles, Chamberlain averaged over 30 points and nearly 23 rebounds. He won four most valuable player awards and played in 13 all-star games. He led the league in scoring seven times, rebounding 11 times, and assists one time. He holds five of the top seven individual scoring games ever.

THE 100-POINT GAME

Wilt's most memorable accomplishment occurred as a Philadelphia Warrior when he scored a Bunyanesque 100 points against the New York Knicks. About that game, Wilt remarks, "I get constant reminders from fans who equate that game and my career as one in the same." Often criticized for only winning two NBA titles, Chamberlain acknowledges he would have gladly given up his 100-point game for a few more titles: "If you could give me 10 points in all those seventh games against the Celtics, I could've at least had nine or eight."

THE RIVALS

Chamberlain and Russell became sports' biggest rivalry throughout the sixties. The two behemoths faced each other three times in the NBA finals with Russell's Celtics winning all three. About the rivalry, Russell acknowledges, "People say it was the greatest individual rivalry they've ever seen. I agree with that."

Wilt credits his arch-nemesis for making his personal achievements more meaningful: "Bill Russell helped make my dream a better dream because when you play with the best, you know you have to play your best."

LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL

Chamberlain played 13 years in the NBA before retiring in 1973. His Bunyan-like reputation never retired. He created controversy with the autobiographical account of his playing days, bragging he had slept with 20,000 different women. "Yes, that's correct " he confirms, "20,000 different ladies. At my age that equals out to having sex with 1.2 women a day every day since I was 15."

Chamberlain suggests more NBA titles and fewer scoring titles would have produced a more satisfying career. He holds similar sentiments off the court. He counsels, "all of you men out there who think that having a thousand different ladies is pretty cool, I've found that having one woman a thousand different times is much more satisfying."

Wilt Chamberlain died on October 12, 1999. His Paul Bunyan sized imprint lives on.

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