Fortunately, he was a kind and tranquil individual.
JJ Redick initiated the custom of asking, “Can so-and-so play today?” Symbol: 00:13 02:00 Okay, he didn’t start it, but his plumbers’ remarks about Bob Cousy and his contemporaries were a catalyst. It might have been a fair statement about Cousy, who was very little and definitely not quick enough to play today – which says nothing about his ball handling, which was good by that day’s standards, and his passing, which, if you watch video, is still incredible.
Some guy thinks it’s a ridiculous subject. Larry Bird’s emphasis on the three-point shooting today would have left the court free for him to slice opponents to death. Wilt Chamberlain, however, made the dumbest argument along these lines. He was 7-1, weighed close to 300 pounds, had a 45-50″ vertical and sprinter speed, and was unquestionably the strongest player to ever play the game – and one of the strongest persons in history.If you have any doubts, view this video and listen to what others who knew him have said. He possessed Olympian strength. Listen to Arnold Schwarzenegger discuss lifting weights with Chamberlain. Check out Bob Lanier’s account about being scooped up and relocated (he was 6’11 and 270 pounds). It goes on and on, and it sounds incredible, but they are eyewitness testimonies, with the exception of one that we’ll end on. Check out Billy Cunningham’s story on Chamberlain and Gus Johnson. In that situation, there is video of the stretcher. The final anecdote is the most astounding, but only Chamberlain was present. Could this be true? Could he have done that?
Listen and make your own decision, but it’s near the finish, and you’ll hear numerous other breathtaking stories along the way. By the time you get to it, you’re thinking, “If anyone could do that and survive it, it’d be Wilt.”
