He is regarded by many as the best player in history. But laughs and derision greeted his claims of sex conquests. The enormous center Wilt Chamberlain, who once led his team to a 100-point victory in a game of professional basketball, was discovered dead on Tuesday. It seems that a heart attack at his Bel-Air residence claimed his life. Chamberlain, sixty-three, was known to have cardiac issues. Commander David Kalish of Los Angeles police says a longtime staffer discovered him in bed at 12:30 p.m. At 12:41 p.m., paramedics from the Fire Department declared Chamberlain deceased.
The 7-foot-1 Chamberlain was widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time long before Michael Jordan claimed the mantle, and several of his records stood the test of time.
What was the caliber of Chamberlain’s play? 55 NBA regular-season records are owned by him. Jordan possesses seven. One of Chamberlain’s records is the 100-point performance he scored on March 2, 1962, in a game against the New York Knicks at Hershey, Pennsylvania. Prior to his achievement, this feat was thought to be impossible. In addition, he had made the equally implausible claim that he had sex with 20,000 women, which, unlike his record for most points scored in basketball, could not be independently confirmed.
What was the caliber of Chamberlain’s play? 55 NBA regular-season records are owned by him. Jordan possesses seven. One of Chamberlain’s records is the 100-point performance he scored on March 2, 1962, in a game against the New York Knicks at Hershey, Pennsylvania. Prior to his achievement, this feat was thought to be impossible. In addition, he had made the equally implausible claim that he had sex with 20,000 women, which, unlike his record for most points scored in basketball, could not be independently confirmed.
Known by two nicknames for a long time—”Wilt the Stilt,” which he hated, and “The Big Dipper,” which he liked—Chamberlain amassed 31,419 points throughout his 1959–1973 NBA career. Playing for the Philadelphia Warriors, 76ers, and Lakers, he was a three-team player whose dominance over the game led to more rule changes than any other player. Chamberlain famously remarked, “There was this fear that I would completely annihilate the game.” “I’m a black man. The cover of Look magazine read, “Can Basketball Survive Wilt Chamberlain?” They needed to take action because I was going to ruin the game. I am as far away from racism as it is possible to be. However, I believe we must comprehend what racism can do.
Jordan is unaware of how lucky he was to be born during a time when most people were ready to acknowledge his brilliance.”
