During his 14 NBA seasons, Wilt Chamberlain accomplished everything on the floor. He achieved feats that even superstars can only imagine. He took home two championships and four MVP awards. The 13-time NBA All-Star is still regarded as the NBA’s most despised player, despite his impressive stats.
Unfairly, Wilt Chamberlain was called a loser.
Wilt Chamberlain was frequently likened to the great center Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics. On the court, the two centers had fierce bouts. Russell was usually on the winning side, even though Chamberlain frequently prevailed in the statistical contest. Chamberlain had two championships at the end of his career, compared to 11 for Russell.
Despite having a defense-first mentality and being an excellent center, Russell had a far stronger supporting cast than Chamberlain. Compared to Chamberlain, Russell did not need to exert as much effort to maintain his team’s competitiveness. Hehe wrongly carried the stigma of being a “loser” anyhow. And it affected him.
According to Robert Cherry’s biography Wilt: Larger than Life, Chamberlain reportedly remarked, “Definitely,” regarding how the loser label affected him. There have been various instances. First, the self-centered ballplayer business. “He plays only one end of the court,” comes in second. Thirdly, “He doesn’t use a winner when playing.” They are all absurd assertions.
“Who wins? Does that mean we weren’t victors because we lost to North Carolina in the NCAA by one point after three overtimes? We took home a division championship in the pros. Does that imply that we didn’t win? They ought to read the Bible again and realize how we were defeated. Do they say I’m responsible for that?
