"[158], Several NBA players and officials were saddened at the loss of a player they remembered as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Wilt Chamberlain was the first NBA player to score more than 30,000 cumulative points over his career, and the first and only player to score 100 points in a single game. [50], In the 195960 NBA season, Chamberlain joined a Philadelphia Warriors squad that was coached by Neil Johnston and included Hall-of-Famers guard Tom Gola and forward "Pitchin'" Paul Arizin, plus Ernie Beck and Guy Rodgers; remarkably, all five starters were Philadelphians. Russell's teams won all four series-deciding seventh games against Chamberlain's; by a combined margin of nine points. 101", "The NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, ranked: Where 76 basketball legends check in on our list", "NBA 75: Top 75 NBA players of all time, from MJ and LeBron to Lenny Wilkens", "Chat Transcript: Celtics Legend Bill Russell", "Wilt was Philadelphia's greatest athlete", "N.B.A. With three minutes to go, the Lakers trailed 103102, but they committed costly turnovers and lost the game 108106, despite a triple-double from West, who had 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists, and became the only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP despite being on the losing team. The next game against Oklahoma City was equally unpleasant, with KU winning 8161.[38]. [62] His efficiency that season was reflected by a streak of 35 consecutive made field goals over the course of four games in February. In his last season, the Lakers lost substance, as Happy Hairston was injured, Robinson and LeRoy Ellis had left, and the veteran West struggled with injury. Learn more and register. Why did Wilt Chamberlain retire from the NBA? [88] Concerning basketball, he persuaded him to change his style of play. [25], After his last Overbrook season, more than two hundred universities tried to recruit Chamberlain. [126] Furthermore, he told Chamberlain to use his rebounding and passing skills to quickly initiate fastbreaks to his teammates. For the final play, Harp called for Ron Loneski to pass the ball into Chamberlain in the low post, but the pass was tipped by Quigg and recovered by Kearns and the Tar Heels won the game. John Wayne Bobbitt and Lorena Bobbitt made Mr. Bobbit's male member the most famous one on the planet in 1993 during an incident in which Lorena severed John's member with a kitchen knife. [59] On November 24, 1960, Chamberlain grabbed an NBA-record 55 rebounds,[12] along with 34 points and 4 assists, in a 132129 home loss against the Russell-led Boston Celtics. [75] Backed up by valuable rookie Thurmond, Chamberlain recorded 36.9 points and 22.3 rebounds per game,[62] and the Warriors went all the way to the NBA Finals. In that game, Tar Heels coach Frank McGuire used several unorthodox tactics to thwart Chamberlain. In high school and college, he was Mr. Basketball USA, NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1957, and twice consensus first-team All-American in 1957 and 1958. Chamberlain divided that number in half, to be conservative and to correct for degrees of variation. Chamberlain dominated his older college teammates by scoring 42 points (1635 from the field, 1012 on free throws), grabbing 29 rebounds, and registering 4 blocks. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Center and No. What Year Did Wilt Chamberlain Retire? For good reason. [117] In Game 1, Alcindor outscored Chamberlain 3222, and the Bucks won 10685. Wilt Chamberlain. The two would later develop an intense rivalry and personal antipathy. [47], Chamberlain also sponsored his personal professional volleyball and track and field teams, and also provided high-level teams for girls and women in basketball, track, volleyball, and softball. Boston won the first two games on the road, winning 11596 and 11493; while Chamberlain played within his usual range, his supporting cast shot under 40%. As Chamberlain's sister refused to provide DNA evidence for testing, Levi's claim is not conclusive. [28][d], Chamberlain's freshman team debut was highly anticipated; the freshman squad was pitted against the varsity, a team favored to win their conference that year. [111], Game 7 featured a surreal scene because Cooke put up thousands of balloons in the rafters of the Forum in Los Angeles in anticipation of a Lakers win. [111] Among others, Russell did not believe Chamberlain's injury was grave and accused him of being a malingerer, stating: "Any injury short of a broken leg or a broken back is not enough. In his mid-forties, he was able to humble rookie Magic Johnson in practice,[146] and he flirted with making a comeback in the NBA in the 1980s. [69] Each team won their home games, so the series was split at three after six games. In addition to Chamberlain's regular-season accomplishments, he scored 42 points in the All-Star Game. Wilt Chamberlain had his no. [52] In his fourth game, Philadelphia met the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics of Hall-of-Fame coach Auerbach, whose offer he had snubbed several years before, and Bill Russell, who was lauded as one of the best defensive pivots in the game. Wilt Chamberlain retired in 1973, at the end of the '72-'73 season, to pursue other interests. Returning to his hometown in 1965, Chamberlain joined the Philadelphia 76ers. The NBA did not formally track blocks and thefts until 1972, thus while these quadruple doubles may have occurred, they are not official. [10][11], Chamberlain led the team to two city championships, and over three seasons Overbrook logged a 563 win-loss record. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, The Man Behind the First All-Black Basketball Team, 8 Times Brothers Have Faced Off in a Championship, Every Black Quarterback to Play in the Super Bowl, Soccer Star Christian Atsu Survived an Earthquake. The Warriors entered the 1960 NBA playoffs and beat the Syracuse Nationals, setting up a meeting versus the Eastern Division champions, the Celtics. Both Hall of Famers would retire at the end of the 1972-73 season. [92] Philadelphia fans chanted "Boston is dead! Jones. [88] Greer, who was considered a consummate professional and often clashed with him because of his attitude, spoke positively of the new Chamberlain: "You knew in a minute the Big Fella [Chamberlain] was ready to go and everybody would follow."[88]. Chamberlain could lift luggage to the second floor window without needing to use the stairs. When coach Schayes planned to hold a joint team practice the next day, Chamberlain said that he was too tired to attend, and he refused Schayes' plea to at least show up and shoot a few foul shots with the team. [122][123] Cooke had offered Chamberlain a record-setting contract on the condition that he agreed to give up what Cooke termed "this boxing foolishness". Who is better Kobe or Wilt Chamberlain? Each team scored two points in the first overtime, while Kansas froze the ball in return, keeping the game tied at 48, in the second overtime. [127] While no longer being the main scorer, Chamberlain was named the new captain of the Lakers. [62] In one particular game, Chamberlain blocked a dunk attempt by Baltimore Bullets player Gus Johnson so hard that he dislocated Johnson's shoulder. Chamberlain often criticized Abdul-Jabbar for a perceived lack of scoring, rebounding, and defense. Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. [96] Although there is no written proof for or against, Schayes and Sixers lawyer Alan Levitt assumed Chamberlain was correct. [Wilt Chamberlain] and I will be friends through eternity. The ultimate legendary story that really stood out in Wilt's post-career was in 1986. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. [5] As an avid track and field athlete, Chamberlain high jumped 6 feet, 6 inches, ran the 440 yards in 49.0 seconds and the 880 yards in 1:58.3, put the shot 53 feet, 4 inches, and long jumped 22 feet. [184] The 1969 NBA Finals is arguably the biggest stain on Chamberlain's career, as supporters of Chamberlain held Russell won more only because he had better teammates; however, in this finals, Chamberlain's team was favored and lost. He personally preferred "The Big Dipper", which was inspired by his friends who saw him dip his head as he walked through doorways. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. [133] Chamberlain's all-around performance helped the Lakers win their first championship in Los Angeles with a decisive 114100 win. Cherry notes that there was a certain tension within the team, as Greer was the formerly undisputed leader and was not willing to give up his authority, and Jackson, a talented center, was now forced to play power forward because Chamberlain occupied the center spot; however, as the season progressed, the three began to mesh better. [34] Offensive goaltending, or basket interference, was also introduced as a rule in 1956, after Bill Russell had exploited it at San Francisco and Chamberlain was soon to enter college play. [132] Chamberlain was named the NBA Finals MVP,[62] and he was admired for dominating the Knicks in Game 5 while playing injured. [129], In the playoffs, the Lakers swept the Chicago Bulls, then went on to face the Milwaukee Bucks of young center and regular-season MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly Lew Alcindor). Why did wilt chamberlain retire? This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:50AM. [20], In 1953, while still a sophomore in high school, Chamberlain won his first championship. Clyde Drexler had his no. Wilt Chamberlain, the 7-foot-1-inch star of the . 2 in Slam's "Top 50 NBA Players of All-Time in NBA History" in 2009,[178] and No. Wilt Chamberlain. [149] Chamberlain played a villainous warrior and counterpart of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1984 film Conan the Destroyer. After rupturing his Achilles tendon, perennial captain Baylor retired, leaving a void Chamberlain filled. Prior to Game 5, Chamberlain skipped practice and was non-accessible. [10] Celtics forward Heinsohn said: "Half the fouls against him were hard fouls he took the most brutal pounding of any player ever. Chamberlain ultimately won two NBA championships, four regular-season Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, the Rookie of the Year award, one Finals MVP award, and one All-Star Game MVP award, and he was selected to thirteen All-Star Games and ten All-NBA Teams (seven First and three Second teams). [105], In the Eastern Division Finals, the Sixers met the Boston Celtics, again with home-court advantage and this time as reigning champions. [6], Chamberlain was the catalyst for several 1956 NCAA basketball rule changes, including the rule which requires that a shooter maintain both feet behind the line during a free-throw attempt. [40] Teammate Bob Billings commented: "It was not fun basketball we were just out chasing people throwing the basketball back and forth. [45] One particular Globetrotter skit involved captain Meadowlark Lemon collapsing to the ground, and instead of helping him up, Chamberlain threw him several feet high up in the air and caught him like a doll. [18] He has been retroactively honored as Mr. Basketball USA for 1955, the earliest such selection. Renowned for his strength, he appeared as the antagonist in the 1984 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Conan the Destroyer. Data Provided By In that Game 7, Chamberlain scored 30 points and 32 rebounds, while Russell logged 16 points, 27 rebounds, and eight assists. Russell botched the inbounds pass, hitting a guy-wire supporting the backboard, and giving the ball back to the Sixers. When Chamberlain died in 1999, Chamberlain's nephew stated that Russell was the second person to whom he was ordered to break the news. If Chamberlain started having sex at the age of 15, from then up to the age of 55 (when the book was published) he would have had 40 years to sleep with 20,000 women, or 500 different women a year . Cherry doubts whether Chamberlain would have chosen KU if he had known that Allen was going to retire. Chamberlain spent the night before the game in New York, partying all night with a woman. Shoots: In 19601961, when Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game, he said that Boston did not rely on Russell's scoring, and he could concentrate on defense and rebounding. "[92] The team has been ranked as one of the best in NBA history. Then with our great Laker team in 1972, he concentrated on the defensive end." [38] Leading a talented squad of starters, including Maurice King, Gene Elstun, John Parker, Ron Lonesky, and Lew Johnson, the Jayhawks went 131 until they lost a game 5654 versus the Oklahoma State Cowboys, a team holding the ball the last three and a half minutes without any intention of scoring a basket, which was still possible in the days before the shot clock (introduced 1984 in the NCAA). In his first game, he scored 52 points and grabbed 31 rebounds, breaking both all-time Kansas records in an 8769 win against the Northwestern Wildcats, a team having Chamberlain's future NBA teammate Joe Ruklick. ""Whats unfortunate is that most people regard the great leapers as being only the short guys who could dunk," said the 7 1 & 18u2033 Wilt Chamberlain. Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( / tembrln /; August 21, 1936 - October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played at the center position. He had five seasons where he committed less than two fouls per game, with a career-low of 1.5 fouls during the 1962 season, in which he also averaged 50.4 points per game. Inside the Insane World of Sports Today, in which he criticized the NBA of the 1990s for being too disrespectful of players of the past.[148]. [114] Game 3 saw West hit a 60-foot shot at the buzzer to tie the game at 102; however, the Knicks took the game 111108. In that series, they again succumbed to Russell's Boston Celtics, this time losing 41.
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