Fun facts about Wilt Chamberlain ("Wilt: Larger Than Life")

[Point forward]

Hi folks, I just read Wilt's biography "Wilt: Larger Than Life" by Robert Cherry. Here some fun facts about Wilt:

* As a child, Wilt was shy and ugly. In high school, he could not get a date to save his life, and his sister Barbara speculates he left high school as a virgin.

* When he was at Overbrook (1954), he met Red Auerbach and a hot NCAA prospect, B.H. Born. Wilt beat Born 25-10 in a 1-on-1, and Born was so crushed that he decided not to enter the NBA ("If a high schooler can whip me, how will the NBA guys flatten me?").

* Auerbach also tried to get Wilt into a New England uni, so Red could draft him later as a territorial pick to the Celtics. But he was not successful, and the rest is history.

* On the Sixers, Wilt had a tense relationship with Hal Greer and Luke Jackson. Greer envied Wilt's fame, and Luke resented that he was forced to play PF instead of his normal C. On the other hand, Billy Cunningham was a good friend of Wilt.

* The one person Wilt hated more than anyone else was Bill van Breda Kolff. This enmity was quite mutual.

* Wilt hated to take showers after games, preferring to take large quantities of deodorant. Elgin Baylor called Wilt "The Big Musty" for this.

* Wilt deeply hated Kareem, blasting him for a perceived inability to score big numbers, get rebounds, or play defense. He even called one of his dogs "Careem" to provoke him.

* Wilt was a very good volleyball player, but not world class. Ex-Laker Keith Erickson (an All American volleyballer) was better than him. Still, when Wilt played, the audience magically multiplied.

* Wilt was an insomniac.

* Wilt had a gigantic sex drive. David Shaw (LA Times) testified Wilt once had a foursome which started at 11pm and was still ongoing at 5am. When Wilt was on Honolulu, he had 23 women in 10 days.

* In LA, Wilt had a retractable roof over his bed. He liked to sleep gazing at the stars.

* Wilt liked to play backgammon.

Thought I could share

[andykeikei]

Who is Li? ^^

Great read though!

[e4Nf6]

Ohhhhh, we can have some fun with this thread.....


* Wilt Chamberlain hated Mexicans, and he was half Mexican, and he hated irony.

* When the bogeyman goes to sleep at night he checks his closet for Wilt Chamberlain

*Wilt Chamberlain can sneeze with his eyes open

*Wilt Chamberlain once played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won

(Borrowed from Wiltchamberlainfacts.com)

[andykeikei]

And did he really hate Kareem? It seems odd to me that to hate a person because of failing to get good stats; which makes me more confused because of what Kareem had achieved in his career. I mean Kareem had monster numbers in scoring and rebounding.
Is he just jealous of Kareem breaking his total points scored? Since I remember Wilt stated that the reason of Kareem's unusually long career was because he didn't give it all in every game.

[WhateverBro]

Ohhhhh, we can have some fun with this thread.....


* Wilt Chamberlain hated Mexicans, and he was half Mexican, and he hated irony.

* When the bogeyman goes to sleep at night he checks his closet for Wilt Chamberlain

*Wilt Chamberlain can sneeze with his eyes open

*Wilt Chamberlain once played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won

(Borrowed from Wiltchamberlainfacts.com)

[Point forward]

And did he really hate Kareem? It seems odd to me that to hate a person because of failing to get good stats; which makes me more confused because of what Kareem had achieved in his career. I mean Kareem had monster numbers in scoring and rebounding.
Is he just jealous of Kareem breaking his total points scored? Since I remember Wilt stated that the reason of Kareem's unusually long career was because he didn't give it all in every game.

Yes, Wilt and Kareem were enemies most of their lives. Ironic though, when Kareem was a teenager, they had a mentor/pupil relationship. But then, Kareem felt betrayed by Wilt because Wilt supported Nixon and the Republicans. Wilt in return saw Kareem as a rival alpha male, and with his big ego, he used every opportunity to put Kareem down.

Cherry states that Wilt's "Kareem didn't give it all in every game" is utter rubbish, and I agree. In later years, Wilt also envied Kareem's rings, 6 vs 2 is a large gap, and him breaking his scoring record. Kareem also took offense in Wilt's womanizing, and especially in the fact that Wilt said that "black women were less sophisticated" than his preferred white and Asian girls. The two pretty much loathed each other until the end.

BTW, if someone wants to find out more about Wilt, ask in this thread and I will try to answer.

[Point forward]

Some opinions of Robert Cherry about Wilt's GOAT losses:

1962 Game 7 Warriors vs Celtics ECF: Wilt (50/26 for the season!!) leads a one man army with some third-class help (mediocre Meschery, offensive liabiltity Attles, old Arizin, defensive liability Gola, no-J Rodgers) vs the big bad in-their-prime Celtics, and loses unluckily after a controversial goaltending call of Wilt vs Tom Heinsohn's last minute hook shot.

1968 Game 7 Sixers vs Celtics ECF: Wilt only got the ball about 8 times in the low post in the ENTIRE SECOND HALF. Sure, Wilt should have demanded the ball more, but coach Hannum should have been more assertive.

1969 Game 7 Lakers vs Celtics Finals: the Lakers team was a hack job in 1969, big names but nobody but West played well. The Lakers were pathetically weak at the second guard position, only with either defensive liability Johnny Egan or SF Keith Erickson. Also, Elgin and Wilt were both alpha males and caused constant friction. In that Game 7, Cherry places the blame of BVK, because Wilt was clearly willing to play in the last 3 minutes, the BVK preferred Mel Counts (1960s version of Raef LaFrentz) to close out the game.

1970 Game 7 Lakers vs Knicks Finals: Wilt had missed 70 games after knee surgery and had lost a lot of lateral quickness. Also, Reed was a bad matchup: Wilt could only defend down low, and Reed lobbed 15 footers over Wilt all day. In that Game 7, the Lakers had a collective brain fart: they already trailed by 27 (!!) at halftime, impossible to blame it *all* on Wilt.

[Myth_Breaker]

-= original quote snipped =-



Yes, Wilt and Kareem were enemies most of their lives. Ironic though, when Kareem was a teenager, they had a mentor/pupil relationship. But then, Kareem felt betrayed by Wilt because Wilt supported Nixon and the Republicans. Wilt in return saw Kareem as a rival alpha male, and with his big ego, he used every opportunity to put Kareem down.

Cherry states that Wilt's "Kareem didn't give it all in every game" is utter rubbish, and I agree. In later years, Wilt also envied Kareem's rings, 6 vs 2 is a large gap, and him breaking his scoring record. Kareem also took offense in Wilt's womanizing, and especially in the fact that Wilt said that "black women were less sophisticated" than his preferred white and Asian girls. The two pretty much loathed each other until the end.

BTW, if someone wants to find out more about Wilt, ask in this thread and I will try to answer.

Your posts are very interesting - I didn't read this book - but you seem to exaggerate in some points.
- Wilt "deeply loathed" Kareem? For what - KAJ had killed his mother? They might be rivals and dislike each other at the latter stage, but talking about the most antagonistic feelings possible is IMHO unjustified here.
- Just like the talk about "big numbers": Chamberlain might felt Kareem didn't equal his PPG/RPG/impact in defense - what is obviously true - but certainly couldn't think KAJ's numbers weren't big as such; it would be nonsensical.
- This is of course minor point and I may be wrong, but I only remember Wilt supporting Republicans during 1972 elections: and we all know how weak was Nixon's Democrat rival McGovern then.
- But their relations didn't end so bad since Kareem considered Wilt the best center ever anyway. I doubt whether Jabbar would declare as such someone with whom he had relationship based on hate.

[Myth_Breaker]

One more thing, PF: anyone who watched Lakers games in the 80s may confirm that it's true that Kareem didn't give it all every game. However, one might say it was more and more justified by his age and corresponding need for preserving energy for the playoffs.

[Myth_Breaker]

Some opinions of Robert Cherry about Wilt's GOAT losses:

1962 Game 7 Warriors vs Celtics ECF: Wilt (50/26 for the season!!) leads a one man army with some third-class help (mediocre Meschery, offensive liabiltity Attles, old Arizin, defensive liability Gola, no-J Rodgers) vs the big bad in-their-prime Celtics, and loses unluckily after a controversial goaltending call of Wilt vs Tom Heinsohn's last minute hook shot.

1968 Game 7 Sixers vs Celtics ECF: Wilt only got the ball about 8 times in the low post in the ENTIRE SECOND HALF. Sure, Wilt should have demanded the ball more, but coach Hannum should have been more assertive.

1969 Game 7 Lakers vs Celtics Finals: the Lakers team was a hack job in 1969, big names but nobody but West played well. The Lakers were pathetically weak at the second guard position, only with either defensive liability Johnny Egan or SF Keith Erickson. Also, Elgin and Wilt were both alpha males and caused constant friction. In that Game 7, Cherry places the blame of BVK, because Wilt was clearly willing to play in the last 3 minutes, the BVK preferred Mel Counts (1960s version of Raef LaFrentz) to close out the game.

1970 Game 7 Lakers vs Knicks Finals: Wilt had missed 70 games after knee surgery and had lost a lot of lateral quickness. Also, Reed was a bad matchup: Wilt could only defend down low, and Reed lobbed 15 footers over Wilt all day. In that Game 7, the Lakers had a collective brain fart: they already trailed by 27 (!!) at halftime, impossible to blame it *all* on Wilt.

Good summary. One might say it should be obligatory read for haters, but unfortunately their hate is uncurable, like shown in this very thread, where even your first post - not devoted to one-sided praising Wilt at all - was met with moronic parodying.

[Point forward]

Thanks for the honest evaluation MB. I consider myself a big Bill Russell homer, but you simply cannot mention Russ w/o mentioning Wilt.

BTW, the thing in the book about Russ is that he actually liked to dine with Wilt, until after *THAT* Game 7 in 1969. After that, Russ called Wilt a malingerer, and Wilt refused to talk with him for over 20 years. In 1993 Russ finally apologised to Wilt privately, and in 1997 publicly.

As for the whole Wilt / KAJ thingie, I personally think it is an alpha male issue. Too much testosterone involved to think straight. Also, Wilt never came along with people who were silent and aloof, and Kareem never liked people who were loud and extroverted. Now guess what their respective #1 pet peeves were!

[10scott10]

One more thing, PF: anyone who watched Lakers games in the 80s may confirm that it's true that Kareem didn't give it all every game. However, one might say it was more and more justified by his age and corresponding need for preserving energy for the playoffs.

The hell I don't. LISTEN KID. I've been hearing that crap ever since I was at UCLA. I'm out there busting my buns every night. Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes.

[Point forward]

-= original quote snipped =-



Your posts are very interesting - I didn't read this book - but you seem to exaggerate in some points.
- Wilt "deeply loathed" Kareem? For what - KAJ had killed his mother? They might be rivals and dislike each other at the latter stage, but talking about the most antagonistic feelings possible is IMHO unjustified here.
- Just like the talk about "big numbers": Chamberlain might felt Kareem didn't equal his PPG/RPG/impact in defense - what is obviously true - but certainly couldn't think KAJ's numbers weren't big as such; it would be nonsensical.
- This is of course minor point and I may be wrong, but I only remember Wilt supporting Republicans during 1972 elections: and we all know how weak was Nixon's Democrat rival McGovern then.
- But their relations didn't end so bad since Kareem considered Wilt the best center ever anyway. I doubt whether Jabbar would declare as such someone with whom he had relationship based on hate.

I may be exaggerating on some part, sure, but mostly, I am reproducing what Robert Cherry thinks. He is mildly pro-Wilt IMHO, but he comes over as not too homerish. *He* describes the Kareem-Wilt relationship as flat out bad: they never intended to kill each other, but boy, they certainly enjoyed when the other lost. In 1993, Kareem called Wilt "Wilt Chumberlame" and said "people will remember that I worked with my teammates and helped us win. You (Wilt) will be remembered as a whining crybaby and a quitter, stats and all.''". Only when Wilt died, Kareem buried the hatchet and praised Wilt as a one in a lifetime player.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/FRIENDSHI ... ME.(Sports)-a083625216

[Myth_Breaker]

Thanks for the honest evaluation MB. I consider myself a big Bill Russell homer, but you simply cannot mention Russ w/o mentioning Wilt.

And vice versa.

BTW, the thing in the book about Russ is that he actually liked to dine with Wilt, until after *THAT* Game 7 in 1969. After that, Russ called Wilt a malingerer, and Wilt refused to talk with him for over 20 years. In 1993 Russ finally apologised to Wilt privately, and in 1997 publicly.

Great! I missed the info when it exactly happened during discussion with Sharpie (maybe you know him from PC board, he's just as big Russ fan as you ).

As for the whole Wilt / KAJ thingie, I personally think it is an alpha male issue. Too much testosterone involved to think straight. Also, Wilt never came along with people who were silent and aloof, and Kareem never liked people who were loud and extroverted.

I realize difference in their respective tempers, though on the other hand: Russell was introvertic as well and they managed to be on generally good terms with Wilt.

Now guess what their respective #1 pet peeves were!

Got no idea. What they were?

[Myth_Breaker]

-= original quote snipped =-



I may be exaggerating on some part, sure, but mostly, I am reproducing what Robert Cherry thinks. He is mildly pro-Wilt IMHO, but he comes over as not too homerish. *He* describes the Kareem-Wilt relationship as flat out bad: they never intended to kill each other, but boy, they certainly enjoyed when the other lost.

I see, though the last one concerned even Magic and Bird when already were friends.

In 1993, Kareem called Wilt "Wilt Chumberlame" and said "people will remember that I worked with my teammates and helped us win. You (Wilt) will be remembered as a whining crybaby and a quitter, stats and all.''". Only when Wilt died, Kareem buried the hatchet and praised Wilt as a one in a lifetime player.

Better late than never...

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/FRIENDSHI ... ME.(Sports)-a083625216

Keep the info coming!

[Myth_Breaker]

-= original quote snipped =-



The hell I don't. LISTEN KID. I've been hearing that crap ever since I was at UCLA. I'm out there busting my buns every night. Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes.

[Griever24]

* As a child, Wilt was shy and ugly. In high school, he could not get a date to save his life, and his sister Barbara speculates he left high school as a virgin.

Lmao boy did that change .. didnt it end up 20,000 women or something like that ?

[Point forward]

Concerning other players, one pet peeve of Wilt was Bob Cousy. Cousy constantly heckled Wilt for being a loser and an egotist. It is implied, but not proven, that Cooz did it because Red Auerbach told him to. Other Celtics like Tom Heinsohn or Sam Jones were flat out afraid of Wilt. When Wilt and Celtics backup center Clyde Lovellette once got into a fistfight, Jones wanted to help Lovellette. But then Wilt pushed Clyde away and glared at Jones. Little Sam Jones jumped back and picked up a chair, trying to ward off Wilt, and then dropped the chair and ran away.

In Wilt's famous 100 point game, Chamberlain actually could have gone for 101 or more, but decided to stay in the middle circle the last 46 seconds. He thought 100 was the perfect number, he did not want to spoil his own score by scoring a few points more.

Wilt COMMUTED to Philadelphia day after day, when he was a Warrior or a Sixer. He lived in New York. Just imagine going on your regular Amtrak from NY to Phila, 2nd class, and meet a 7 foot 1 giant trying to stuff his legs behind the seat. Lucky he did not get gangrene!

Wilt also was a bona fide Jewo-phile (sp?). His mom was a housekeeper and regularly worked in upper class Jewish households. That is why Wilt liked to eat kosher food, had a lot of Jewish friends -- among them his lifelong lawyer Sy Goldberg -- and liked to attend Channukah.

When Bill Sharman was Lakers coach, he made Wilt sole captain after Elgin Baylor retired. Actually he wanted West and Wilt to share the job, but West declined, saying he wanted solely to concentrate on basketball. It worked very well, as everybody knows. BVK said that Wilt was a great captain, "because he wanted to prove to the world that he was at least a good captain as Elgin Baylor."

[Point forward]

* As a child, Wilt was shy and ugly. In high school, he could not get a date to save his life, and his sister Barbara speculates he left high school as a virgin.

Lmao boy did that change .. didnt it end up 20,000 women or something like that ?

Barbara Lewis-Chamberlain and many others said that young Wilt had a very strangely proportioned body: a tiny head on a huge upper body, legs as thin as twigs, and that body language: teenage Wilt was often ashamed for his height. Only when he was at uni, his body started to "fit". In addition, the more the chicks liked him, the more confident he got. What happened next, is history.

[hermes]

thats a great read
nice find