Wilt Chamberlain was an American professional basketball player who played as a center, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport’s history. He played for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Who Is Wilt Chamberlain?
Wilton Norman Chamberlain (August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a family of nine children, the son of Olivia Ruth Johnson, a domestic worker and homemaker, and William Chamberlain, a welder, custodian, and handyman. He was a frail child, nearly dying of pneumonia in his early years and missing a whole year of school as a result. In his early years, Chamberlain was not interested in basketball because he thought it was “a game for sissies. 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. According to Chamberlain, “basketball was king in Philadelphia”, so he eventually turned to the sport
Chamberlain holds a slew of NBA regular-season scoring, rebounding, and durability records. He is the first player in NBA history to score 100 points in a single game or to average between 40 and 50 points each season. He led the league in assists once and won seven scoring, eleven rebounding, nine durability, and nine field goal percentage titles. Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game seven times in a single season. He’s also the first player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds a game over his entire career. Chamberlain had a remarkable career, winning two NBA titles, garnering four regular-season NBA MVP awards, the NBA Rookie of the Year award, one NBA Finals MVP award, and being named to 13 NBA All-Star Games and ten All-NBA First and Second teams.
Wilt Chamberlain was an American basketball player who had a net worth equal to $10 million at the time of his death.
Wilt Chamberlain’s Wife and Children
Though he maintained in his autobiography that he’d had 20,000 lovers, Wilt Chamberlain also said that he had not fathered any children.
Wilt Chamberlain’s Movies
Guest Performer
Wilt Chamberlain’s Death
Chamberlain died of heart failure at his Los Angeles residence on October 12, 1999. “No one applauded for Goliath,” he once declared, but the response to his death proved him wrong. “Wilt was one of the all-time greats, and we’ll never see another like him,” basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar remarked. “He and I shall be friends for eternity,” his erstwhile opponent Bill Russell told the press.
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