Happy Birthday, Wilt: A Little Ode to The Big Dipper
- Jake C
- 13 hours ago
- 7 min read
By: Jake Carapella
Imagine being so dominant at your craft that they change rules to make things tougher for you. They widened the lane, made goaltending a violation, and banned dunking from the free-throw line because of this guy.
Imagine being so dominant at your craft that fifty-two years after your final game you still hold seventy-two NBA records, sixty-nine of which you hold by your lonesome. This guy holds those records.
Imagine being so dominant at your craft that the historically-bankrupt fan thinks that your achievements are made up, that you are some kind of folklore or myth that never happened. This guy is no myth.
In his 63 years of life, Wilton Norman Chamberlain proved to be, just like the rest of us, a mortal. But unlike mere mortals, he did some immortal stuff.
He lifted more weight than Arnold Schwarzenegger and other top bodybuilders of Arnold’s time. At 7 feet, 1 inches and a listed 275 pounds (with added muscle, his weight got up as high as 310 in his time with the Los Angeles Lakers), he was one of the fastest players in the NBA and unquestionably its strongest. In any time and space, a man of his ilk is the rarest of rare.
Ask his Los Angeles Lakers’ teammate Gail Goodrich about him, as I did in 2024, and Goodrich will tell you that Chamberlain was “the fastest player end line to end line” in the league. So strong and intimidating was he that the Boston Celtics’ Sam Jones, in an effort to defend himself against an angered Chamberlain during a game, picked up a stool. So strong was he that on a blocked shot he dislocated the shoulder of the Baltimore Bullets’ 6 feet, 7 inch, 235-pound Gus Johnson, sending the sturdy forward to the floor. During a playoff game against the Lakers, Milwaukee Buck Oscar Robertson, all 6 feet 5 and 200 pounds of him, can be seen drifting five or so feet upon contact with Chamberlain, who was running down the court and just happened to bump into the Hall of Fame guard. Ask Ray Scott, who like Chamberlain grew up in Philly and played ball against him, and Scott will say, “The greatest basketball player who ever played was Wilt Chamberlain.”
One hundred points in a game, 55 rebounds in a game (against Bill Russell), 50.4 points per game average for a season. Leading the NBA in assists as a center. The accolades, which we all know, are endless.
What Wilt Chamberlain accomplished on the basketball floor has never been matched. The cap on what he could do seemed limitless. It was not until just recently with the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic that Chamberlain had company with some of his records. Jokic is the first player in history to record a game of 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists. His 22 assists in a single game are a record for a center, surpassing Chamberlain’s 21 (February 2, 1968 vs. Detroit).
After fifty-two years though, it is about time that a record or two of Chamberlain’s was approached or surpassed.
Today, on August 21, 2025, Wilt Chamberlain if still living would have turned 89 years old. But the big guys typically and sadly do not live long. Darryl Dawkins was 58 when he passed in 2015, and Moses Malone was 60 when he transitioned that same year.
On October 12, 1999, Chamberlain was found dead in his Bel-Air mansion, in his custom-built paradise that he dubbed Ursa Major. He had heart problems, and was admitted to the hospital prior to training camp in 1964 while he was a member of the San Francisco Warriors. In the days leading up to his death, his mouth was causing him severe pain. He had undergone dental surgery, needed because former center Clyde Lovellette, as many big men of Chamberlain’s time did who couldn’t match his strength, hit Chamberlain with a cheap shot in a game in 1960. It was a hit so hard to the mouth that some of Chamberlain’s teeth shifted from the bottom of his mouth to the top.
What has not been said about Wilt Chamberlain? One runs out of superlatives, descriptions, and terms of flattery. Simply, the man was a force unlike any that we have seen in athletics. See, even using a word like "force" is cliche. Chamberlain was so extraordinary that you truly run out of descriptors.
On the floor and off, Wilt was atypical, transcendent. He was extroverted but introspective. Intelligent. He was a layered man, one with emotions and one of many interests. On the outside, you saw a large and imposing figure. On the inside, he was a generous and giving soul.
In honor of his birthday, I would like to share some memories about the man, as told to me over the last year from those who competed against him and knew him. All is part of a larger project on the superstar.
Dave Cowens, Hall of Fame center and former Boston Celtic who was an opponent of Chamberlain's from 1970-1973:
As an athlete, and what Wilt could do, watching him, he was just a spectacular athlete and player. Just as dominant as anybody has ever been at any sport. I was an admirer of him. I look at things from an astronomical perspective. Some guys are planets, and some guys are comets - asteroids that are in and they’re gone. And others are just, they’re there. That’s the way I look at it, and Wilt was obviously one of those guys that’s a planet.
Walt Frazier, Hall of Fame guard and former New York Knick who was an opponent of Chamberlain's for three NBA Finals’ series (1970, 1972, and 1973) and overall from 1967-1973:
They always talk about the greatest player. I go 'What’s the criteria man?'. If it’s winning, it’s Bill Russell. Versatility is Oscar Robertson. If it’s domination, it’s Wilt Chamberlain. I mean, come on. Nobody can even come close to this guy’s records, man. Nobody, you know. The guy that dominated the game in every respect. You know, just total domination. He’s the only Superman to ever play the game. A guy that could go out any night and do what he wanted to do whenever he wanted to.
Jim Cleamons, former guard and Chamberlain’s teammate on 1971-72 Lakers:
Wilt had a persona. He lived that throughout because he was Wilt Chamberlain, and that is my opinion. He was kind. Yes, he had an ego. But he had a right to have an ego. Because he was who he was. He had this braggadocious thing that he would outrun me. But that was who he was. And to me, he earned that right. If you got to know him, he was a little braggadocious, and he probably exaggerated a lot of what he told you, but that was who he was. To me, he loved the game. He loved who he was and what it was that he represented. Yes, he had this huge ego. But he was also very real. And he understood who he was and what he was and what he wanted to accomplish with his life.
Doug Krikorian, former sports reporter for Long Beach Press and Los Angeles Herald-Examiner:
Wilt was something else. I have fond memories of him. We were judges at a (Oakland) Raider contest. We were at Memorial Coliseum that day, the first year that the Raiders had cheerleaders (1982). So we were judges in a cheerleader contest. I can’t remember if he got any phone numbers (laughs).
Nick Curran, former NBA PR Director from 1967-1976:
Just your typical, normal, wonderful person. Wilt was very generous. He just told me that without any fanfare, he often just contributed money. A lot of people figured he was very rich, and asked him for donations, charitable donations, and he did say to me that he was very partial to athletics. He said “I just contributed to some high school girls' programs so that they had enough money to have their season.” He also did that for some girls' volleyball leagues along the way. He sent Christmas cards. I sent him one on March 2nd every year, on the anniversary of the 100-point game.
The phrase “Larger than Life” is often used to describe someone with presence, with personality, with power. Grand in stature and grand in personality and/or impact. Of course, it is nothing more than a figure of speech. We all have our time on this earth. Wilt Chamberlain’s time was too short.
But Wilt Chamberlain endures. An impact so great, so profound and wide-reaching that those who knew him throughout his life - competitors, teammates, and friends and otherwise - carry fond memories and the utmost respect for not just the player, but the man.
There is no greater honor or impact than having the respect of your peers and leaving an impression that never fades.
Wilt Chamberlain would have been 89 today. Wilt Chamberlain will never fade.
Dippy By the Numbers
Wilt as a Philadelphia and San Francisco Warrior
41.5 points, 25.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 47.2 minutes, 51% FG, 56% free-throws, 429 games, 1-time MVP, Rookie of the Year, 6-time All-Star
Wilt as a Philadelphia 76er
27.6 points, 23.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 46.3 minutes, 58% FG, 46% free-throws, 277 games, 3-time MVP, 1 championship, 3-time All-Star
Wilt as a Los Angeles Laker
17.7 points, 19.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 43.7 minutes, 61% FG, 48% free-throws, 339 games, 1 championship, 4-time All-Star
50 Greatest NBA Players - Cleveland, 1997
75 Greatest NBA Players - Cleveland, 2022
No. 2 Greatest Player in NBA History - SLAM Magazine, 2011