Note: Oct. 12, 2024 marked 25 years since Wilt Chamberlain passed away at age 63. In homage to Wilt, the following is a portion of a larger tribute piece put together so far over seven months in his memory where friends, opponents, teammates, and media members share their memories. Thank you to those so far that have generously lent their time over the past seven months to discuss Wilt. This is part of an ongoing project.
Wilt Chamberlain in 1968. Photo credit: The Desert Sun, p.13.
Written by Jake Carapella (Spring-Fall, 2024)
The Players
Ray Scott - Opponent (1961-1970)
Scott, two years Chamberlain’s junior, was the fourth overall pick in the 1961 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. Over nine seasons - six in Detroit, three as a Baltimore Bullet - the 6 foot, 9 inch Scott averaged 14.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. He also, in 1974, became the first African-American Coach of the Year, leading the Pistons to a 52-30 record. The author of The NBA in Black and White: The Memoir of a Trailblazing Player and Coach (2022), Scott is working on another project that will highlight the league’s greatest big men, from Mikan to Wilt to Shaq to Jokic, and every other center in between.
While he lauds Jokic’s vision, touch, and feel for the game - “he looks like a guy that was just put together to play NBA basketball” - and says that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon are the two best post players he has seen - “they were like dancers” - Scott is succinct in his answer on who the best to ever do it is. It is the same man that Scott had known since the age of 14 when the two competed in athletics.
“The greatest basketball player who ever played was Wilt Chamberlain,” says Scott, 86.
Chamberlain, who was one year ahead of Scott in school, was like “a man playing against boys” as a high schooler according to Scott, the two practicing every night when both were in their adolescent years. Scott transferred from the Catholic League to the Public League and attended West Philadelphia High School while Chamberlain was at Overbrook. The Dipper dominated, averaging 37 points per game for his career along with his city and public league championships. The skilled Chamberlain could shoot, run and jump.
When Scott, who played at New York City Tech and the University of Portland prior to his three-year stint in the Eastern League with the Allentown Jets, got to the NBA, he says no one in the city of Detroit knew him. Chamberlain, he says, was part of a legendary quartet that changed that as the years went by.
“Wilt, (Bill) Russell, (Elgin) Baylor and Oscar (Robertson), they were such great athletes, great players, that they brought interest to the NBA,” says Scott. The former NBA veteran also credits the likes of white players Mikan, Joe Fulks, Bob Cousy, Carl Braun, and Tom Heinsohn for having an impact on African-American kids growing up.
The NBA had nine teams when Scott arrived in ‘61. The Western Division was comprised of the Lakers, St. Louis Hawks, Cincinnati Royals, Chicago Packers (known as the Zephyrs in ‘62-‘63 before moving to Baltimore in 1963; the Chicago Bulls began play from scratch in 1966), and Scott’s team, the Pistons. The East had Chamberlain’s Philadelphia Warriors, the Celtics, Syracuse Nationals, and Knicks.
“Wilt had taken command of the NBA at that point,” says Scott, referencing Chamberlain’s 50.4 point per game average in Scott’s ‘61-‘62 rookie year, as well as his 100-point performance against the Knicks. Back then, the 25-year-old Chamberlain did not have the overall broader build like the one he would display in his later years. “He took it as a mission to become stronger,” recalls Scott.
The teams that Scott was a part of double-and-triple-teamed Chamberlain in an attempt to limit his scoring, but he beat them in other ways, says Scott, like passing and rebounding. Chamberlain registered 58 points and 33 rebounds on Nov. 4, 1961, the first career match-up between the two. Scott, who put up 12 points and 9 rebounds in the game, was coach of the Pistons from 1972-1976. His center in those years was the aforementioned Bob Lanier, a career 20-point, 10-rebound guy at 6 foot, 11 inches tall and 250 pounds who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1992.
“He would kick our ass,” remembers Scott of a 36-year-old Chamberlain in ‘72-‘73. Indeed, Wilt did. That season, he tallied 22 points and 19 rebounds, 21 points and 21 rebounds, 18 points, 19 rebounds, 7 assists, and 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists in four games against the Pistons. “There is always the marker of who the guys played against. All of the guys that Wilt played against are in the Hall of Fame”, says Scott, noting Russell, Walt Bellamy, Thurmond, and Wayne Embry.
In his upcoming book, Scott lays out his criteria for what makes the best big man ever. The standards were built around Wilt.
“Rebounding, scoring, playing defense, passing, making post moves, the power of the post, stamina, vision, speed, and toughness,” details Scott. “When I went through my criteria, in the majority of those areas, the number one person in those areas was Wilt.”
While identifying Abdul-Jabbar as a popular pick for the greatest center to ever play, Scott focuses on the rebounding factor to argue for Chamberlain. Abdul-Jabbar, to his credit, compiled 17,440 rebounds in 20 seasons, an 11.2 per game average. Post ‘81-‘82, his age 34 season, he did not register double-digit rebounds. Chamberlain, on the other hand in 14 seasons amassed 23,924. He never averaged below 18.2 for a season.
Wilt Chamberlain comes down with a rebound against Nate Thurmond of the San Francisco Warriors in a 1966 game. Photo credit: New York World Telegram and The Sun.
"The best big man that ever played the game had to get my team more possessions than anybody else," says Scott.
The other qualities, too, point to Wilt.
“The power guys were Wilt and Shaq,” continues Scott. “Stamina? He (Wilt) played 48 minutes a game for a whole season. Stamina? Wilt Chamberlain. Vision? Wilt had incredible vision. Wilt had incredible speed, he beat guards up and down the floor.”
In his 1997 autobiography Who’s Running the Asylum: Inside the Insane World of Sports Today, Chamberlain expresses his displeasure with one dimensional big men. Present day’s 2024 big guys are multi-dimensional because franchises today value versatility from the five man as the current style of play requires. In his day, Chamberlain was your complete center with the ability to do as he would say “a great many things.” Sure, there have been other athletes who have come along that possess parts of the qualities that Chamberlain had, though maybe not to his degree. David Robinson, drafted in ‘87, was granite-sculpted when he got to the NBA in '89. O’Neal in ‘92 was physically imposing in his own right. Then there was Jordan, who in sync with the vision of Commissioner David Stern and the media boom of the 1980s and 1990s helped make the game a global game and the NBA a global league. Jordan’s complete repertoire, undefeated Finals record and his athletic prowess all contribute to why a large population views him as the NBA’s all-time premier performer. Scott understands that, but favors Chamberlain.
“Jordan regaled the court with his presence,” Scott says. “But he’s no Wilt.”
Getting to know an athlete on a personal level, as opposed to just seeing them play or being their opposition, provides a different perspective and personal experience with said athlete. Scott got to see the human side of Wilt, a familiarity spawned by a high school friendship that culminated in a gift from Chamberlain’s sisters that Scott now forever cherishes.
“I have a big statue sitting in my house that he gave me for his humanitarian award for when he put his money into Operation Smile (the organization that helps children receive surgery for cleft palates which Chamberlain's estate left $1 million to)”, reveals Scott. “They select someone every year, and one of his sisters called me and said ‘Our brother wanted us to give you this award’. It’s a beautiful trophy.”
Gail Goodrich - Teammate (1970-1973)
Goodrich, a five-time All-Star and 1996 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee, grew up playing and watching basketball from his youngest days (his father also played the game). He remembers watching his future teammate in the ‘57 National Championship. After two consecutive college championships in 1964 and 1965 with John Wooden’s UCLA, Goodrich was a territorial pick by the Lakers in '65 (10th overall) in the first round. The squad with a prime West (27 years old, 31.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists) and a 31-year-old Baylor made the Finals in ‘66. One of the early games on the schedule was Nov. 9, 1965, when the Lakers encountered a 29-year-old Chamberlain.
“When I first saw him up close, he made everything easy,” recalls Goodrich, 81.
The game was a 118-110 victory for the 76ers, Wilt doing Wilt things - 39 points, 24 rebounds, 8 assists on 13-for-25 shooting in 48 minutes.
“I’m surprised he missed that much,” says Goodrich of Chamberlain’s percentage in that contest. Right away, Goodrich noticed the skills.
“First of all, he was bigger but he was also quicker,” he says of Chamberlain in comparison to other NBA athletes at the time. “He could really shoot that fall-away jump shot, so, you know, nothing surprised me.”
Like Scott does, Goodrich gives credit to Chamberlain and Russell for helping to promote the league. Both being dominant players, Goodrich knew when going up against both that “they’re getting every defensive rebound.” Differences existed between the two of course, Russell the quicker leaper, whereas Chamberlain would gather but "get up just as high" in Goodrich's words. And if they didn’t block your shot, they would make you alter your shot. In essence, the same effect applied.
“If you force someone to alter their shot, chances are they’re going to miss it,” Goodrich says.
The 6 foot, 1 inch guard was taken by the Suns in 1968’s expansion draft, but after two seasons was traded to the Lakers for Mel Counts, the offensively-inclined center that Van Breda Kolff subbed for Chamberlain in ‘69’s Game 7.
From the jump, says Goodrich, Chamberlain had a particular presence about him, presidential like Clinton or Obama. Akin to Ali.
“He walked in the room, and there’s some people that command attention, you know,” he says. “And that was Wilt.”
Though West and Baylor had been there and Wilt was the newbie, all three were Laker leaders, albeit with different styles - Baylor quiet, West a fiery competitor, and Wilt expressive.
“Wilt was a leader in the locker room, Wilt was a leader on the court,” continues Goodrich. “If something wasn’t going right, he’d tell you, and you’d respect him for that. He always had an opinion and as long as you listened to him...you didn’t have to necessarily agree, but he just wanted a voice.”
One of the key relationships on those Laker teams particularly in ‘72 was the one of star Chamberlain and the head coach Sharman - "a great coach," says Goodrich. The guard remembers a respect between the pair, when Chamberlain would offer up suggestions to Sharman in meetings. Goodrich jokingly quips that Sharman was a con man. “Wilt I think that’s good, but I think let’s try it this way, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll adjust," Goodrich remembers the exchanges going.
The acceptance of Sharman from Chamberlain, says Goodrich, stemmed from their days of competition. Sharman was a champion Celtic in Wilt’s first two seasons in the league.
One of the crucial points was getting Wilt to show for shootarounds. It became a non-issue, Goodrich says.
“He never missed a shootaround,” remembers the Hall of Fame guard. “We had a great team obviously that year, and we started, you know we started real early and we won 33 straight. So we got that confidence and everything was moving in a good direction. But Wilt really, I think, enjoyed those shootarounds and it was really new for him.”
Goodrich remembers Chamberlain playing the rookies in shooting games after practice for money. In a video that can be found on social media, Chamberlain is betting John Q. Trapp - a fourth-year veteran on the ‘72 team (his only season in LA) - five dollars on hook shots. Chamberlain is hitting nothing but net from the baseline. He even found a way to win when he would compete with teammates at free-throws.
“He would shoot free throws, which he was a terrible free throw shooter, or go outside and shoot,” Goodrich recalls. “But Wilt always won. He always won the money.”
The season before the record-setting 69 wins, the ‘70-‘71 Lakers were victorious 48 times, and defeated the Bulls in seven games in Round 1. Baylor only played two games (Oct. 16 and Nov. 27), and West injured his leg March 2 against the Buffalo Braves and was out for the rest of the season.
So against the Bulls, the onus was on Goodrich, Chamberlain, and the others. McMillian (18.1 points), Erickson (16.3 points), and Hairston (15.9 points, 9.0 rebounds) also delivered. Goodrich’s 30.1 points and 7.4 assists lead both clubs. Chamberlain, who averaged 20.7 points, 18.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in the regular season, upped his rebounds to 21.1 in the opening round and his assists to 6.1. He chipped in 15.7 points. In the 11-point Game 7 win, Goodrich scored 29. Chamberlain pulled down 19 rebounds.
“Wilt when needed could really step up,” says Goodrich. He continues: “Sharman convinced him that his value to the overall team would be rebounding and defense. You get the rebound, kick it out, and we’d play much like Boston and run and run. And sometimes Wilt wouldn’t even have to come over half court."
The ‘71 team didn’t have enough to defeat Kareem and Oscar and the Bucks in the Western Finals. Without West, it was too much to overcome for the squad that was the prelude to the ‘72 title winners. “We were good but not great,” remembers Goodrich.
Teams had hectic schedules back then, and playing on the west coast did not make road trips easier. As Goodrich recalls, the Lakers would typically have Friday and Sunday home games, but in between on Saturday go up to Seattle or Portland or sometimes a little north to San Francisco. On Monday, they would head east and play back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday would be a travel day back to Los Angeles.
A testament to their professionalism, the ‘72 Lakers were 6-1 on the third night of back-to-back-to-backs. They only lost six road games all season, and began the season by winning four straight road games. Goodrich averaged 25.9 points per game. West 25.8. Chamberlain finished third in MVP voting, behind teammate West and Abdul-Jabbar.
Goodrich says that losing to Russell created a burden for Chamberlain, and that ‘72 helped him in getting the proverbial monkey off his back. A crucial and clutch Wilt performance in that year’s Finals was Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, the Lakers leading the series 2-1. The Knicks, playing without Reed (Willis only played 11 games that season because of tendinitis) had Jerry Lucas and Dave DeBusschere - two Hall of Famers - countering Chamberlain. Game 4 went into overtime, and once again Wilt doing Wilt things played all 53 minutes and grabbed 24 rebounds. Never fouling out of a game in his career, he came close on this night, getting his fifth foul down the stretch. Goodrich recalls Wilt’s effort.
“A couple times in that game, Lucas drives to the basket or someone else drives to the basket, and Wilt goes after them and blocks the shot,” Goodrich remembers while stressing the point that the big man was one foul away from the team being in trouble without him. “He stepped up at a crucial time in the playoffs in Game 4.” In winning Finals MVP at age 35, Chamberlain as of this writing is tied with James (2020) as the second-oldest player to win the award. Both rank behind Abdul-Jabbar’s aged 37 efforts in the 1985 Finals.
That type of work ethic and attitude displayed by Chamberlain in his Laker tenure, states Goodrich, was not only vital to the Lakers’ success, but it proved how important winning was to him.
“I think Wilt sacrificed more than anybody the individual accolades to win, and to do the things that are necessary for the team to win,” says Goodrich. “He’d score 16-17 points just by being around, and that’s really the sign of a great player. Here’s a guy that scored 50 points, he’d led the league in rebounds. I think Wilt, you know, sacrificed those individual accolades for the good of the team. And that’s pretty special.”
Chamberlain only averaged 13.2 points per game in his final season, but shot just 7.1 times per game. His field-goal percentage record from that season (.727) stood for nearly 50 years, only surpassed in 2019-2020 by the Knicks' Mitchell Robinson (.741). He averaged 4.5 assists and again led the league in rebounding (18.6). Goodrich does not remember a downturn in Chamberlain’s performance in ‘72-‘73. In fact, Chamberlain finished fourth in MVP voting, behind Kansas City-Omaha star guard Archibald, Abdul-Jabbar, and the winner, Cowens. Even with issues of health, the team made a return trip to the Finals. In Game 6 of the Western Semifinals against the Bulls, Chamberlain can be seen catching the ball at the free-throw line and darting toward the hoop, elevating and finishing with a finger roll while being fouled by Bull center Dennis Awtrey. To end the half, Chamberlain meets Jerry Sloan’s layup attempt, swatting the ball onto the backboard. He does the same thing in the second half to a Norm Van Lier attempt.
“Everybody’s tired and banged up a little bit,” Goodrich recalls of that season - the Lakers, especially having gone to the Finals three-out-of-four seasons to begin the 1970s, were playing nearly 100 games a season (97 in ‘71-‘72). Playing through injuries was common - “Just get the tape” Goodrich says was a player mantra. West, 34, was continuing to deal with the hamstring. He gutted through 69 games, managing 30-plus points six times in the ‘73 postseason. Chamberlain was playing in the Finals with both hands wrapped “like a boxer”, in the words of play-by-play announcer Keith Jackson.
“He was pretty much playing the same way he did the year before, to my recollection,” Goodrich says of Chamberlain in ‘72 vs. ‘73. Wilt’s Wilt. He was very productive.”
After the 1975-1976 season, Goodrich was a free agent. He signed with the New Orleans Jazz, becoming one half of another Hall of Fame backcourt, this time with Maravich. He retired in 1979.
In all his time in the game, Goodrich says of Chamberlain, “The fastest player from end line to end line”. Even today, he says, Chamberlain would be the most athletic.
Off the floor, Chamberlain endeared himself to his lefty teammate.
“You always knew where you stood with Wilt. He was very outgoing, and very personable,” Goodrich reflects. “I liked Wilt, I got along with him. You know some people will say, you know, he was difficult. I didn’t find him that way. I liked him a lot. We had a very good relationship.”
*Box scores courtesy of Basketball Reference.
This was a great read, very insightful.