Warriors starNate Thurmond, another elite center in the league, was in attendance to watch the matchup. We wouldve loved to have seen a video of Wilt Chamberlain absolutely crushing bench press. that must be the most frightening sight in sports. As a 25-year-old physical phenomenon intent . Chamberlain was sidelined by a knee injury, played in only 12 games during the 1969-70 season, and wasn't available for any rematches with the Bucks. When the Los Angeles Lakers host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night (10 p.m. Since Bryant, Devin Booker is the only player to reach 70 in a game, still 30 points shy of Chamberlain's record. They were not on speaking terms for nearly two decades, but were eventually able to patch things up. But Game 2 was worse for the Lakers, who scored the fewest points in an NBA playoff game in 16 years, andthe Bucks prevailed, 91-73. So, if Wilt Chamberlain did in fact have a 48 inch vertical jump that would mean that he would be able to reach a height of 136 off the ground. To match Olajuwon, a player would need to play every game for 15 seasons and average 3.1 blocks a game. Then when I would make my move, he would time his leap perfectly and block the shot," Alcindor said. Advertisement. He is nearly 4,000 ahead of No. Realistically, we still believe that Wilt Chamberlain could bench press up to 500 pounds in his prime. Fans back home listened to Eddie Doucette on WTMJ radio describe the action. At 71 that is amazing, but not quite the 48 inches that he has been claimed to reach. When I went to Kansas, they had a 12-foot basket in the gym, because Dr. Phog Allen was advocating the 12-foot basket. The Lakers sued to prevent Chamberlain from playing because he hadn't fulfilled his Lakers contract, and he wound up merely coaching for the season, then retiring from basketball. Wilt Chamberlain's 55 rebounds. The January battle, of course billed as a chance for fans to glimpse Wilt and Lew, never materialized. Wilt Chamberlain was such a fantastic jumper that he was able to dunk his free throws. Skiles, who averaged 8.4 assists per game that season and later had a 20-assist game, scored 22 points that night (and the Orlando Magic scored a team-record 155 points in a win over Denver). . An outspoken, tell-all memoir that stands way above any basketball bestseller around. Before hitting the hardwood, Chamberlains sport of choice was actually track and field. Thats why Chamberlains points per game average for the 1961-62 season are so stupefying. LH: NBC tried something new in 1992. At the time there was no rule that prevented a player from dunking their free throws. These included widening the painted area on the court, implementing offensive interference rules, and changes to free throw shooting and inbounding procedures. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. Rumors claim that Wilt Chamberlain could bench press up to 600 pounds (and has bedded 20,000 women), however given his height, weight and reach this seems highly unlikely. I have enjoyed analyzing this mans athleticism and found myself in awe of his speed and explosiveness. The Lakers held a team meeting and protested the arrangement, noting that the collective bargaining agreement did not call for teams to play more than 82 games. Monday, December 3, 1956. He averaged 50.4 points per game, the highest ever -- and no one is close. There are a good amount of stories alleging that Wilt Chamberlain was able to touch the top of the backboard. Chamberlains 1961-62 season is best remembered for one legendary game in particular. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. (0:30). His standing reach was also measured while playing at KU and it came out to 96. Chamberlain finished Game 5 with 23 points and 12 rebounds; Alcindor had 20 and 15. There was also a great deal of bulk on his tall frame. 872,195 11. Chamberlain suffered a knee injury that limited him to only one matchup with the Bucks in 1969-70, so fans were eager to see a rematch between big men in theNov. 20 game early in the 1970-71 season. As a teenager, Chamberlain spent his summer vacations working as a bellhop at the Kushters Hotel, a popular resort in New Yorks Catskill Mountains. Preferring the brighter lights of the Big Apple, Chamberlain had to make a two-hour commute from his home in Manhattan to games and practices in Philly. Center Of Attention. NOTE: This story was updated on Jan. 18, 2022, to make it free for all readers. He. Wilt Chamberlain's entire 1961-62 season is essentially written in statistical concrete, never to be duplicated. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? He'd have to keep that up until he was 42 years old to pass Stockton. Wilt Chamberlain has a personal record of a 22 foot long jump. Who was the NBA's biggest of the big men in 1970-71? Wilt's most impressive performances in his rookie season included a 41-40 . he has Blue color Eye and Select Hair Color color Hair. That I can assure you would be a significant site. 1 in 1969. Watching the Olympics with Wilt Chamberlain Lynda Huey August 19, 2016 Athletics, Physical Therapy By Lynda Huey and Alan Silber A conversation between Lynda Huey and Alan Silber on the occasion of what would have been Wilt's 80th birthday, August 21, 2016. Chamberlains biggest on-court rival was Boston Celtics center Bill Russell. If I account for the available footage and combine it with the impressive displays of jumping ability that we know Wilt was capable of, I can confidently say that Wilt Chamberlain had between a 38 41 inch vertical jump. I find it hard to believe that an athlete capable of reaching that height would describe dunking on a 12 foot rim as requiring effort. Philadelphia won the game, 169-147. These are great numbers for any ordinary center, but a player of Shaq's physical dominance could have done more. An effective, yet embarrassing method, Chamberlain usually preferred to miss overhanded than risk ridicule with the granny shot. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Scot Mendelson | Bench Press, Pec Tear, Height and More. Chamberlain was 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) when he entered Philadelphia's Overbrook High School. Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain (August 21, 1936-October 12, 1999) was a British basketball player. All rights reserved. I was skeptical when I first came across this one but I can assure you that this is in fact true. During the visit, Chamberlain and the Globetrotters met with then-Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Wilt Chamberlain could also run a 40 yard dash in 4.6 seconds and had a 45+ inch vertical. In 2006, the NBA put in new rules that called for suspensions once a player reaches 16 for a season, and it has probably iced Wallace's record for good. The smallest report records it at 7'8, while the largest account has it at 8'4 inches. Chamberlain then asked his coach, Butch van Breda Kolff, to get back in the game with only a few minutes left. No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. He has a personal record of 6 foot 6 inches in the high jump. The Lakers won three of those games by a combined eight points, but it wasn't necessarily a fluke. This happened Nov. 24, 1960, in a game Chamberlain later said was one of the most exhausting of his career. Warriors-Lakers, 3:30 p.m. (ABC) That's all.". Chamberlain had to keep it a secret that he was playing for money, as the revelation would nullify his eligibility for the Amateur Athletic Union and the NCAA. "It was wonderful," Chamberlain said of the standing ovation from the fans at the Milwaukee Arena. During the 1967 playoffs, Chamberlain finally vanquished his old foe Bill Russell, as his Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals. Wilt Chamberlain Bench Press: How much could he bench press? So the cards are somewhat stacked against us here but I have done a good amount of research and feel like I can definitely determine how high Wilt Chamberlain could jump. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. Despite being a rookie, Chamberlain became the leagues highest-paid player after signing a contract that paid him $30,000 per year (about $258,000 in todays dollars). On the claim that he was able to touch the backboard, Wilt has said: I defy anyone to say they took change off the top of the backboard, Chamberlain said. In the 75-year history of the NBA, there have only been five 20-game winning streaks within one season, an indication of just how rare such a run is. In 1984, Wilt was cast in the major motion . I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life. He wore number 13. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. But it was always special when Kareem and Wilt shared a court. James passed Jordan, who had the previous record of 866 consecutive games, in 2018. On the anniversary of his 100-point game, Wilt Chamberlain reflects on his historic night against the New York Knicks. Chamberlain made his NBA debut on October 24, 1959, for his hometown Philadelphia Warriors. Known as "Wilt the Stilt" and "The Big Dipper," basketball great Wilton Norman Chamberlain was opinionated and iconoclastic, a seeker of good times and intellectual stimulation whose outsized personality matched his towering 7-foot stature and legendary athletic accomplishments. Chamberlain had a 78-point game earlier that season (in a triple-overtime loss to the Lakers when Elgin Baylor put in 63 points) and two 70-point games the following year. Chamberlain was the first of professional basketball's dominating seven-footers. On April 16 Alcindor's 24th birthday he finished with 31 points and 20 rebounds and held Chamberlain to 15 and 16 in a 117-94 win. Chamberlain was tired of the constant aggressive double and triple-teaming deployed by opposition defenses, which he feared might entice him to lose his cool one day. During his playing time, Chamberlain owned and operated the Smalls Paradise nightclub in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Even in retirement, Chamberlain still played basketball recreationally and would field offers to return to the game. The sickness made the future basketball star quite frail and even caused him to miss an entire school year. Adding to the mythical status of Wilts game was how few people actually got to see it. Another mark sure to stand forever is his 48.5 minutes per game average.