I do feel confident that there is enough information out there to determine how high Wilt Chamberlain could really jump and have included the most compelling arguments below. To see him poised up there, knowing he was about to sweep down with that big jam . Simply put, Wilt Chamberlain was a fascinating man worthy of further exploration. I could. In his scouting report, he describes Chamberlain as a seven-foot, lean 225-pound athlete with a 24-inch vertical jump, who scored with a mix of bankshots, jumpshots, drives and dunks, and possessed an unusual level of stamina, with the only drawback a lack of defensive timing. Monday, December 3, 1956. 1936. augusztus 21. Create your own deals with ESPN's Trade Machine. His average of 50.4 points per game is easily the highest in NBA history. In the dark doorway of a faux haunted house with lightning striking and coyotes howling in the background, the undisputed Queen of Halloween and Mistress of the Dark, Elvira, appears on the TV . He even towered over his greatest competition, Bill Russell, when it came to physical stature. ", Said Alcindor, "This was the first time I ever played against Wilt for real, and I learned a few things. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. Chamberlain never forgave van Breda Kolff, and after learning that the Lakers were on the hunt for a new coach, van Breda Kolff resigned before he could be fired. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe. He was between 280 and 290 in his Philadelphia years, and over 300 with the Lakers. He was 63. Regardless of what is true and what isnt no one can take away the fact that Wilt Chamberlain is an absolute legend and should be remembered for being an absolute hero of the sport. The physical attributes here are just off the charts, Wilt Chamberlain possessed a coveted combination of size and athleticism by todays NBA standards. Both of them had some hefty competition, but what Wilt is trying to say is that his physical brand of basketball simply wouldn't have worked back in the 60s'. NBA Legends And Players Explain Why Wilt Chamberlain Would Destroy Today's NBAIntro Music -https://youtu.be/crrz3bfhCv0Outro Music-https://youtu.be/AUsnvRiZX. Chamberlains 1961-62 season is best remembered for one legendary game in particular. I never did that before.". Chamberlain never fouled out in his NBA career, but he incurred his fourth foul early in the second half. So confident was he in his physical prowess that he talked of a comeback in his early 50s. Whenever hes not in the gym attempting to maximize his bench press, hes online looking for the best ways to optimize his body, strength and overall results. In the Finals, Chamberlain and the Sixers won a hard-fought series, winning four games to two. We just didn't play a good game. Chamberlains dominant on-court play made the NBA institute a variety of rule changes. 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. That 48 inch mark is coveted across the league because it stands as the highest vertical jump in NBA history. They outlawed that.. 1. Wilt didn't sleep the night before he scored 100. He's more than 500 ahead of second-place Dikembe Mutombo, who is closer to ninth place than first on the list. The evidence that Wilt Chamberlain could touch the top of the backboard gets even more solidified by an article found in the June 10, 1958 edition of Look Magazine. At his height that would still require a 40+ inch vertical jump, so we know that he is at least in the ballpark of the 48 inch claim. He also ignored offers from schools in New England and, seeking a fresh start and a new environment, he ruled out schools close to Philadelphia, which included universities in New York City. When he was asked to elaborate he simply said, "No.". The Bucks, of course, went on to win the 1971 title, a triumph now celebrating its 50th anniversary. Chamberlain became a local, and eventually national, legend. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. The Bucks beat the Lakers twice during that streak, though Alcindor wasn't at his best in either contest, including a season-low 15 points and six rebounds in the second of those clashes. After the Bucks won, it meant Los Angeles would have to defeat Golden State the following night to tie the Bucks atop the Western Conference with 60-22 records. As some of you may know, a regulation NBA game is only 48 minutes long. Despite his tenacious brand of defense, Chamberlain never fouled out of an NBA game. Chamberlain renamed the club Big Wilts Smalls Paradise and reportedly spent 18 hours a day at the establishment. He jumped higher (at least 6-6 at the '57 KU Relays, 2nd), but not sure of PR. The house, which stood on a 2.5-acre parcel of land, overlooks the Bel-Air Reservoir. His stellar play and fierce battles with Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics helped establish a national following for a relatively new-on-the-scene NBA. He played with legendary Globetrotters Meadowlark Lemon and Tex Harrison. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". ET on ESPN and the ESPN App), the team and the NBA will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lakers' 33-game winning streak in the 1971-72 season, regarded as one of the most unbreakable records in NBA history. I don't think Alcindor killed us, but they did. The smallest report records it at 7'8, while the largest account has it at 8'4 inches. There are many claims and stories surrounding his athletic prowess. He was very fast running down the court. Of all Chamberlain's statistical accomplishments -- the 100-point game, the 55-rebound game (against Bill Russell . . These included widening the painted area on the court, implementing offensive interference rules, and changes to free throw shooting and inbounding procedures. All rights reserved. He also claimed he never fathered a child, but Aaron Levi has some strong evidence that Wilt was his dad. "It was the 257th time a player other than Wilt had scored 50 or more, but all that did was tie the number of times Wilt did it," Brown said. Wilt Chamberlian once performed 200 pushups in a row, fingertip style, in competition with Heavyweight champ Floyd Patterson who had maxed out with 158. Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Olivia Ruth (Johnson), a domestic worker, and William Chamberlain, a welder, custodian, and handyman. Pelatessaan vuosina 1959-1973 Yhdysvaltain ammattilaissarja NBA:ssa hnet valittiin nelj kertaa sarjan arvokkaimmaksi pelaajaksi, ja hnell on . To put it into perspective, all other NBA players combinedhave only done this 32 times. This was before she became known as the fastest woman of all time for setting world records in the 100m and 200m. Chamberlain excelled at every aspect of track and field including running, jumping, and throwing. Wilt himself confirmed that he was able to dunk on a 12 foot rim, saying: Whats unfortunate is that most people regard the great leapers as being only the short guys who could dunk, said the 7 1 & 1/8 Wilt Chamberlain. Recommended Articles. You can't add guys like Oscar (Robertson) and Bob Boozer and Lucius Allen and not be a better ballclub. I in no way have tried to take anything away from his game, but rather I sought out to analyze an athletic skill through the eyes of a sports performance coach. Chamberlain had . This happened Nov. 24, 1960, in a game Chamberlain later said was one of the most exhausting of his career. Chamberlain went to the free-throw line a whopping 32 times in his 100-point game. But that was the Lakers' last stand. Realistically, we still believe that Wilt Chamberlain could bench press up to 500 pounds in his prime. When Wilt Chamberlain was 59 years old, he could still bench press 465 pounds, which is more that Shaq has ever been able to do. 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. He was a founding board member of the newly established International Volleyball Association. FactSnippet No. On Jan. 9, 1972, the Bucks beat the Lakers, 120-104, snapping Los Angeles' historic 33-game winning streak that blew Milwaukee's record of 20 games (set in 1971) out of the water. During his playing time, Chamberlain owned and operated the Smalls Paradise nightclub in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Old School . His standing reach was also measured while playing at KU and it came out to 96. This is a tough thing to do on a consistent basis. Players have played more than 82 games 41 times, most recently when Josh Smith played 83 in 2014-15 for the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets. He was miraculously almost never in foul trouble, averaging a career-low 1.5 a game. The testing protocols and training methods to increase performance were in their infancy and because of that we dont have anywhere near the data that we have now. However, it is important to note that Muhammad Ali was also measured at the time and his wingspan came out to be 2 shorter than his regularly measured length. He is nearly 4,000 ahead of No. There is currently no video of Wilt Chamberlain bench pressing his max. Actor: Conan the Destroyer. Chamberlains biggest on-court rival was Boston Celtics center Bill Russell. But it was always special when Kareem and Wilt shared a court. Now lets get into the details and start to unpack the answer to whether or not Wilt Chamberlain had a 48 inch vertical jump. With a nickname like "The Stilt" in the world of basketball, where athletes are commonly a foot taller than the average man, it is no wonder why this guy was something special. That I can assure you would be a significant site. Michael Jordan is the only player besides Chamberlain to average more than 37. It was an effort, but I could do it. LA Times. Let's check his math on the basketball legend's most . Yet the 1971-72 Lakers, led by Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich (Elgin Baylor had retired nine games into the season, literally just before the streak began), posted a record that has remained relatively safe. Wilt Chamberlain (13) in action vs. New York Knicks in the 1973 NBA Finals. In his first season, he averaged 37.6 points and an absurd 27 rebounds per game, leading the league in both categories. But that plan was scrapped after the Lakers indeed beat the Warriors. I saw him play extensively from 1965-68, age 29-32. "It was wonderful," Chamberlain said of the standing ovation from the fans at the Milwaukee Arena. This is likewise the case for Olympic high jumpers who often measure at least 1.9 meters tall . With his basketball career behind him, Chamberlain turned his attention to another sportvolleyball. "In the last game, Wilt would back away from me. As a very young child, Chamberlain dealt with a brutal bout of pneumonia which nearly killed him. Another mark sure to stand forever is his 48.5 minutes per game average. Wilt Chamberlain, by his own reckoning, was the greatest basketball player who ever lived. Chamberlains biggest accomplishment in college was leading Kansas to the 1957 National Championship Game. The Bucks won Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, 106-85. Their first meeting came Oct. 24, 1969, and it marked Alcindor's first loss in a Bucks uniform after Milwaukee had opened the year 3-0. Even in retirement, Chamberlain still played basketball recreationally and would field offers to return to the game. Chamberlain spent the night before the game in New York, partying all night with a woman. At 7'1", 275 pounds, he towered over the competition and could . Amongst NBA players with at least 1,200 free throw attempts, Chamberlain is third-from-last, with a career free throw percentage of only 51.1%. But in 1975-76, the Lakers traded for Abdul-Jabbar to fill the void. That is more than enough height to touch the top of the backboard and getting real close to proving that Wilt Chamberlain had a 48 inch vertical jump. "We stopped going to Wilt, who was having success against Alcindor, and we started going one on one," injured Lakers star Elgin Baylor said afterward. The 12 foot rim used to be more than just something that got brought out during slam dunk contests. With his 96 standing reach, a vertical jump of only 36 inches would put Wilt at 126 in the air, which would be more than enough height to complete a slam dunk on a 12 foot rim. With Philadelphia being a hoops hotbed, Chamberlain came to terms with his height and decided to shift his sporting attention to basketball at Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia (side fact: Will Smith attended high school years later). ", Alcindor said he didn't think he played well. The game was a tight affair and after Chamberlain appeared to tweak his knee while grabbing a rebound, he was benched in favor of Mel Counts. The Jazz had 68 in a December win over the Hornets (Rudy Gobert pulled down 21 of them), matching the season high the Grizzlies set in a November win over the Kings (no Memphis player had more than 12). He's so strong and yet it isn't especially exhausting to play him. It's also true that the highest-profile clashes between the two happened outside the 70-71 season. He told me, `Sonny, no.. You don't shove him around much because he's just about immune to it.". The San Diego Conquistadors of the upstart American Basketball Association signed him to a player-coach contract in 1973, but a lawsuit from his old team the Lakers prevented him from playing. Wilt Chamberlain Bench Press Max: How much could he do realisitically? Wilt Chamberlain, one of the most dominant players in the history of basketball and the only one to score 100 points in an NBA game, died Tuesday at 63 . 872,196 12. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. The former Utah Jazz legend owns the four highest assist seasons in history and seven of the top 10. This raised rim dunk has been replicated quite a few times now at this point, maybe most famously by Dwight Howard in the 2009 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He spent the next 14 years dominating for L.A. On April 5, 1984, Abdul-Jabbar passed Chamberlain for the NBA career scoring record, eclipsing Chamberlain's total of 31,419. At the time freshman couldnt play so they made a point to rush the rule before his sophomore season. 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. "I didn't, consciously at least. Wilt was definitely one of a kind, both on and off the court. While playing at Kansas, Wilt was exposed to the 12 foot basketball hoop. . However, the man is almost like an urban legend with numerous sources claiming he can do these incredible feats but there not actually being a lot of video footage to support it all. ", Said Alcindor: "There was satisfaction on both sides. The Lakers also won four of five meetings in the regular season. The Cleveland Cavaliers pursued him in 1980 and five years later, the New Jersey Nets offered a then-50-year-old Chamberlain a contract, but both times, Chamberlain declined. Chamberlain had a multi-faceted game. When I was a freshman, I fooled around with shooting free throws this way: For some reason, I thought you had to stay within the top half of that free-throw circle, so I would step back to just inside the top of the circle, take off from behind the line and dunk. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. His vertical jump based on the article would come out to 45 inches. Scroll to Continue. In his off time, Chamberlain continued playing basketball at the resort, impressing guest Red Auerbach, who was the coach of the Boston Celtics that Chamberlain would have many run-ins with throughout his career. The only ongoing streak that was close belonged to James Harden, but that ended last season at 450 games after he had to leave a game with a hamstring injury. Wilt Chamberlain Bill Russell 25"H X 20"W ORIGINAL Premium, Fine-Art Paper, SIGNED By Artist Winford. 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Abdul-Jabbarwas by far the bigger scorer in the head-to-head meetings as Chamberlain's scoring averages declined in the final stage of his career, but Chamberlain remained a megastar presence on defense and on the glass. He nearly died of pneumonia as a child and still came back as one of the strongest athletes the world has ever seen. Now its time to analyze all of this evidence to determine the legitimacy of each claim. In the fourth quarter, Chamberlain reportedly said to Alcindor, "It looks like you're going to win it, so I hope you go all the way. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Scot Mendelson | Bench Press, Pec Tear, Height and More. He'd have to keep that up until he was 42 years old to pass Stockton. "I'm glad Atlanta didn't beat them Friday night so we could have the chance," Costello said. Chamberlain won his second and last NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1971-72 season. He played in an era that simply didnt value or have access to the things we have today. That one Bucks win was a big one, though. 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). [5] 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. Wilt Chamberlain Wilt Chamberlain Biography and Unknown Facts Please leave a comment below if you have any questions about the article above. Though Chamberlain remained in top physical condition as he did during throughout his playing days, he retired after the 1972-73 season holding many of the NBA all-time records, some of which remain unbroken. In all, Chamberlain holds 72 NBA records. When Chamberlain passed away, his nephew was instructed that Russell be one of the first individuals to be notified. It broke Russell's record of 51 rebounds set the previous season. Wilt Chamberlain could bench press up to 500 pounds. Suns-Mavericks, 1 p.m. (ABC) On one hand he is saying that his vertical was higher than Michael Jordans and was easily 46 to 48 inches, but on the other hand he is quoted as saying that dunking on the 12 foot rim was a challenge. When the Los Angeles Lakers host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night (10 p.m. Late NBA hall of famer Wilt Chamberlain's former Bel-Air, Calif., palatial residence has hit the market for $14.9 million. Wilt was 7-2, 280 pounds. We want our readers to trust us. The 2012-13 Miami Heat won 27 in a row, and all they had was LeBron James at the peak of his physical powers as well as three other Hall of Famers . On the anniversary of his 100-point game, Wilt Chamberlain reflects on his historic night against the New York Knicks. On October 12, 1999, Chamberlain passed away from congestive heart failure. Wilt Chamberlain shows a few glimpses of his unbelievable strength in the 1969 NBA All-Star Game by tossing 235lb Gus Johnson out of a play with one hand, fo. Throughout this process I have reviewed plenty of pictures and game footage of Wilt Chamberlain jumping through the air, and I can confidently say that I have yet to come across a single example of Wilt getting his head that high above the rim. Warriors-Lakers, 3:30 p.m. (ABC) We wouldve loved to have seen a video of Wilt Chamberlain absolutely crushing bench press. Milwaukee won, 85-84, thanks to a late Abdul-Jabbar bucket. The rules at the time prevented Chamberlain from entering the NBA directly after leaving college early. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. The article credits Wilt with a 96 standing reach and a height of 133 after jumping. He had 31 games of 20 assists or more. Wilt Chamberlain's 55 rebounds. Walt Bellamy's 88 games. He won Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and the All-Star Game MVP. I have enjoyed analyzing this mans athleticism and found myself in awe of his speed and explosiveness. As a rookie, he weighed 250 pounds, and by the end of his career, he tipped the scales at 300 pounds. That's all.". These are great numbers for any ordinary center, but a player of Shaq's physical dominance could have done more. The lowest point of Chamberlains career was Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals, when his Lakers lost to his old rivals, Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics.

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