The history of the game has seen many great players come through the NBA. Many will agree that Wilt Chamberlain was the most dominant of all time. To truly understand today's game one needs to learn about its history and the people that shaped its past.
Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born August 21, 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Overbrook High School where he became the best high school player to ever come out of the city of Philadelphia. While at Overbrook, Wilt made the decision to attend the University of Kansas after being recruited by colleges across the country. He was a first team All-American and led his team to the National Championship game in 1957.
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Kentucky was defeated in that Championship against North Carolina, losing by a mere point, but Wilt was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He left college after his junior year to join the
Harlem Globetrotters while waiting to become eligible for NBA play. Wilt's time with the Globetrotters gave him the ability to work on his offensive game and become an even better player.
In the
1959 NBA Draft, Wilt was selected by the
Philadelphia Warriors (now Golden State) with the territorial pick. In his rookie season he won the Rookie of the Year award while the leading the league in free throw attempts, field goal attempts, field goals made, rebounding, and scoring average. It was the most dominant year by any rookie in the history of the league.
Wilt would go on to have fourteen tremendous years in the NBA playing for the Warriors and
Los Angeles Lakers. He was MVP in 1960, 1966, 1967, and 1968, and was also named to the All-NBA first team seven times and the All-NBA second team three times. The numbers he put up would not only set the standard for future pivot men, but also revolutionize the game through the implementation of NBA rule changes, such as the widening of the lane. It's not likely that any player will match Wilt's career averages of more than 30 points per game and 20 rebounds per game.
Although Wilt experienced great individual success during his career, he was only able to win two NBA Championships. This was due greatly in part to the success of his biggest rival, Bill Russell and the
Boston Celtics. The rivalry between Chamberlain and Russell has to be the biggest between two individual athletes in the history of sports. The two centers, with their teams, battled every year to be the best. Chamberlain was able to win most of the individual battles, however Russell walked away with more team victories. Bill Russell would go on to win eleven NBA championships with the Boston Celtics during his career.
Wilt Chamberlain was the most dominant player to ever play the game. It'll may be a long while before another center will match his accomplishments on the court. Today's centers don't come into the league with the same overall set of skills like Chamberlain and Russell. Time will tell if the glory days of the great post player will ever return to the NBA.
YouTube clip of Wilt at age 17
YouTube clip of Wilt at Kansas
