Growing increasingly frustrated and wanting to make money, Chamberlain decided to forego his senior year at Kansas. Monday, December 3, 1956. Create your own deals with ESPN's Trade Machine. LH: NBC tried something new in 1992. The 7-foot-1 center regarded as one of . Recommended Articles. Another mark sure to stand forever is his 48.5 minutes per game average. The article credits Wilt with a 96 standing reach and a height of 133 after jumping. This record has already stood the test of time, as it's been on the books for more than 30 years dating to Dec. 30, 1990. Center Of Attention. Wilt did a hell of a job, which points tothe fine job Lew did for us.". Her original height 5 Feet 6 Inches and her Weight 62 KG. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. His vertical jump based on the article would come out to 45 inches. All Rights Reserved. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. Chamberlain went so far as to get help from legendary trainer Cus dAmato, but he eventually pulled out of the fight at the last minute. Los Angeleshanded Milwaukee a demoralizing 116-93 defeat on Feb. 5,but even that had a silver lining; it was the last time Milwaukee would taste defeat before rattling off an NBA-record 20 consecutive victories. 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. 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. Now thats what I call a beat down. For such a momentous event, it wasnt televised and was only attended by a small gathering of press. The dunk shown below by Dwight looks to require some effort and I cant say that he had much more in the tank on that jump. Chamberlain had a multi-faceted game. Use Testo Lab Pro. James has scored fewer than 10 points in two playoff games during the span, the last in 2014 when he scored seven points against the Indiana Pacers. He was very powerfully built, with a strong upper body, broad shoulders, muscular arms, narrow waist and thin legs. Would Wilt Chamberlain easily complete that same move? Thanks for your time! Milwaukee won, 85-84, thanks to a late Abdul-Jabbar bucket. However, his mark has since been passed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Dirk Nowitzki. Then he was traded to the Detroit Pistons and, because of an unbalanced scheduling quirk, played 53 games there to reach 88 for the season. And they've got a lot of guys who are exceptionally quick Lew, (Bob) Dandridge, Greg Smith. He was eventually convinced to continue playing when Warriors owner Eddie Gottlieb upped Chamberlains annual salary to $65,000. The physical attributes here are just off the charts, Wilt Chamberlain possessed a coveted combination of size and athleticism by todays NBA standards. 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. Wilt Chamberlain Bench Press Summary: What you need to know Wilt Chamberlain has a lot of claims made about his incredibly physical feats, and when it comes to the bench press - the giant could max out at 500 pounds. As he got older, he was still able to bench press 465 pounds at 59. Without a doubt, but does he get to the 18 inches above that rim necessary to have a 48 inch vertical? Chamberlain stood at a towering 71. Sam Mitchell likens the overwhelming physical dominance of Giannis Antetokounmpo to that of the legendary Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain also holds the record for most career rebounds with 23,924. Before hitting the hardwood, Chamberlains sport of choice was actually track and field. Wilton Norman Chamberlain (The Big Dipper, Wilt the Stilt) was born on 21 August, 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, is an Actor, Writer, Producer. 872,196 12. That means he was nearly able to touch the rim from a flat footed position off of the ground. 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. Sure the camera angles were terrible, mostly shot from the ground angled up at the players, but one would think that you could at least clearly tell if a guys neck was above the rim. 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. The match was supposed to take place in the summer of 1971 in the Astrodome in Houston. 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). To see him poised up there, knowing he was about to sweep down with that big jam . Following another defeat to the Bill Russell and the Celtics in the 1967-68 playoffs, the Sixers decided to trade Chamberlain to the Los Angeles Lakers. I used to dunk on that basket. An effective, yet embarrassing method, Chamberlain usually preferred to miss overhanded than risk ridicule with the granny shot. He was very fast running down the court. This would put Wilts neck above the rim. 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. I saw him play extensively from 1965-68, age 29-32. Green passed Randy Smith, who played 906 consecutive games from 1972 to 1982. 2 all time, Jason Kidd, and 5,000 ahead of No. [6] Wilt Chamberlain has a personal record of a 22 foot long jump. Scott Skiles' 30 assists. James started the streak in 2007 and has had a few close calls, including last season when he hit a 3-pointer to reach 10 points only after badly spraining his ankle in a game and then leaving for the locker room. Rasheed Wallace's 41 technical fouls. 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. October 12, 1999 / 6:33 PM / CBS/AP. Two months later, Mileti hired Stan Albeck as the team's second head coach.. 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. "It was wonderful," Chamberlain said of the standing ovation from the fans at the Milwaukee Arena. 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. To go up under Wilt Chamberlain, to be down there and look up at him when he's towering up over you waiting to dunk, was a terrifying picture. NOTE: This story was updated on Jan. 18, 2022, to make it free for all readers. He was nearly unstoppable at Philadelphia's Overbrook High School, scoring more than 2,200 total points, a Pennsylvania record. Wilt Chamberlain 3.38 170 ratings24 reviews The quintessential big man, who changed the way basketball was played, reveals his controversial and candid views on sports, sex, race, Michael Jordan, the NBA, as well as money and drugs in sports. 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? Who was the NBA's biggest of the big men in 1970-71? He eventually. I have enjoyed analyzing this mans athleticism and found myself in awe of his speed and explosiveness. My sergeant [vertical leap] was higher than Michael Jordans. Wilt came into the league at around 260. Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference finals lives in infamy in Portland because of controversial whistles. The unique home, which he named Ursa Major as a nod to his nickname The Big Dipper, was designed by architect David Tenneson Rich. It broke Russell's record of 51 rebounds set the previous season. But is that really true? At the time there was no rule that prevented a player from dunking their free throws. Of all Chamberlain's statistical accomplishments -- the 100-point game, the 55-rebound game (against Bill Russell . At his stature that would mean that he was able to reach a higher max height than any other human in history. Want a stronger Bench Press? There are only three active players who have averaged 3 blocks in a season even once (Myles Turner, Serge Ibaka and Hassan Whiteside). He was miraculously almost never in foul trouble, averaging a career-low 1.5 a game. On December 1, 1967, Wilt Chamberlain scored 52 points against the Seattle SuperSonics at home, becoming the first player in the history of the Philadelphia Spectrum to score 50 points in a. But that plan was scrapped after the Lakers indeed beat the Warriors. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Alcindor (32 points, 22 rebounds) got the slight edge on Chamberlain (22,20, eight blocks). We just didn't play a good game. We'll try to answer them as best we can. Initially, the honor of top seed was expected to be settled with a one-game playoff at the Milwaukee Arena on Friday night. Chamberlain matured very quickly and continued to grow at a rapid pace. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. But the advancing years meant little to Chamberlain in terms of physical conditioning. He has a personal record of 6 foot 6 inches in the high jump. He appeared in a variety of television commercials for companies like TWA, American Express, Le Tigre Clothing, Drexel Burnham, Volkswagen, and Foot Locker. Why is this impressive? "People say I tried harder tonight," Chamberlain said. Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936, to Olivia Ruth Johnson and William Chamberlain in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Not to be outdone, he also averaged 25.7 rebounds per game and, perhaps most amazingly, he averaged 48.5 minutes per game. "I can't recall if this has ever happened to me before. Wilt Chamberlain owns most. If all of these Wilt Chamberlain vertical jump stories are true then this man was an all time level athlete. Wilt Chamberlain's entire 1961-62 season is essentially written in statistical concrete, never to be duplicated. Chamberlain also became (in)famous for some of his scandalous off-court activities. The Lakers also won four of five meetings in the regular season. He has the two highest offensive rebounding games in history with 21 and 19. 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. Alcindor was limited by foul trouble but still had 29 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bucks moved to 13-1 on the year. One year later in 1972, he won his only title in a Lakers uniform, his second ring along with the 1967 crown he won with Philadelphia while teammates with 1970-71 Bucks coach Larry Costello. Wilt was on his job. 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. 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. 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. As a rookie, he weighed 250 pounds, and by the end of his career, he tipped the scales at 300 pounds. During high school Chamberlain was part of the Overbook Panthers and led his school team with a win-loss record of 56-3. Wilt Chamberlain. But their last meeting was also a biggie, the final game of the Bucks season on March 27, 1973. How much does Ezekiel Elliott Bench Press? She earned a masters degree in kinesiology, coached volleyball, field hockey, and track and field at several universities before writing her autobiography and starting her own business. Chamberlain was very proud of his disciplined approach to the game, and Im sure his teammates were just as pleased. That's 2,500 more than second-place Artis Gilmore and 2,100 more than Robert Parish when looking at only the NBA numbers. The rules at the time prevented Chamberlain from entering the NBA directly after leaving college early. To put in perspective how unlikely this record is to be broken, there have been fewer than 50 instances of a team having at least 56 rebounds in a regulation game this season. It's pretty well known that Chamberlain was bigger and taller than just about everybody. Chamberlain finished Game 5 with 23 points and 12 rebounds; Alcindor had 20 and 15. For his size there is no denying that he is possibly the most impressive jumper in league history, but is he capable of jumping 48 inches? Moses Malone's 6,731 offensive rebounds. Chamberlain, 34 years old that year, still had plenty left in the tank, and Alcindor, who didn't turn 24 until late in the season, already was a nationally recognized superstar thanks to his college exploits at UCLA and sensational rookie year. Chamberlain and Russell have the 12 highest-rebound games in history. Wilt didn't come from a race of giants as many thought. 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. 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). 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. His name was Wilt Chamberlain. His imposing height was inevitable; he reached six feet when he was only 10 years old and reached 610 when he was a high school freshman. Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England. He averaged 50.4 points per game, the highest ever -- and no one is close. I tried to stay relaxed and keep this game in its proper perspective as the fifth game out of 82. 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%. This time, Alcindor was dominant with 37 points and 16 rebounds with a national TV audience looking on. All rights reserved. Chamberlain was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979, and in 1996, in honor of the NBAs 50th anniversary, he was named as one of the leagues 50 greatest players. Wilt Chamberlain, Conan Classic. Let's check his math on the basketball legend's most . Chamberlain would play one more year in the NBAwhere his Lakers would once again face the Knicks in the Finals, though this time coming out on the losing endbefore retiring. He jumped higher (at least 6-6 at the '57 KU Relays, 2nd), but not sure of PR. Wilt retired from the NBA after the 1972-73 season with the . He is obsessed with lifting weights, and the science of muscle building. Chamberlain renamed the club Big Wilts Smalls Paradise and reportedly spent 18 hours a day at the establishment. The smallest report records it at 7'8, while the largest account has it at 8'4 inches. Sports medicine also made huge strides in the last 40 years between their careers. As a collegiate player, he was featured in popular magazines of the time, including Life, Time, Look, and Newsweek. Here is a look at some of the individual records that have stood and likely will stand the test of time as unbreakable, even 25 years from now when the NBA celebrates its 100th season. After two career matchups between the players in which Chamberlain matched or surpassed Alcindor, Alcindorwas the clear winner this time. 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. The Lakers won three of those games by a combined eight points, but it wasn't necessarily a fluke. On March 2, 1962, in a game between the Philadelphia Warriors and the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Chamberlain scored 100 pointsthe most points a single player has ever scored in an NBA game. The man would successfully jump from the free throw line to complete a foul shot. Second-most ever, of course, were the 81 points Kobe Bryant scored in 2006 taking 17 fewer shots (46 to Wilt's 63). ", Said Alcindor, "This was the first time I ever played against Wilt for real, and I learned a few things. Nope. I don't think Alcindor killed us, but they did. Wilt Chamberlain claimed that he slept with 20,000 women. Wilt Chamberlain Bench Press: How much could he bench press? It was a milestone move for Chamberlain, as he would make Los Angeles his primary home for the rest of his life. Sam Mitchell likens the overwhelming physical dominance of Giannis Antetokounmpo to that of the legendary Wilt Chamberlain. The Bucks won the flip, but it doesn't live on in collective memory the way it does when the Bucks won the coin flip for the right to draft Alcindor No. JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. You don't shove him around much because he's just about immune to it.". The current active leader in offensive rebounds is Dwight Howard, who is still 2,600 behind Malone. It's also true that the highest-profile clashes between the two happened outside the 70-71 season. ", Said Alcindor: "There was satisfaction on both sides. That I dont know. 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 (Ray Allen, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade) playing in perfect harmony. . He also claimed he never fathered a child, but Aaron Levi has some strong evidence that Wilt was his dad. 872,195 11. How much can Zion Williamson Bench Press? . Wilt won the 1967 NBA title with the Philadelphia 76ers and the 1972 NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. To say it was the twilight of Chamberlain's career during the Bucks' title run was fair but also misleading. He was much more than just a big man with leaping ability, he was an all time great who was one of the most dominant athletes to ever play the game.