Arnold Schwarzenegger once said that Wilt Chamberlain was the strongest human being he'd ever met. He said Wilt would work out with 500 pounds on a bench press bar, there's a lot of "really strong guys" who can't push that even once. People think that long and lanky body couldn't be that strong are in for one hell of a rude shock, he was as strong as an ox! Wilt was athletic as hell, it wasn't just all strength. Such a talent, a "once in a century or three" kind of man. And Wilt playing in the days when knocking a guy down would pick up a foul? Yeah, Shaq was famous for getting away with tanking guys in the lane and not getting called for it, and he is NOT alone. I see so many charging fouls any time I watch an NBA game it's insane. They honestly need to start calling guys for that crap, I don't give a damn if they're a "Big Star" or not. Call the damned fouls.
@@christophercox936 You’re in denial, junior…give a once-in-a-century, multi-sport, physical freak equal access to ALL of today’s advantages & he would absolutely D E S T R O Y anybody!! Drop your juvenile bias, do some real serious research on the man & perhaps reality may actually set in? Latest ain’t always the greatest & in his particular case, that’s a fact‼️
It's the Media of today. So many younger people think the Nba,Nfl,Mlb, Nhl,,,,etc started when they start watching. This why the real GOAT Russell get ignored just like Wilt,Oscar,West,Baylor,,,,,etc. High flyers like Connie Hawkins,great shooters like Bill Bradley, enforcers like Luke Jackson,Maurice Lucas, other bigs Beaty,Thurman,Lainer,Bellamy,,,etc. Cousy,Sam and KC,Frasier,Monroe. Youngmen and Kids haven't a clue how good these athletes was.
I was born in the mid 1960’s and watched Wilt Chamberlain play a few times on TV. He is the GOAT, and I don’t think it is even close. How many other players have forced the NBA to change the rules? Goal tending, thank you Mr Chamberlain. No longer allowed to inbound the ball by throwing it over the backboard, thank you Mr Chamberlain. The widening of the lane and having to stay behind the free throw line while shooting free throws were also because of Mr. Chamberlain. I can’t watch basketball anymore, time for old man mode, because of all the traveling, double dribble, and charging that the star players are allowed to do.
Thank you, finally someone that knows wilt is the Goat. Never failed out, 55 rebounds against Russel. 50/25 for a whole season, nobody has ever done either alone. Averaged over 48 minutes a game for a season. Greatest shot blocker by far, ridiculous numbers, sometimes in the 20s. You block 3 shots a game now you lead the league. Thank you
Not only does he own the record for most minutes per game in a season, he owns the next 6 spots down the list. He was part of the 71-72 Lakers team that won 33 straight, and has a low year playing only 44.3 minutes per game. Perhaps the most impressive part of that 33 game streak is that the Lakers played 4 series of 3 x 3 (3 games on three nights). All 3x3 series include at leas one game on the road (usually the middle game) and the teams flew comercial coach in those days. A modern NBA team would be lucky to win two of three under those conditions.
@@silverjohn6037 I don't think 3 point shots would have had much of an effect on Wilt's point totals. Jerry West, yes. His 60 foot buzzer beater to tie would have won the game, but they lost in overtime. This happened in the '70 finals.
@@dawoool Until someone mentions that he didn't take/make many 3 pointers. You know the story about what happened when the press said he was a ball hog, he went out and led the league in assista the next year.
Yea and he played in a time when college basketball was more popular than pro. At the end of his career his numbers were horrible because the players became better.
@@christophercox936 stop before you embarass yourself. he dropped his mumbers later becasue hsi coaches asked him to not score. he only took like 17-24 shots a game half way thorugh his carer when he used to tak 35-45
You could add Wilt's incredible other athletic feats like; a 46" vertical. Possibly the best volleyball player ever, Setting records in the high hurdles and high jump, etc. He would take Shaq and run him ragged by half time. He was lighter than Shaq but easily stronger doing lifts with weights that were astounding. I watched him play his entire career and he is my absolute 100% GOAT
Finally!! Someone makes a vid and pays tribute to the true GOAT. Check out Wilt's first 7 years in the league; Incredible points per game; incredible rebounds per game; and incredible blocks per game. Wilt still holds 90 plus NBA records that will never be broken. Like 55 rebounds in a game versus Bill Russell; Like leading the league in assists. And after basketball he founded pro volleyball.😊
1972 was very special with 33 games winning streak and also the best point differential of all time 12.28 that still stands till this day and won the championship!!!
@@Kiss2000man Russell made his teammates look better than they were. Celtics were under .500 without him. Wilt was a great showboat but not a great teammate/player. 11 championships in 13 years is GOAT to me. We all have different ways of measuring things. Brees and Rogers have better arms than Brady but Tom is my NFL GOAT.
The reason a lot of older players would "destroy" today's players has nothing to do with athleticism. It's because of their minds. Average people think sports are all about how fast you can run, how good you can shoot, how high you can jump etc. But if you've ever played sports, you'd know that mentality is what separates regular players from great ones. It's why Jordan was able to do what he did. He was not just an elite, freak athlete. He had a freak mentality to go with it... and that's what today's players mostly lack compared to the older ones. Larry Bird, Magic, Jordan, Rodman, Thomas... all those guys, they would get inside these softer players minds and wreck them to the point where their athleticism wouldn't matter anymore. There would be technicals called, players would foul out and complain and whine, and they would be completely out of their game. A lot of them would be scared of the older players... it would be ugly. That is why the older guys would wreck today's players. They're just too mentally soft.
Lets not forget that Wilt owned the 400 Metre record at the University of Kansas for over thirty years, so he was also very fast, and he was also very proficient at the high jump as well.
@@MrGG1959 a;nd wont he NCAA big 8 high jump three years in a row with like literally no form. would have placed 11th in the 1956 olympic finals with the height he won with ha also benced 550-600 lb
Like I said todays players on average display thier athleticism more. Players from the 60's, 70's and 80's were much better BASKETBALL PLAYERS. PERIOD. 🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀
Jordan played on one of the best teams in NBA history, with the best coach. If he played for San Antonio, like Gervin, or Denver like Alex English, Jordan would be a nobody.
@@rickmillisorNope. On record. Shaq even tells the story in an interview. At his best, Shaq benched 450. At age 59, without a warm up, Wilt benched a 465. At Wilt's peak he benched 600. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Al Atlas both called Wilt the strongest man they ever knew and have stories about his workouts. Look it up... They are sincerely amazing stories. In my mind, the Big Dipper is the single most dominant athlete of any sport of any era.
Umm... Yeah, he was the strongest. Nobody else is even close. In addition. How many track records has shaq had? High jump? 50 yard dash? Freakishly athletic! It's not close. But, I mean, Shaq us very tall and strong. But, you know, he isn't THAT ffreakishly athletic.
Imagine Wilt playing in the 90s or early 2000s when bullyball was the norm. What people don’t appreciate and this video points out is that Wilt played under very strict rules, including new rules invented just to try to limit his dominance. And he played against plenty of other talented bigs too.
@@MrGG1959 The strict rules also included calling traveling. So instead of saying Wilt would dominate in today's game (which he would), let's ask if someone like oh....I don't know....let's say LeChina James, if they would dominate back in the 70's.
I saw Wilt play in Toronto in 1971 against the Buffalo Braves, and he sunk two baskets from Centre which today would be three pointers, but not in those days. I also saw Wilt play once in a summer tour with the Harlem Globetrotters also at Maple Leaf Gardens, and aside from going to an ABA double-header in a snowstorm that was the only pro basketball I saw live until we got the Raptors. Wilt was the best I have ever seen, and I will be 65 next month.
i know tommy heinesson stated he wonce saw wilt make 20 of 25 baskets from half court (likely during practice) but still. plus a video of him in the early 70s winning a 5 dollar bet makign 4 striaght hook shots from the corner
@@Johnadams20760 There was also footage of a game back in the 70's between the Lakers and the Bucks in which Wilt blocked two consecutive sky hooks, and that was after his knees began to give him problems.
@@MrGG1959 well, he did eventually heal those knees. it was due to a massive patella injurty he came back in 4 monhts when most guys in therir early 20s with today's medicine and reha would take 2.5-3 years before they were ready to play again. so wilt was at 40 percent when he came back and even in those games yo uare speaking of maybe 70 percent. plus he also buit up more msucle and was 30 lb more, abliet muslce.
Wilt went to Kansas on a track scholarship - high jump. Wilt was faster than Jim Brown, still considered the most dominant running back in NFL history. Wilt could bench press over 600 pounds. The basketball rules were changed because of him. Yes, Wilt was in a class of his own.
This was an excellent video presentation. The video clips were appropriate and represented a lot of research, the narration was intelligent and easy to understand, and the video presented its truth exceptionally well.
Not "The Stilt." He hated that nickname. He preferred "Dipper," which was short for "Big Dipper" because he had to dip his head to go through most doorways.
I am a huge Bill Russell fan but cannot deny how great Wilt was. On of the few players that transcend every era. Oscar Robertson falls into that as well
He is the greatest player ever. They changed the rules of the game because of him . Today you have different game more and more athletic players maybe higher than him but he was the beast. Unstoppable. Hundred points in one game? I have witnessed Drazen Petrovic game against juniors of Olimpia Ljubljana. This is incomparable .Drazen played against juniors and Chamberlain against seniors. He is the greatest player ever
Like Jimi Hendrix being the greatest guitarist.... The original creator of everything we love about the game... Only thing missing is the modern 3 pointer.
In a conference finals game against the Celtics Wilt’s right hand, he was following a fast break, was above the top of the backboard when he caught the offensive rebound with one hand and slammed it thru the basket!
I had the great privilege of watching Wilt and Jerry West play in the early 70s when I was a boy. My brother and I attended 8 games of the 33 game streak, right after Elgin Baylor retired. We were at game 1 of the '72 finals. We saw Pat Riley play against Phil Jackson in that game.
I'm about to get a ton of criticism. So here goes. Chamberlain and Russell were ahead of their time. Look at the rebounding totals. No one even comes close. Olajuwon. Cage. Rodman. DeAndre Jordan. Russell and Chamberlain were ahead of their time.
They were two track and field athletes, championship high jumpers, who were around 6 feet tall and had the brains and drive to achieve whatever they set out to do. Russell set out to help his team win and show the world that black players belonged in the NBA. Wilt set out to defeat Russell's Celtics, and led the only team that managed to do so in the entirety of the 60s. Why that sole Celtics loss is held against Wilt, as in "he only won once against Russell", is beyond me. Nobody else managed, and that included Oscar, Elgin, West, Walt Bellamy, Willis Reed and Bob Pettit, the last of whom scored 50 points in game 7 of the '58 finals to defeat an earlier Russell-led Celtics team.
To say Wilt retired after the title year of 1972 is incorrect, as well as disingenuous. Wilt played the '72-'73 season well enough to help an oft-injured Laker team into the finals, where they lost to the Knicks, and after that season Wilt signed on as player coach of the San Diego ABA team. Before the season started a judge ruled that he could coach but could not play because the Lakers still held his rights. He "coached" one year but that was not for him and he refused to go back to the Lakers. In the years following a couple different teams inquired about signing Wilt but the Lakers insisted on compensation. So his retirement was not really his choice. Even well into his 40's nobody questioned that he could help a team.
@@christophercox936 wrong. you believe in that stupid myth of plumbers. in his FIRST YEAR in 1959 thre was still TWO players who had summer jobs, out of the entire league. 2 guys whom were the last players on their bench. and played like 18 mintues a season the average height of NBA players in teh 60s was less than one inch cshorter than the all time hig in the 2000s, BUT they measured the60s players without shoes so you would add 1-2 inches/ 1.5 inches so essentally idential. same with cetners. russell btw was a guy that was thougth to be gold/silver medal contender fo the high jump but he playe ball so he did not wind up doing that. wilt also ha da high jump that would have placed 11th in the 56 olymics. wilt also out threw the shot put gold medalist
3 месяца назад
The major stars of the 80's and 90's would dominate todays players.
If they had learned the game with the different rules and norms of today probably, a great will always be great but the shock of how different the game is from the 80s to the 2020s especially in how little offensive fouls are called and how often defensive fouls are called.
@@christophercox936 tommy heinnson HOF boston Celtic whom he played against many times as a player and him beng a coach. stated he saw wilt make 20 of 25 baskets from half court , there is also literally a video of witl wining a 5 dollar bit making 4 straight shtos from teh corner.
@@christophercox936 even with the 3 point line, how many players have put up 100 points in a single game? I'd wait for an answer but I know there isn't one.
@@christophercox936 Not the same thing. And he would absolutely dominate. There have been many fantastic players over the years, and there continue to be fantastic players, but Wilt is at the top of the mountain. The only thing he wasn't good at was free throws... yet he still averaged 50 PPG for a season.
Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest 1 Despite all the Demi god giving ability Wilt was given, people still try to diminish his legacy and act as if Wilts success is because the era he played in rather than his ability, one of the biggest narratives that casuals would point to is that Wilt played against a bunch of much smaller 6’3 defenders, plumbers etc. and that’s why he dominated, this narrative is ignorant and contagious myth it’s a complete lie and espn promotes that with their uneducated analyst example JJ Redick The league average height today in 30 teams is 6’7 the league average height in 1962 when Wilt averaged 50 points was 6’6 Wow 1 inch difference. 1962 there were 9 teams and every team had a big man 👀 Every team had at least one center that was at least 6’10 except for one team here are the details Chicago Packers, Walt Bellamy 6’11 Celtics, Bill Russell 6’10 Nationals, Swede Halbrook 7’3 Knicks, Phil Jordon 6’10, Darrall Imhoff6’10 Lakers, Ray Felix 6’11 Royals, Bevo Nordman 6’10 Pistons, Walter Duke 7’0 Hawks, Clyde Lovellette 6’9 Quickest to 10 k points Wilt Chamberlain 236 games Jordan 303 games Quickest to 20 k points Wilt Chamberlain 499 games Jordan 620 games Quickest to 30 k points Wilt Chamberlain 941 games Jordan 960 games Note Wilt stop scoring after 7 years to play more like Bill Russell a winning style getting team involved Wilt Chamberlain averaged 30 points 20 plus rebounds for his Career! If blocks and steals were counted it’s pretty obvious who the real triple quadruple double king really is.
I remember seeing an interview post retirement of Buffalo legend, and former Piston and Bucks legend Bob Lanier in which he stated that once while with the Pistons playing the Lakers Wilt blocked 23 shots in that game. Amazing
Wilt was pressured to play "soft" by the owners and commissioners, to not hurt the other players. He also lost several of his finals due to bad coaching. Or you could say that the Celtics had his number. Shaq was allowed to bulldoze through players.
Wilt was a world class athlete who was stronger than any player ever. He could touch the top of the backboard - 13 feet above the floor with three inches to spare. He benchwd 505. Ran the 440 in under 50 seconds. High jumped 6 ft. 6. Olympuc quality long jump. He would have averaged more points but was told by his coach to pass more after they kept losing in the finals You cant go by rings to say who is the goat in a team sport. You are only as good as your team.
Wilt played in the most unbalanced era of NBA basketball, against a stacked Boston Celtics team which had *at least* 3 Hall of Famers on the roster every season. In Wilt's high-scoring prime, Boston had SEVEN guys who would eventually make the Hall of Fame: Bob Cousy John Havlicek Tom Heinsohn K.C. Jones Sam Jones Frank Ramsey Bill Russell There wasn't any salary cap, there wasn't any free agency. Wilt had enough clout to be able to force his way off of a team by the threat of not playing, but he couldn't make Boston lose talent, and he couldn't force other NBA teams to give up their stars to make a team as stacked as Boston was. Remember how dominant the Spurs were throughout the late 90's to 2000's, and they were just always in contention, because they had 3 guys who would go on to be Hall of Famers the whole time? Yeah, the Celtics had *double* that. So the idea that Wilt alone was supposed to magically counter all five guys on the other side of the court, or that he was supposed to pass the ball more to a 6 foot point guard who shot .378 for his career is just *INSANE*. Of *course* he would dominate in today's game. He was 7'1" in his stocking feet, was freakishly athletic, and a bona-fide track and field star. He could outrun anyone else on the court, while he was also the biggest, strongest man on the court. He also had really good touch around the basket. He was not just standing below the rim doing George Mikan layups. He had turnarounds, fadeaways, floaters, and when people started to shit on him for not passing, he set the per-game record for assists at the center position in a single season, which took 56 years to be broken. He was bigger and stronger than Shaq, more agile and quick than Olajuwon, and had the game-sense and court-awarness of Jokic. All he needed was the opportunity to play in a league with parity. In his career, Wilt played 4 game 7 eliminations against the Celtics, who won all four, and went on to win the Championship each time, if it wasn't the Finals already. The *combined* point differential in those 4 games is 9points. 1962, they lost 109 to 107. 1965, they lost 110 to 109. 1968 the final was 100 to 96, and 1969, the final was 108 to 106. In those games, Wilt's averages were 21.3 points, 28.5 rebounds, 4 assists on an insane .652 shooting percentage. He was a handful of baskets and free throws from winning 6 championships in his career on three different teams, in a era where player movement and ring chasing wasn't possible, when his last game was a decade before the NBA would institute any kind of salary cap. He might not be the GOAT, but anyone who doesn't put him in the top 3 is just ignorant.
Its so f***ing hilarious how much people downplay this man. "Oh he averaged 50? He mustve been playing against trash competition." Imagine that... every single player, every legend in the 60s is a "trash player". Bring down every f***ing hall of famer of the 60s just so they can demote wilt to an average superstar player. The man was the only one athletic enough to block the unblockable skyhook, and even did it as an old post injured player thats a few steps away from retiring
Chamberlain led the league in total assists 1967-68, with 702 assists (he did not lead the league in assists per game): he remains the only center to lead the league in assists.
Probably refers to the fact that most players today don't keep their hand atop the ball while performing the crossover, they carry it to change its direction, which is a violation (palming, carrying)
My favorite quote from Chamberlain on why Jordan couldn't be the NBA goat was this one, “The difference between you and me is that they had to change the rules for me so I couldn't dominate. They changed the rules so that you could.”
Chamberlain would destroy todays NBA. Especially if hes allowed to travel like so many players get away with today. Real question is could any player today dominate back in the Wilt Chamberlain era.
People like to say that Wilt played against short firemen and plumbers ut nothing could be further than the truth. Most fans don't know that players were measured form their height barefoot when they entered the NBA. In 1973 that changed to being measured with basketball shoes on, adding a little over an inch to a player's height. That was significant because it meant a player like Bill Russell would have been measured at 6'11", not 6'9" as was previously thought (Russell was actually 6'9 and 3/4" tall barefoot). So Wilt would actually be measured at over 7'2" if not taller after '73, Walt Bellamy, another great center during Wilt's era would have been measured at over 7' after '73, and the great Willis Reed would have been measured at 6'11" after '73. Overall, Wilt's era was more like the Golden Age of the NBA center and was far from an era with short plumbers and firemen at center. 💯
I was at a Knicks game in the 60s and, as the crowd dwindled, i walked down to the court and stood underneath the basket. Wilt was holding the ball in two hands below his knees. Willis Reed had his arm hooked over one of Wilt's arms. Wilt literally lifted Willis off the floor and dunked the ball with two hands. People today just have no idea how strong Wilt was. He had tremendous upper body strength and the man could really jump -- really. He'd be a top 2 player consistently in any era.
I've been watching these guys since the late 50's. I've Seen them all. Wilt is the GOAT straight up. No one ever dominated like he did. Not Jabbar Magic Bird LeBron or even Jordon.. Wilt dominated, he controlled on both ends of the floor and in all its aspects as well. He was like a machine god created with the express purpose of playing basketball. Wilt always looked to me like a man playing against boys.to me. I doubt I'll ever see anyone who is better, or even his equal.
Wilt is still my Guy. He would undoubtedly Be My #1 Pick and I would build my team around Him. He will Do Whatever You Need Him To Do: Score, Rebound, Assist, Block shots, Get Steals, Defend, Get A Triple Double Tonight, whatever You Need!
Anyone who doesn’t believe Wilt is the GOAT never saw him play. Wilt was right when he told MJ the difference between them was the NBA changed their rules to prevent Wilt from dominating where as in MJ’s day they changed the rules to help MJ dominate. I don’t know how many times I saw Jordan take a step when he gathered the ball then take two more steps before shooting or passing and it was rarely called as traveling as it most certainly would have been in Wilts day.
Saw Wilt standing on the NE corner of Yonge & Bloor in Toronto one Summer (late 70s . early 80s) 'n thought there was an extra column until there was movement when the traffic light changed, an impressive presence .. !
Thank you for this offering! I try to be open-minded and progressive in my thinking; still, as a senior, I have my memories and my preferences: I still think Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest to ever play the game. Now, I'm not demeaning Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kareem Jabbar, or any other great who has played since. And I know Chamberlain's rivalry with Bill Russell shows he had a worthy adversary who won way more championships. Yet, I think it appropriate to call Chamberlain a "force of nature." I didn't know he never fouled out of a game. He's still the only player to score 100 points in a game. Years after he retired, I learned how intelligent he was - and it's evident in how he adapted his game. I know the revelation of his prodigious engagements with females tarnished his legacy a bit - but he had some career. I'm not sure the Celtics wouldn't have taken him over Bill Russell if they'd had the chance.
Wilt might not have been the best player ever in a game generally dictated by skill... But he was the greatest athlete of at least the last 1000 years, if not ever. That pure athleticism was enough to make him one of the 3 or 4 greatest players to ever play that skill game. If Wilt had lived in Greek times he'd have been descended from Zeus himself and we'd still know of his feats today.
Wilts career numbers! 30ppg 23 boards a game! Averaged 47 minutes a game! Even today holds NBA rebounding record! Wilts records will be here 500 yrs from now! The best ever!! Not even close!!
When a guy like Bill Russell says that Wilt is the GOAT of the NBA you haven't been listening to him because everyone to this day MJ is everyones man. BUT for people that know Wilt is the MAN
Just imagine Wilt Chamberlain getting access to the latest in sports science and training methods, oh my he would be so dominant. He would be like a man playing with junior high kids.
You forgot to mention that he actually started his professional career as a POINT GUARD for the Harlem Globetrotters, a team some consider the best team of its day (NBA teams stopped playing them when they started winning the games). Larry Bird with be my GOAT for his smarts but the greatest center of all time no one else comes close, and yea I saw him play and all the wanabees as well so I know what I saw. Just a side note just think what a BEAST he would be in today's game where you take a day off for a hang nail and don't play with broken fingernails let alone a broken hand.
I've always been a fan of Wilt's legacy. I only wish I could have seen him play live. However, you have to assume the goal tending rules must have been different back in the day.
I was alive, but I don’t remember Wilt as a Warrior or the Warriors being in Philly. I caught Wilt from the 6ers on. I am from Harrisburg and the school boy record book may as well been a Wilt athletic diary. Met him once when I was nine or ten. Was stunned how big he was, until I met Andre the Giant……
Quintuple double, lol! 53 points, 32 rebounds, 16 assists, 24 blocks and 11 steals. This is one among many of his records that will remain till eternity.
I got to make a court appearance as Wilt’s lawyer when he tried to leave the Lakers and sign with the San Diego Conquistadors. It was futile because of the reserve clause.
