the big dipper nba

The NBA Scholar has to concur. He was interested in world affairs, sometimes he'd call me up late at night and discuss philosophy. [9], Chamberlain was born in 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a family of nine children, the son of Olivia Ruth Johnson, a domestic worker and homemaker, and William Chamberlain, a welder, custodian, and handyman. [5] Barred from playing, Chamberlain mostly left the coaching duties to his assistant Stan Albeck, who recalled: "Chamberlain ... has a great feel for pro basketball ... [but] the day-to-day things that are an important part of basketball ... just bored him. At the 1965 All-Star break Chamberlain was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, the new name of the relocated Syracuse Nationals. In 1966-67, Sixers coach Alex Hannum asked Chamberlain to pass the ball more often than shoot, and to play more aggressive defense. [2] Chamberlain immediately became the NBA's highest paid player, when he signed for $30,000 (equal to about $263,000 today)[note 1] in his rookie contract. [3] Among others, UCLA offered Chamberlain the opportunity to become a movie star, the University of Pennsylvania wanted to buy him diamonds, and Chamberlain's Panthers coach Mosenson was even offered a coaching position if he could persuade the center. Image of Wilt Chamberlain making a dunk during a Los Angeles Lakers vs Milwaukee Bucks game, 1971. Wilt Chamberlain once scored 100 points in a single NBA game. [134] Chamberlain outscored Russell 30 to 14.2 per game and outrebounded him 28.2 to 22.9 in the regular season, and also in the playoffs, he outscored him 25.7 to 14.9 and outrebounded him 28 to 24.7. The strategy worked. [91] Cherry comments that according to some journalists, that Game 7 "destroyed two careers: Wilt's because he wouldn't take over and Van Breda Kolff because he wouldn't give in".[91]. [citation needed] When he became a Laker, Chamberlain built a million-dollar mansion he called the "Ursa Major" in Bel-Air, as a play on his nickname "The Big Dipper" (jazz composer Thad Jones also named the music composition Big Dipper after the basketball star). However, Chamberlain said he was "too tired" to attend, and even refused Schayes' plea to at least show up and shoot a few foul shots with the team. The record books are indeed heavy with Chamberlain’s accomplishments. [62], In the 1963–64 NBA season, Chamberlain got yet another new coach, Alex Hannum, and was joined by a promising rookie center, Nate Thurmond, who eventually entered the Hall of Fame. [18] In that game, West Catholic quadruple-teamed Chamberlain the entire game, and despite the center's 29 points, the Panthers lost 54–42. During this time, he lost 50 pounds. In 1967-68, he was also chosen to the All-NBA First Team for the seventh and final time and selected league MVP for the fourth and final time. [133] He led the NBA in scoring seven times, field goal percentage nine times, minutes played eight times, rebounding eleven times, and assists once. Chamberlain didn’t think so. Most importantly, he was not afraid to stand up to the dominant Chamberlain, who was known to "freeze out" (not communicate with) coaches he didn't like. Back to the house of the Big Dipper and Mr. In 1961–62 when Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game, he noted that Boston did not rely on Russell's scoring, and he could concentrate on defense and rebounding. Asked to name the greatest players ever to play basketball, most fans and aficionados would put Wilt Chamberlain at or near the top of the list. [27] Chamberlain's freshman debut was highly anticipated, and he delivered; the freshman squad was pitted against the varsity, who were favored to win their conference that year. [13] Chamberlain's prospects of playing under Allen ended, however, when the coach turned 70 shortly after and retired in accordance with KU regulations. Voted in as one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time, he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. [86] Prior to Game 5, the Celtics seemed dead: no NBA team had overcome a 3–1 series deficit before. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. Chamberlain feared he might lose his cool one day. He once skipped a game to sign autographs for the book. Again, the Lakers charged through the playoffs, and in the 1970 NBA Finals, the Lakers were pitted against the New York Knicks, loaded with future Hall-of-Famers Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Walt Frazier. He is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game or average more than 40 and 50 points in a season. According to sportswriter Roland Lazenby, a journalist close to the Lakers, Chamberlain was angry at Kosloff for breaking the alleged Richman-Chamberlain deal,[34] but according to Dr. Jack Ramsay, who was the Sixers general manager then, Chamberlain also threatened to jump to the ABA after Hannum left, and forced the trade himself. When Chamberlain was 50, the New Jersey Nets had the same idea, but were declined. The pass was intercepted, however, and the Tar Heels won the game. Also known as Wilt the Stilt and The Big Dipper, Chamberlain was one of the greatest scorers in NBA history -- on and off the court, apparently. By doing this, he won Chamberlain's respect. On March 2, 1962, Chamberlain set a record that may stand forever. In Game 1, the Sixers beat Boston 127–112, powered by Hal Greer's 39 points and Chamberlain's unofficial quadruple double, with 24 points, 32 rebounds, 13 assists and (unofficially counted) 12 blocks. He happened to make a living playing basketball but he was more than that. The next season he made a quantum leap in his performance. In a game for the Philadelphia Warriors against the Boston Celtics in the 1960-61 season, Chamberlain set the record for most rebounds in a single NBA game. Sixers coach Alex Hannum once suggested he shoot his famous fadeaway jumper as a free throw, but Chamberlain feared drawing more attention to his one great failing. In all, he claimed 60 athletes with aspirations of expanding to 100. In Game 4, Boston won 114–108. In Chamberlain’s first year, and for several years afterward, opposing teams simply didn’t know how to handle him. Playing the Warriors in the 1967 NBA Finals, the Sixers came away with the championship, winning the series in six games. I try to do them all, best I can, but scoring comes first. In Game 2, the Bucks won again despite the Lakers center scoring 26 points, four more than his Milwaukee counterpart. Despite the Sixers' injury woes, coach Hannum was confident to "take the Celtics in less than seven games": he pointed out the age of the Celtics, who were built around Bill Russell and guard Sam Jones, both 34. LeBron James, Vince Carter, Stephen Curry and Wilt Chamberlain are among the select few who transcended the game and forever changed the course of history. [5] Additionally, in an April 1965 issue of Sports Illustrated Chamberlain conducted an interview entitled "My Life in a Bush League" where he criticized his fellow players, coaches, and NBA administrators. On Oct. 12, 1999, Chamberlain passed away at the age of 63 due to heart failure at his home, which he named Ursa Major after the constellation containing the stars forming the Big Dipper, his trademark. He was the only NBA player to score 4,000 points in a season. [52] On March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Wilt scored 100 points, shot 36 of 63 from the field, and made 28 of 32 free throws against the New York Knicks. At the ages of 16 and 17, Chamberlain played several professional games under the pseudonym "George Marcus". [2], As the star player for the Overbrook Panthers, Chamberlain averaged 31 points a game during the 1953 high school season and led his team to a 71–62 win over Northeast High School, who had Guy Rodgers, Chamberlain's future NBA teammate. [citation needed] Particularly, Chamberlain was lauded for his performance in Game 6, which the Lakers won 104–100 after trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter: he scored 24 points and 22 rebounds, played all 48 minutes and outsprinted the younger Bucks center on several late Lakers fast breaks. "[20] Red Auerbach, the coach of the Boston Celtics, spotted the talented teenager at Kutscher's and had him play 1-on-1 against University of Kansas standout and national champion, B. H. Born, elected the Most Outstanding Player of the 1953 NCAA Finals. Going ahead 3–2, the Sixers defeated the Knicks 115–97 in Game 6 after Chamberlain scored 25 points and 27 rebounds: he had a successful series in which he led both teams in points (153), rebounds (145) and assists (38). The following season, 1965-66, Philadelphia posted the best record in the league, at 55-25, but for the second year in a row the 76ers fell to Boston in the Eastern Division Finals. [110] But in that game, he fell on his right hand, and was said to have "sprained" it; it was actually broken. [6] In that season, the center again dominated his opposition by recording 33.5 points and 24.6 rebounds a game, leading the league in both categories. "[171] However, Los Angeles Times columnist David Shaw claimed that during a dinner with Shaw and his wife, Chamberlain was "rude and sexist toward his own date, as he usually was", adding that at one point Chamberlain left the table to get the phone number of an attractive woman at a nearby table.[176]. "[183] Still, Chamberlain maintained a level of bitterness, regretted that he should have been "more physical" with Russell in their games and privately continued accusing his rival for "intellectualizing" basketball in a negative way. In comparison, the previous top earner was Bob Cousy of the Boston Celtics with $25,000; in fact, Eddie Gottlieb bought the whole Warriors franchise for $25,000 seven years earlier. By Kevin Glew He dominated backboards and scoresheets and his popularity transcended his sport. [80] In Game 3, Chamberlain grabbed 41 rebounds and helped the Sixers win 115–104. Among the members of the team were: Florence Griffith, before she set the current world records in the 100 meters and 200 meters; three time world champion Greg Foster;[119] and future Olympic Gold medalists Andre Phillips, Alice Brown, and Jeanette Bolden. [6] There were three NBA Finals matchups in the rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, but they played different positions and did not guard each other. [2] According to Chamberlain, that was the time that people started calling him "loser". [77] Cherry finally adds several personal reasons: the center felt he had grown too big for Philadelphia, sought the presence of fellow celebrities (which were plenty in L.A.) and finally also desired the opportunity to date white women, which was possible for a black man in L.A. but hard to imagine elsewhere back then. In 1955, the NBA created a special “territorial” draft rule that allowed a team to claim a local college player in exchange for giving up its first-round pick. Was Wilt better than Michael? Because NCAA rules at the time prohibited freshmen from playing at the varsity level, Chamberlain was placed on the freshman team upon his arrival at Kansas. [151], From a historical NBA perspective, the rivalry between Chamberlain and his perennial nemesis Bill Russell is cited as the greatest on-court rivalry of all time. He was born in 1936 in Philadelphia and grew up to be 7-1 and 275 pounds. In 1965, Chamberlain had consulted his father, who had seen Ali fight, and finally said no. After his stint with the Conquistadors, Chamberlain successfully went into business and entertainment, made money in stocks and real estate, bought a popular Harlem nightclub, which he renamed Big Wilt's Smalls Paradise, and invested in broodmares. [11] In his early years Chamberlain was not interested in basketball, because he thought it was "a game for sissies". [22] After three years, Chamberlain had led Overbrook to two city championships, logged a 56–3 record and broken Tom Gola's high school scoring record by scoring 2,252 points, averaging 37.4 points per game. In his senior year he averaged 44.5 points. [5] Cherry has speculated, however, that this loss was a watershed in Chamberlain's life, because it was the first time that his team lost despite him putting up impressive individual stats. [2][3] He played for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the third overtime, the Tar Heels scored two consecutive baskets, but Chamberlain executed a three-point play, leaving KU trailing 52–51. [35], On October 24, 1959, Chamberlain finally made his NBA debut, starting for the Philadelphia Warriors. The 15-round bout would have taken place on July 26, 1971 in the Houston Astrodome. Cherry remarks that there was a certain tension within the team: Greer was the formerly undisputed leader and was not willing to give up his authority, and Jackson, a talented center, was now forced to play power forward because Chamberlain blocked the center spot; however, as the season progressed, the three began to mesh better. I think he'll be remembered as a great man. [5][45] Chamberlain capped off his rookie season by winning the 1960 NBA All-Star Game MVP award with a 23-point, 25-rebound performance for the East. Chamberlain claimed that he intentionally missed free throws so a teammate could get the rebound and score two points instead of one,[145] but later acknowledged that he was a "psycho case" in this matter. The entire Big Dipper looks somewhat like a kite, with the string being the handle and the bowl being the kite itself. The Lakers committed costly turnovers and lost the game 108–106, despite a triple-double from West, who had 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. While actively promoting the sport in 1982, Chamberlain claimed he was considering a return to athletic competition, but not in basketball, in Masters athletics. "[37], Chamberlain was the first big earner of basketball; he immediately became the highest paid player upon entering the NBA. [77] Jerry West called him a "complex ... very nice person",[180] and NBA rival Jack McMahon even said: "The best thing that happened to the NBA is that God made Wilt a nice person ... he could have killed us all with his left hand. [157] Russell and Chamberlain were friends in private life. What followed was the first of three consecutive controversial and painful Game 7s in which Chamberlain played. In 1955, Chamberlain entered the University of Kansas. [10] He was a frail child, nearly dying of pneumonia in his early years and missing a whole year of school as a result. Robert Allen Cherry, journalist and author of the biography Wilt: Larger than Life, describes his house as a miniature Playboy Mansion, where he regularly held parties and lived out his later-notorious sex life. However, it also became evident that he was an atrocious free-throw shooter, making hardly half of his foul shots. [8] He was a successful businessman, authored several books, and appeared in the movie Conan the Destroyer. [52] After defeating the Cincinnati Royals led by Oscar Robertson in the 1965 NBA Playoffs, the Sixers met Chamberlain's familiar rival, the Boston Celtics. [31] Having lost the enjoyment from NCAA basketball and wanting to earn money, he left college and sold the story named "Why I Am Leaving College" to Look magazine for $10,000, a large sum when NBA players earned $9,000 in a whole season. “The Big Dipper”: Wilt Chamberlain One of the most dominant centers in NBA history, Chamberlain used his immense size (7-foot-1, 275 pounds) to torture opposing defenders. "[5] Like later superstar Shaquille O'Neal, Chamberlain was a target of criticism because of his poor free throw shooting, a .511 career average, with a low of .380 over the 1967–68 season.

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