50 Fun Facts About Wilt Chamberlain

How many points did Wilt Chamberlain score in his record game on March 2, 1962?

He shot 36 of 63 from the field and, unusually for him, made 28 of 32 free throws.

In which Pennsylvania town was the 100-point game played?

It was a neutral-court game against the New York Knicks.

Which nickname did Chamberlain prefer?

Friends coined it watching him dip his head through doorways; he disliked names that mocked his height.

What was Chamberlain's listed height?

He was already 6 feet tall at age 10 and 6 ft 11 when he entered high school.

Which Philadelphia high school did Chamberlain star for?

The Hilltoppers went 56-3 over his three seasons and won two city titles.

Who was the Kansas coach who recruited Chamberlain, then retired before he could play varsity?

Allen turned 70 and had to retire under KU rules; Chamberlain got on poorly with his successor Dick Harp.

Kansas lost the 1957 NCAA final to North Carolina after how many overtimes?

It remains the only national final to go to triple overtime; Chamberlain called it the most painful loss of his life.

Despite losing the 1957 final, what honour did Chamberlain receive?

He had 23 points and 14 rebounds while being triple-teamed all night.

Which Tar Heels coach sent his shortest player to jump against Chamberlain at the 1957 tip-off?

Tommy Kearns took the tip, and the Tar Heels triple-teamed Chamberlain for the rest of the night.

Chamberlain sold a story about leaving college to which magazine for $10,000?

It was titled Why I Am Leaving College; NBA players then earned about $9,000 a season.

Which team did Chamberlain play for in 1958-59 before he was eligible for the NBA?

They toured the Soviet Union in 1959 and were greeted by Nikita Khrushchev in Moscow.

Which Soviet leader greeted the Globetrotters before a 1959 game in Moscow?

In one skit Chamberlain tossed Meadowlark Lemon in the air and caught him like a doll.

Under what pseudonym did the teenage Chamberlain play semi-pro games to protect his amateur status?

He used it for the Pittsburgh Raiders in 1952 and the Quakertown Fays in 1954-55.

Which NBA team did Chamberlain debut for in October 1959?

He was a territorial pick; the franchise moved to San Francisco in 1962.

Which two awards did Chamberlain win in his first NBA season, 1959-60?

He averaged 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds and broke eight NBA records as a rookie.

What was Chamberlain's record-setting rookie salary?

Bob Cousy had been the top earner at $25,000, the same sum Eddie Gottlieb paid for the whole Warriors franchise in 1952.

Which Celtics forward did Chamberlain punch, injuring his own hand, in the 1960 playoffs?

Red Auerbach had ordered Heinsohn to foul and shove Chamberlain to slow him getting back on defence.

What is Chamberlain's NBA single-game rebounding record, set in November 1960?

It came in a home loss to Bill Russell's Celtics.

How many times did Chamberlain foul out of an NBA game?

It is one of the durability records no one has touched; blocks were not even counted in his era.

How many NBA records does Chamberlain hold, according to the article?

Billy Cunningham said the NBA Guide reads like Wilt's personal diary.

How many seasons did Chamberlain average 30 points and 20 rebounds, a feat no one else has managed?

He also once averaged 50 points and 48 minutes in the same season.

Which Celtics center was Chamberlain's great rival?

Chamberlain outscored him 30-28 in their first meeting, but Boston won, setting the pattern for a decade.

Which team did Chamberlain win his first NBA title with, in 1967?

That Sixers team went a then-record 68-13, including a 46-4 start.

What regular-season record did the 1966-67 Sixers set?

It included a record 46-4 start; the team is ranked among the best in NBA history.

In 1968 Chamberlain led the NBA in which unusual category for a center?

Under Alex Hannum he had shifted his focus to team play, averaging 24.3 points and 23.8 rebounds that year.

Which ex-soldier and crafty psychologist coached Chamberlain on the Warriors and the 1967 Sixers?

He was not afraid to stand up to Chamberlain, who would not communicate with coaches he disliked.

The 1968 Lakers deal for Chamberlain was the first time what had happened?

Owner Jack Kent Cooke then paid him $250,000 after taxes, far beyond Jerry West's $100,000.

Which Lakers owner gave Chamberlain his unprecedented $250,000 after-tax contract?

Cooke later tied a record deal to Chamberlain giving up what he called this boxing foolishness.

Which boxer did Chamberlain challenge to a fight after the 1971 playoffs?

Ali responded with Timber! and The tree will fall!; the Astrodome bout never happened.

Who trained Chamberlain for his planned 15-round bout with Ali?

Joe Frazier's win over Ali gave Chamberlain a contractual escape from the fight.

Which retired NFL star acted as Chamberlain's manager from 1967?

Brown got Ali's manager to mutually withdraw from the Madison Square Garden date.

How many games did the 1971-72 Lakers win in a row on the way to Chamberlain's second title?

Former Celtic Bill Sharman coached the team and turned Chamberlain into a Russell-style defender.

Which former Celtics guard coached the 1972 Lakers and introduced morning shoot-arounds?

The perennial latecomer Chamberlain regularly showed up to them.

Life called Chamberlain's 1971 playoff duel with which young center the greatest in all sports?

They had first met at Rucker Park in 1964, when the 17-year-old Lew Alcindor idolised him.

Which ABA team did Chamberlain coach in 1973-74?

The Lakers sued to stop him playing for them because he still owed an option year.

Which sport did Chamberlain take up professionally after basketball, even serving as league president?

He was a board member of the International Volleyball Association from 1974 and its president in 1975.

In which 1984 film did Chamberlain fight Arnold Schwarzenegger and Grace Jones?

It remained his only credited film role; he played a villainous warrior.

What did Chamberlain name his million-dollar Bel-Air mansion?

The constellation is a play on his nickname; the front door was a 2,200-pound pivot.

What was the name of the Harlem nightclub Chamberlain bought and renamed?

He also invested in broodmares, stocks and real estate after retiring.

In his book A View from Above, Chamberlain made what infamous claim?

The claim became the most quoted line of his post-basketball life.

Which rule change did Chamberlain's habit of dunking his free throws directly cause?

He could dunk foul shots without a running start, beginning just behind the top of the key.

In 1964-65 the NBA widened the lane because of centers like Chamberlain. From what width to what?

Offensive goaltending and a ban on inbounding over the backboard were also responses to him.

Which Kansas star did the teenage Chamberlain beat 25-10 one-on-one, prompting him to quit?

Born became a tractor engineer; Red Auerbach had set up the game at Kutsher's Hotel.

What summer job did the teenage Chamberlain hold at Kutsher's Hotel?

Red Auerbach ran the summer basketball league there and tried to steer him to a New England college.

What jersey number did Chamberlain wear, now retired by four teams and Kansas?

The Globetrotters, Warriors, 76ers and Lakers have all retired it.

Chamberlain died in October 1999 at what age?

His attorney said the cause was congestive heart failure; he had lost fifty pounds that year.

Which Republican presidential candidate did Chamberlain support in 1968 and 1972?

He accompanied Nixon to the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr.

What was Chamberlain's first competitive sport?

He ran the Penn Relays as a fourth grader and later won the Big Eight high jump three years running.

Which Philadelphia high school scoring record holder did Chamberlain surpass with 2,252 points?

All four later started alongside him on the all-Philadelphian 1959-60 Warriors.

How many MVP awards did Chamberlain win?

They came in 1960 and then three straight from 1966 to 1968.