History UsefulNotes / WiltChamberlain

Growing up in a family of nine children, his height and [[TheGift stupendous athletic abilities]][[note]]To briefly summarize: Wilt was 216cm (7'1), had an unprecedented 234cm (7'8) wingspan and hands big enough to palm a basketball like a person with average-sized hands palms a baseball, was top 15 in the country in several Track and Field sports in highschool and college, and had the stamina to stay on the court every minute of every game unless he was sent off by the ref. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger describes him as the strongest man he's ever trained with, and despite his reach and lanky physique being to his disadvantage, benched 500lbs, 50 more than ''Shaquille O'Neal''. '''For reps.'''" [[SmokingIsCool And this is a man who smoked over a pack a day since he was a teenager and played in stadiums where indoor smoking was the norm at the time. The grimyness in almost all photos or footage of games from his time? That's cigarette smog. Wilt and many other players at the time were always seen chuffing down a dart in half-time breaks. ]][[/note]]soon made him an America-wide phenomenon in the 1950s. Despite not being able to bring his college team in Kansas to a championship [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut (a common criticism in his early years)]], Chamberlain stood out on the stat sheet even then, and he dropped out of college a year before he could enter the NBA (very uncommon at the time), instead choosing to make money playing basketball with WesternAnimation/TheHarlemGlobetrotters (he would frequently return to perform with the Globetrotters in future offseasons). When he was eligible, Chamberlain was picked up by his hometown team, the Warriors, with a special "territorial" draft pick, instantly becoming the game's highest paid player. He proceeded to win not just Rookie of the Year but league MVP, and in following years broke single-season scoring and rebound records that remain outmatched decades later. However, the NBA remained run by the Boston Celtics, who knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs and fostered a strong [[TheRival rivalry]] between Chamberlain and the Celtics' leader, Bill Russell.

Growing up in a family of nine children, his height and [[TheGift stupendous athletic abilities]][[note]]To briefly summarize: Wilt was 216cm (7'1), had an unprecedented 234cm (7'8) wingspan and hands big enough to palm a basketball like a person with average-sized hands palms a baseball, was top 15 in the country in several Track and Field sports in highschool and college, and had the stamina to stay on the court every minute of every game unless he was sent off by the ref. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger describes him as the strongest man he's ever trained with, and despite his reach and lanky physique being to his disadvantage, benched 500lbs, 50 more than ''Shaquille O'Neal''. '''For reps.''" [[SmokingIsCool And this is a man who smoked over a pack a day since he was a teenager and played in stadiums where indoor smoking was the norm at the time. The grimyness in almost all photos or footage of games from his time? That's cigarette smog. Wilt and many other players at the time were always seen chuffing down a dart in half-time breaks. ]][[/note]]soon made him an America-wide phenomenon in the 1950s. Despite not being able to bring his college team in Kansas to a championship [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut (a common criticism in his early years)]], Chamberlain stood out on the stat sheet even then, and he dropped out of college a year before he could enter the NBA (very uncommon at the time), instead choosing to make money playing basketball with WesternAnimation/TheHarlemGlobetrotters (he would frequently return to perform with the Globetrotters in future offseasons). When he was eligible, Chamberlain was picked up by his hometown team, the Warriors, with a special "territorial" draft pick, instantly becoming the game's highest paid player. He proceeded to win not just Rookie of the Year but league MVP, and in following years broke single-season scoring and rebound records that remain outmatched decades later. However, the NBA remained run by the Boston Celtics, who knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs and fostered a strong [[TheRival rivalry]] between Chamberlain and the Celtics' leader, Bill Russell.

Growing up in a family of nine children, his height and [[TheGift stupendous athletic abilities]][[note]]To briefly summarize: Wilt was 216cm (7'1), had an unprecedented 234cm (7'8) wingspan and hands big enough to palm a basketball like a person with average-sized hands palms a baseball, was top 15 in the country in several Track and Field sports in highschool and college, and had the stamina to stay on the court every minute of every game unless he was sent off by the ref. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger describes him as the strongest man he's ever trained with, and despite his reach and lanky physique being to his disadvantage, benched 500lbs, 50 more than ''Shaquille O'Neal''. [[SmokingIsCool And this is a man who smoked over a pack a day since he was a teenager and played in stadiums where indoor smoking was the norm at the time. The grimyness in almost all photos or footage of games from his time? That's cigarette smog. Wilt and many other players at the time were always seen chuffing down a dart in half-time breaks. ]][[/note]]soon made him an America-wide phenomenon in the 1950s. Despite not being able to bring his college team in Kansas to a championship [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut (a common criticism in his early years)]], Chamberlain stood out on the stat sheet even then, and he dropped out of college a year before he could enter the NBA (very uncommon at the time), instead choosing to make money playing basketball with WesternAnimation/TheHarlemGlobetrotters (he would frequently return to perform with the Globetrotters in future offseasons). When he was eligible, Chamberlain was picked up by his hometown team, the Warriors, with a special "territorial" draft pick, instantly becoming the game's highest paid player. He proceeded to win not just Rookie of the Year but league MVP, and in following years broke single-season scoring and rebound records that remain outmatched decades later. However, the NBA remained run by the Boston Celtics, who knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs and fostered a strong [[TheRival rivalry]] between Chamberlain and the Celtics' leader, Bill Russell.

Growing up in a family of nine children, his height and [[TheGift stupendous athletic abilities]][[note]]To briefly summarize: Wilt was 216cm (7'1), had an unprecedented 234cm (7'8) wingspan and hands big enough to palm a basketball like a person with average-sized hands palms a baseball, was top 15 in the country in several Track and Field sports in highschool and college, and had the stamina to stay on the court every minute of every game unless he was sent off by the ref. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger describes him as the strongest man he's ever trained with, and despite his reach and lanky physique being to his disadvantage, benched 500lbs, 50 more than ''Shaquille O'Neal''. [[SmokingIsCool And this is a man who smoked over a pack a day since he was a teenager and played in stadiums where indoor smoking was the norm at the time. The grimyness in almost all photos or footage of games from his time? That's cigarette smog.]][[/note]]soon made him an America-wide phenomenon in the 1950s. Despite not being able to bring his college team in Kansas to a championship [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut (a common criticism in his early years)]], Chamberlain stood out on the stat sheet even then, and he dropped out of college a year before he could enter the NBA (very uncommon at the time), instead choosing to make money playing basketball with WesternAnimation/TheHarlemGlobetrotters (he would frequently return to perform with the Globetrotters in future offseasons). When he was eligible, Chamberlain was picked up by his hometown team, the Warriors, with a special "territorial" draft pick, instantly becoming the game's highest paid player. He proceeded to win not just Rookie of the Year but league MVP, and in following years broke single-season scoring and rebound records that remain outmatched decades later. However, the NBA remained run by the Boston Celtics, who knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs and fostered a strong [[TheRival rivalry]] between Chamberlain and the Celtics' leader, Bill Russell.

Growing up in a family of nine children, his height and [[TheGift stupendous athletic abilities]][[note]]To briefly summarize: Wilt was 216cm (7'1), had an unprecedented 234cm (7'8) wingspan and hands big enough to palm a basketball like a person with average-sized hands palms a baseball, was top 15 in the country in several Track and Field sports in highschool and college, and had the stamina to stay on the court every minute of every game unless he was sent off by the ref. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger describes him as the strongest man he's ever trained with, and despite his reach and lanky physique being to his disadvantage, benched 500lbs, 50 more than ''Shaquille O'Neal''. [[SmokingIsCool And this is a man who smoked over a pack a day since he was a teenager and played in stadiums where indoor smoking was the norm at the time. The grimyness in some footage of his games? That's cigarette smog.]][[/note]]soon made him an America-wide phenomenon in the 1950s. Despite not being able to bring his college team in Kansas to a championship [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut (a common criticism in his early years)]], Chamberlain stood out on the stat sheet even then, and he dropped out of college a year before he could enter the NBA (very uncommon at the time), instead choosing to make money playing basketball with WesternAnimation/TheHarlemGlobetrotters (he would frequently return to perform with the Globetrotters in future offseasons). When he was eligible, Chamberlain was picked up by his hometown team, the Warriors, with a special "territorial" draft pick, instantly becoming the game's highest paid player. He proceeded to win not just Rookie of the Year but league MVP, and in following years broke single-season scoring and rebound records that remain outmatched decades later. However, the NBA remained run by the Boston Celtics, who knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs and fostered a strong [[TheRival rivalry]] between Chamberlain and the Celtics' leader, Bill Russell.

Growing up in a family of nine children, his height and [[TheGift stupendous athletic abilities]][[note]]To briefly summarize: Wilt was 216cm (7'1), had an unprecedented 234cm (7'8) wingspan and hands big enough to palm a basketball like a person with average-sized hands palms a baseball, was top 15 in the country in several Track and Field sports in highschool and college, and had the stamina to stay on the court every minute of every game unless he was sent off by the ref. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger describes him as the strongest man he's ever trained with, and despite his reach and lanky physique being to his disadvantage, benched 500lbs, 50 more than ''Shaquille O'Neal''. [[SmokingIsCool And this is a man who smoked over a pack a day since he was a teenager.]][[/note]]soon made him an America-wide phenomenon in the 1950s. Despite not being able to bring his college team in Kansas to a championship [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut (a common criticism in his early years)]], Chamberlain stood out on the stat sheet even then, and he dropped out of college a year before he could enter the NBA (very uncommon at the time), instead choosing to make money playing basketball with WesternAnimation/TheHarlemGlobetrotters (he would frequently return to perform with the Globetrotters in future offseasons). When he was eligible, Chamberlain was picked up by his hometown team, the Warriors, with a special "territorial" draft pick, instantly becoming the game's highest paid player. He proceeded to win not just Rookie of the Year but league MVP, and in following years broke single-season scoring and rebound records that remain outmatched decades later. However, the NBA remained run by the Boston Celtics, who knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs and fostered a strong [[TheRival rivalry]] between Chamberlain and the Celtics' leader, Bill Russell.

Growing up in a family of nine children, his height and [[TheGift stupendous athletic abilities]][[note]]To briefly summarize without getting into the fact that Wilt wasn't just huge, but also incredibly technical and used every bit of his unusual size to his advantage; Wilt was 216cm (7'1), had an unprecedented 234cm (7'8) wingspan and hands big enough to palm a basketball like a person with average-sized hands palms a baseball, was top 15 in the country in several Track and Field sports in highschool and college, and had the stamina to stay on the court every minute of every game unless he was sent off by the ref. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger describes him as the strongest man he's ever trained with, and despite his reach and lanky physique being to his disadvantage bench pressing, benched 500lbs, 50 more than ''Shaquille O'Neal''. [[SmokingIsCool And this is a man who smoked over a pack a day since he was a teenager.]][[/note]]soon made him an America-wide phenomenon in the 1950s. Despite not being able to bring his college team in Kansas to a championship [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut (a common criticism in his early years)]], Chamberlain stood out on the stat sheet even then, and he dropped out of college a year before he could enter the NBA (very uncommon at the time), instead choosing to make money playing basketball with WesternAnimation/TheHarlemGlobetrotters (he would frequently return to perform with the Globetrotters in future offseasons). When he was eligible, Chamberlain was picked up by his hometown team, the Warriors, with a special "territorial" draft pick, instantly becoming the game's highest paid player. He proceeded to win not just Rookie of the Year but league MVP, and in following years broke single-season scoring and rebound records that remain outmatched decades later. However, the NBA remained run by the Boston Celtics, who knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs and fostered a strong [[TheRival rivalry]] between Chamberlain and the Celtics' leader, Bill Russell.

Chamberlain left Philadelphia with the Warriors in 1962, only to be traded back to his home city's new team in '64. After a few more years of coming up short in the postseason, Wilt shifted his playstyle towards supporting his teammates and defending. While his offensive numbers got slightly less gaudy, this helped him lead the Sixers to end the Celtics' 8-year championship streak and then defeat his former team in the NBA Finals to win the 1967 championship. Despite finally bringing a title to Philly, Wilt left for L.A. after the following season. While age began to diminish his talents somewhat, he continued to put up staggering performances, notably gaining a new rival in his former mentee Creator/KareemAbdulJabbar and winning his second championship after putting up a stunning performance in the Finals with a broken hand. He retired after the following season.

The list of records Chamberlain accumulated--and still holds well over half a century after he played--is so long that one might struggle to fit it between his massive wingspan. He is the only player to average more than 50--or even ''40''--points a game in a season. Cut those numbers roughly in half and you'll get some of his similarly-unparalleled rebound records; while he led the NBA in scoring seven times, he led it in rebounds ''eleven'' and holds the record for single-game rebounds (55) and total career rebounds (23,924). He even led the league in ''assists'' one year. He has the only "double triple-double" [[MasterOfAll (at least 20 in three statistical categories)]] in NBA history and long held the record for most consecutive triple-doubles (9) until Russell Westbrook broke it in 2019. To rack up all those stats, he had to stay on the court for full games, and he likewise [[MadeOfIron led the league in minutes played in nine different seasons]]. However, despite being on the court all the time, he rarely ever committed a foul and never was fouled out of a game. He was such a GameBreaker that the NCAA and NBA [[ObviousRulePatch changed multiple rules]] to reduce his effectiveness, and even those barely made a dent in his scoring output. Basically, the only thing that he wasn't good at was free throws, and even with those he was ''tremendous''...ly bad: for decades, his free throw percentage was the ''worst'' ever for a player with over 1,000 attempts, at just over a 50% rate, and that number is still in the Bottom 5. Wilt himself said that this was due to finding it weird to shoot a basketball stationary instead of in motion due to his unusual strength, whereas in normal play he could mostly just let momentum do the work, which his many, many fadeaways can attest to.

Following his retirement, Chamberlain spent his career trying to make up for all the hurt feelings his AwesomeEgo had caused in his career with various players, coaches, and executives. He briefly dabbled in coaching and remained very committed to physical fitness, exploring the possibilities of NBA comebacks when he was pushing 50. Chamberlain had a history of heart conditions and died of a heart attack after dental surgery in 1999.

Growing up in a family of nine children, his height and [[TheGift stupendous athletic abilities]][[note]]To briefly summarize without getting into the fact that Wilt wasn't just huge, but also incredibly technical and used every bit of his unusual size to his advantage; Wilt was 216cm (7'1), had an unprecedented 234cm (7'8) wingspan and hands big enough to palm a basketball like a person with average-sized hands palms a baseball, was top 15 in the country in several Track and Field sports in highschool and college, and had the stamina to stay on the court every minute of every game unless he was sent off by the ref. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger describes him as the strongest man he's ever trained with, and despite his reach and lanky physique being to his disadvantage bench pressing, benched 500lbs, 50 more than ''Shaquille O'Neal''. [[SmokingIsCool And this is a man who smoked over a pack a day since he was a teenager.]][[/note]]soon made him an America-wide phenomenon in the 1950's. Despite not being able to bring his college team in Kansas to a championship [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut (a common criticism in his early years)]], Chamberlain stood out on the stat sheet even then, and he dropped out of college a year before he could enter the NBA (very uncommon at the time), instead choosing to make money playing basketball with WesternAnimation/TheHarlemGlobetrotters (he would frequently return to perform with the Globetrotters in future offseasons). When he was eligible, Chamberlain was picked up by his hometown team, the Warriors, with a special "territorial" draft pick, instantly becoming the game's highest paid player. He proceeded to win not just Rookie of the Year but league MVP, and in following years broke single-season scoring and rebound records that remain outmatched decades later. However, the NBA remained run by the Boston Celtics, who knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs and fostered a strong [[TheRival rivalry]] between Chamberlain and the Celtics' leader, Bill Russell.

The list of records Chamberlain accumulated--and still holds well over half a century after he played--is so long that one might struggle to fit it between his massive wingspan. He is the only player to average more than 50--or even ''40''--points a game in a season. Cut those numbers roughly in half and you'll get some of his similarly-unparalleled rebound records; while he led the NBA in scoring seven times, he led it in rebounds ''eleven'' and holds the record for single-game rebounds (55) and total career rebounds (23,924). He even led the league in ''assists'' one year. He has the only "double triple-double" [[MasterOfAll (at least 20 in three statistical categories)]] in NBA history and long held the record for most consecutive triple-doubles (9) until Russell Westbrook broke it in 2019. To rack up all those stats, he had to stay on the court for full games, and he likewise [[MadeOfIron led the league in minutes played in nine different seasons]]. However, despite being on the court all the time, he rarely ever committed a foul and never was fouled out of a game. He was such a GameBreaker that the NCAA and NBA [[ObviousRulePatch changed multiple rules]] to reduce his effectiveness, and even those barely made a dent in his scoring output. Basically, the only thing that he wasn't good at was free throws, and even with those he was ''tremendous''...ly bad: for decades, his free throw percentage was the ''worst'' ever for a player with over 1,000 attempts, at just over a 50% rate, and that number is still in the Bottom 5.

Chamberlain was a two-time champion ('67 with the Sixers and '72 with the Lakers), four-time MVP ('60, '66-'68), and one-time Finals MVP ('72). An offensive juggernaut, he took entire teams to contain him due to both his massive height for his era (at over seven feet he towered over many contemporaries) and incredible accuracy (he led the NBA in field goal percentage ''nine times''). This earned him the nicknames "The Stilt" and "Goliath" (which he thought sounded lame) and "The Big Dipper" (which he liked). He is the only player to have his jersey (#13) retired by three different NBA franchises.

Growing up in a family of nine children, his height soon set the young Philly native apart from his peers. Despite not being able to bring his college team in Kansas to a championship [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut (a common criticism in his early years)]], Chamberlain stood out on the stat sheet even then, and he dropped out of college a year before he could enter the NBA (very uncommon at the time), instead choosing to make money playing basketball with WesternAnimation/TheHarlemGlobetrotters (he would frequently return to perform with the Globetrotters in future offseasons). When he was eligible, Chamberlain was picked up by his hometown team, the Warriors, with a special "territorial" draft pick, instantly becoming the game's highest paid player. He proceeded to win not just Rookie of the Year but league MVP, and in following years broke single-season scoring and rebound records that remain outmatched decades later. However, the NBA remained run by the Boston Celtics, who knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs and fostered a strong [[TheRival rivalry]] between Chamberlain and the Celtics' leader, Bill Russell.

The list of records Chamberlain accumulated--and still holds well over half a century after he played--is so long that one might struggle to fit it between his massive wingspan. He is the only player to average more than 50--or even ''40''--points a game in a season. Cut those numbers roughly in half and you'll get some of his similarly-unparalleled rebound records; while he led the NBA in scoring seven times, he led it in rebounds ''eleven'' and holds the record for single-game rebounds (55) and total career rebounds (23,924). He even led the league in ''assists'' one year. He has the only "double triple-double" [[MasterOfAll (at least 20 in three statistical categories)]] in NBA history and long held the record for most consecutive triple-doubles (9) until Russell Westbrook broke it in 2019. To rack up all those stats, he had to stay on the court for full games, and he likewise [[MadeOfIron led the league in minutes played in nine different seasons]]. However, despite being on the court all the time, he rarely ever committed a foul and never was fouled out of a game. He was such a GameBreaker that the NCAA and NBA [[ObviousRulePatch changed multiple rules]] to reduce his effectiveness, and even those barely made a dent in his scoring output. Basically, the only thing that he wasn't good at was free throws, and even with those he was ''tremendous''...ly bad: for decades, his free throw percentage was the ''worst'' ever for a player with over 1,000 attempts, at just over a 50% rate, and that rate is still in the Top 5.

The number of records Chamberlain accumulated--and still holds well over half a century after he played--is so long that one might struggle to fit it between his massive wingspan. He is the only player to average more than 50--or even ''40''--points a game in a season. Cut those numbers roughly in half and you'll get some of his similarly-unparalleled rebound records; while he led the NBA in scoring seven times, he led it in rebounds ''eleven'' and holds the record for single-game rebounds (55) and total career rebounds (23,924). He even led the league in ''assists'' one year. He has the only "double triple-double" [[MasterOfAll (at least 20 in three statistical categories)]] in NBA history and long held the record for most consecutive triple-doubles (9) until Russell Westbrook broke it in 2019. To rack up all those stats, he had to stay on the court for full games, and he likewise [[MadeOfIron led the league in minutes played in nine different seasons]]. However, despite being on the court all the time, he rarely ever committed a foul and never was fouled out of a game. He was such a GameBreaker that the NCAA and NBA [[ObviousRulePatch changed multiple rules]] to reduce his effectiveness, and even those barely made a dent in his scoring output. Basically, the only thing that he wasn't good at was free throws, and even with those he was ''tremendous''...ly bad: for decades, his free throw percentage was the ''worst'' ever for a player with over 1,000 attempts, at just over a 50% rate, and that rate is still in the Top 5.

Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain (August 21, 1936–October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (1959-65), the Philadelphia 76ers (1965-68), and the Los Angeles Lakers (1968-73). He is widely considered [[TheAce the most dominant player in the history of the NBA]] on a purely individual basis, with a treasure chest of awards and statistical accolades unlikely to be matched in the foreseeable future. He is best known for [[RuleOfThree three]] things: his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_Wilt_Chamberlain numerical dominance]], his 100-point game against the New York Knicks in Hershey, and the number of women he claimed to have slept with ([[ReallyGetsAround over 20,000]], for those of you keeping count; those close to him figure that's only ''probably'' an exaggeration).

The number of records Chamberlain accumulated--and still holds well over half a century after he played--is so long that one might struggle to fit it between his massive wingspan. He is the only player to average more than 50--or even ''40''--points a game in a season. Cut those numbers roughly in half and you'll get some of his similarly-unparalleled rebound records; while he led the NBA in scoring seven times, he led it in rebounds ''eleven'' and holds the record for career rebounds (23,924). He even led the league in ''assists'' one year. He has the only "double triple-double" [[MasterOfAll (at least 20 in three statistical categories)]] in NBA history and long held the record for most consecutive triple-doubles (9) until Russell Westbrook broke it in 2019. To rack up all those stats, he had to stay on the court for full games, and he likewise [[MadeOfIron led the league in minutes played in nine different seasons]]. However, despite being on the court all the time, he rarely ever committed a foul and never was fouled out of a game. He was such a GameBreaker that the NCAA and NBA [[ObviousRulePatch changed multiple rules]] to reduce his effectiveness, and even those barely made a dent in his scoring output. Basically, the only thing that he wasn't good at was free throws, and even with those he was ''tremendous''...ly bad: for decades, his free throw percentage was the ''worst'' ever for a player with over 1,000 attempts, at just over a 50% rate, and that rate is still in the Top 5.

The number of records Chamberlain accumulated--and still holds well over half a century after he played--is so long that one might struggle to fit it between his massive wingspan. He is the only player to average more than 50--or even ''40''--points a game in a season. Cut those numbers roughly in half and you'll get some of his similarly-unparalleled rebound records; while he led the NBA in scoring seven times, he led it in rebounds ''eleven''. He even led the league in ''assists'' one year. He has the only "double triple-double" (at least 20 in three statistical categories) in NBA history and long held the record for most consecutive triple-doubles (9) until Russell Westbrook broke it in 2019. To rack up all those stats, he had to stay on the court for full games, and he likewise [[MadeOfIron led the league in minutes played in nine different seasons]]. However, despite being on the court all the time, he rarely ever committed a foul and never was fouled out of a game. He was such a GameBreaker that the NCAA and NBA [[ObviousRulePatch changed multiple rules]] to reduce his effectiveness, and even those barely made a dent in his scoring output. Basically, the only thing that he wasn't good at was free throws, and even with those he was ''tremendous''...ly bad: for decades, his free throw percentage was the ''worst'' ever for a player with over 1,000 attempts, at just over a 50% rate, and that rate is still in the Top 5.

The number of records Chamberlain accumulated- and still holds well over half a century after he played- is so long that one might struggle to fit it between his massive wingspan. He is the only player to average more than 50--or even ''40''--points a game in a season. Cut those numbers roughly in half and you'll get some of his similarly-unparalleled rebound records; while he led the NBA in scoring seven times, he led it in rebounds ''eleven''. He even led the league in ''assists'' one year. He has the only "double triple-double" (at least 20 in three statistical categories) in NBA history and long held the record for most consecutive triple-doubles (9) until Russell Westbrook broke it in 2019. To rack up all those stats, he had to stay on the court for full games, and he likewise [[MadeOfIron led the league in minutes played in nine different seasons]]. However, despite being on the court all the time, he rarely ever committed a foul and never was fouled out of a game. He was such a GameBreaker that the NCAA and NBA [[ObviousRulePatch changed multiple rules]] to reduce his effectiveness, and even those barely made a dent in his scoring output. Basically, the only thing that he wasn't good at was free throws, and even with those he was ''tremendous''...ly bad: for decades, his free throw percentage was the ''worst'' ever for a player with over 1,000 attempts, at just over a 50% rate, and that rate is still in the Top 5.

Chamberlain is the only player to average more than 40 or 50 points a game in a season. Cut those numbers roughly in half and you'll get some of his similarly-unparalleled rebound records; while he led the NBA in scoring seven times, he led it in rebounds ''eleven''. He even led the league in ''assists'' one year. He has the only "double triple-double" (at least 20 in three statistical categories) in NBA history and long held the record for most consecutive triple-doubles (9) until Russell Westbrook broke it in 2019. To rack up all those stats, he had to stay on the court for full games, and he likewise [[MadeOfIron led the league in minutes played in nine different seasons]]. However, despite being on the court all the time, he rarely ever committed a foul and never was fouled out of a game. He was such a GameBreaker that the NCAA and NBA [[ObviousRulePatch changed multiple rules]] to reduce his effectiveness, and even those barely made a dent in his scoring output. Basically, the only thing that he wasn't good at was free throws, and even with those he was ''tremendous''...ly bad: for decades, his free throw percentage was the ''worst'' ever for a player with over 1,000 attempts, at just over a 50% rate, and that rate is still in the Top 5.

Chamberlain left Philadelphia with the Warriors in 1962, only to be traded back to his home city's new team in '64. After a few more years of coming up short in the postseason, Wilt shifted his playstyle towards supporting his teammates and defending. While his offensive numbers got slightly less gaudy, this helped him lead the Sixers to end the Celtics' 8-year championship streak and then defeat his former team in the NBA Finals to win the 1967 championship. Despite finally bringing a title to Philly, Wilt left for L.A. after the following season. While age began to diminish his talents somewhat, he continued to put up staggering performances, notably gaining a new rival in his former mentee UsefulNotes/KareemAbdulJabbar and winning his second championship after putting up a stunning performance in the Finals with a broken hand. He retired after the following season.

Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain (August 21, 1936–October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

He is known for [[RuleOfThree three]] things: his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_Wilt_Chamberlain numerical dominance]], his 100-point game against the New York Knicks in Hershey, and the number of women he claimed to have slept with ([[ReallyGetsAround over 20,000]], for those of you keeping count). He also made a guest appearance in animated form on ''WesternAnimation/GooberAndTheGhostChasers'' and had a role in ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer''.

Chamberlain was a two-time champion, four-time MVP and one-time Finals MVP. He is widely considered the most dominant player in the history of basketball.

He is known for [[RuleOfThree three]] things: his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_Wilt_Chamberlain numerical dominance]], his 100-point game against the New York Knicks in Hershey, and the amount of women he claimed to have slept with ([[ReallyGetsAround over 20,000]], for those of you keeping count). He also made a guest appearance in animated form on ''WesternAnimation/GooberAndTheGhostChasers'' and had a role in ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer''.

'''Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain''' (August 21, 1936–October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wilt_chamberlain_100-point_4937.jpg]]

He is known for [[RuleOfThree three]] things: his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_Wilt_Chamberlain numerical dominance]], his 100-point game against the New York Knicks in Hershey, and the amount of women he claimed to have slept with ([[ReallyGetsAround over 20,000]], for those of you keeping count). He also made a guest appearance in animated form on ''WesternAnimation/GooberAndTheGhostChasers'' and played Bombaata in ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer''.

He is known for [[RuleOfThree three]] things: his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_Wilt_Chamberlain numerical dominance]], his 100-point game against the New York Knicks in Hershey, and the amount of women he claimed to have slept with. He also made a guest appearance in animated form on ''WesternAnimation/GooberAndTheGhostChasers'' and played Bombaata in ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer''.

He is known for [[RuleOfThree three]] things: his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_Wilt_Chamberlain numerical dominance]], his 100-point game and the amount of women he claimed to have slept with. He also made a guest appearance in animated form on ''WesternAnimation/GooberAndTheGhostChasers'' and played Bombaata in ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer''.

He is known for [[RuleOfThree three]] things: his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_Wilt_Chamberlain numerical dominance]], his 100-point game and the amount of women he claimed to have slept with. He also made a guest appearance in animated form on ''WesternAnimation/GooberAndTheGhostChasers''.

%%!Tropes as portrayed in fiction:

!Tropes associated with Wilt Chamberlain include:
* TheAce
* {{Badass}}
* BadassCrew: The 1967 Sixers and 1972 Lakers.
* TheBigGuy: He wasn't called Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain for nothing.
** Anyone who can appear intimidating next to ''Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger'' (whom Wilt played opposite in ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer'') deserves the title.
** There are actually photographs from the set of ''Destroyer'' that show Wilt hanging out with Arnold and Wrestling/AndreTheGiant(who had an uncredited role in the film). Vince MacMahon Sr. did everything he could to get the photos suppressed, because they showed that Wilt was actually ''taller than Andre''.
* TheCasanova: Chamberlain claimed he slept with 20,000 women. The people who knew him agreed that this is probably an exaggeration, but not by as much as one might think.
* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: In-Universe. Scoring 100 points in a single game by himself is almost universally regarded as this by basketball fans. Rightly so, as this is a feat that was never achieved before and has never been replicated since. For comparison, that's as much as most ''teams'' score nowadays. The only player to even come within 20 points of this mark was Kobe Bryant, with an 81-point game in 2006, and only 3 other players have even topped 70. As such the record is looked at as being almost certainly unbreakable.
* EnthusiasmVersusStoicism: Chamberlain was the enthusiast; Bill Russell was TheStoic.
* FriendlyEnemy: Chamberlain was great friends with his rival Bill Russell.
* GentleGiant: By most accounts, this was because Chamberlain was genuinely afraid that he would '''kill''' an opposing player if he lost his temper (easy to believe, since Wilt bench-pressed ''450 to 500 pounds with ease'').
* HumbleHero: He didn't really think too much about his 100 point game, and was very modest about the achievement.
* JackOfAllStats: There are five major statistical categories in basketball: points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. Chamberlain's scoring and rebounding were beyond compare. He also developed passing skills as he got older and realized he had to get his team more involved if he wanted to win a championship. We will probably never know how many blocks he got, but it's widely believed he and Bill Russell may well have blocked more shots than anyone else in league history. Steals are a little tougher to guess at, but considering how many minutes he played and how many blocks he got (which can easily lead to steals, although he often had a tendency to launch blocked shots right off the court as an intimidation tactic) it's safe to say he grabbed a lot of those as well. If anyone has ever achieved the seemingly impossible quintuple-double, it may well have been him.
* TheJuggernaut: He held 72 records at one time.
* LargeAndInCharge
* LightningBruiser: Very strong but also very fast, coordinated and graceful.
* LostForever: Unfortunately, there's no film of the 100-point game.
* NiceGuy
* OneManArmy: He scored 100 points in a single game ''by himself''. Keep in mind that ''most teams'' don't even break that score very often.
* RatedMForManly: His good look, booming voice, large frame and playboy traits made him often referenced as one of the manliest man in basketball history.
* RedBaron: The Stilt, Goliath, The Big Dipper.
* ShowyInvincibleHero: Chamberlain during the 1966-1967 season, ironically the first time he was not the top-scorer, but he led his team in four categories, won the rebounding title (again), was the MVP (again), led his team to a then-record 68-13 regular season record and won Philadelphia its first NBA championship.
* SuperStrength: By normal human standards anyway, considering he could bench press over 500 pounds easily.
* ThirteenIsUnlucky: Regarding team play, he suffered a long streak of losses against the ultra-stacked Boston Celtic dynasty, but his championship teams set several standards.
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