", "He also loved trivia. And awesome. The once-stable league eventually ran into trouble in July 1979 when Robert and David Casey, the owners of the Denver Comets, were arrested at halftime of a match by the Colorado Organized Crime Strike Force due to their complicity in a cocaine and marijuana trafficking operation called “Operation Spike.” It was all downhill from there. Chamberlain shook it. Wilt was complex. For that reason, we’re making the case that the only difference between Chamberlain and your favorite superhero is that instead of grabbing a cape, Wilt grabbed a basketball. something we had never seen before," said West. And he called out on the p.a. “A household name. never really seen before. 5 Stories that PROVE Wilt Chamberlain Was Not Human - YouTube Only Wilt Chamberlain had no intention of letting that happen again. That meant that the Dipper had a five-inch and 50-pound advantage over the next biggest Knick for 28 minutes that night. Many brushed off the story because it wasn’t humanly possible. The latter was able to bring iconic Motown performers Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Billy Dee Williams to matches. It would expand to 14 during its run, all residing on the West Coast. NBA Players: Wilt Chamberlain Profile and Basic Stats. to remind us of the person living within that 7-1, 300 pound It was perceived by many sportswriters as less than the college game. The star rookie in the league that season was center Walt Bellamy of the expansion Chicago Packers. All rights reserved. How exactly dominant was Wilt Chamberlain? His hardwood accomplishments earned him the nickname, "The Big "Marge and I had that privilege. Wilt's performance in Hershey is the basketball equivalent of the steel-driving folk hero John Henry with a hammer in his hand, out-pounding the steam drill. He made more money than anyone else in the league. Absolutely. Huey added, "I believe the 2,000 number. How true is it that Wilt Chamberlain had 20,000 partners? "Back then, everybody thought the guy was some sort of freak," summed up in words. Among sports memorabilia items, only a rare 1910 Honus Wagner baseball card and a Mark McGwire record-breaking home run ball had ever sold for more. It is clear from moments like this that Chamberlain usually didn’t use his full strength on the court. Is it possible that the “Big Dipper” wasn’t just hiding impressive power but supernatural power? Stanley Woodward, the legendary sports editor of the New York Herald Tribune, said of basketball: "I have strong reservations, about the masculinity of any man who plays the game in short pants.". Now, Wilt said, it was the next day, and only two men were upright -- Wilt and Nikita Khrushchev. True, the Knicks were a last-place team. How Wisconsin Helped Shape America's Love of Cocktails, This Pilot Watch Can Do Everything But Fly the Plane, How to Bet Week 3's Best Games, According to the Pros, How to Recreate the Best Fall Movie Looks of All Time, Products of the Week: Sleepbuds, Flannel Shirts and Carbon Steel Roasters, A Requiem for the Hilton Brothers, And the Perfect DC Bars They Built, Death Valley Girls Name the Records That Inspired Their Sound, Why the Whisky Industry Is Fed Up With Heralded Critic Jim Murray, How Bugs Bunny Became One of America’s Most Enduring Style Icons. '", "He'd love to prove them wrong, or at least pretend he was He earned $75,000 that year, a time when the average American worker made less than $5,000. On March 13, 1962, the inevitable happened. Chamberlain was so immersed in the sport that he even sponsored a traveling indoor volleyball men’s team called The Big Dippers (after his nickname) and a women’s team called The Little Dippers.