PROOF that Wilt Chamberlain is the ULTIMATE Athlete
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- An in-depth look at what makes Wilt Chamberlain the greatest athlete in the history of the NBA, and maybe all of sports history.
In loving memory of Wilt Chamberlain, 1936-1999.
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#NBA #WiltChamberlain #Warriors
Its been almost 20 years since the day this Legend passed. Leave and like and lets show appreciation for one of the greatest. Do any of you think there is a greater athlete in any sport ever??
Yeah lebron and Ronaldo tiger woods a lot of people who made bigger impact in people’s actual lives
PaulBall Prod. I think he just means athletically speaking, not overall greatness or impact
Ron Swanson oh ok but my point still stands they’re up there
Jonny Arnett -NBA RUclipsr Bo Jackson is the only guy that comes to mind that was just a great athlete in this class.
@Los Zetas pace is slower and defense is played even harder in their playoffs.
Wilt was like if Lavar ball could actually do what he says
Lmao!
Fax lfmaooooo
Nah he like flight without the cameras on
Why is this so true
@@abbot-bockapollo-silvero4154 oh no 😂
He did it in Chucks. That should end the conversation right there.
Weakest argument ever.
John Barnett ‘Chucks’!!!
Greatest argument ever! Converse All Stars, limousines for the feet.
@Xavier Tofilau Hakeem or Sampson did it in the 1986 playoffs ... I forget which.
Supposed tore them knees first year
I'm not even sure why people would argue this. Wilt was easily the best athlete, not in the NBA, but in the history of life.
People have short memories. Fame is fleeting. Wilt at some point held back also in order to win his 2 championships. He learned from Bill Russell that in order to win championships everyone on the team has to be engaged and play a role. So more and more as his career progressed he pulled back on scoring on purpose to focus on rebounding, assists, blocking shots, defense.
Greatest athlete ever born, period!!! By the way, the only nba player that could’ve bought a team while still playing!!
@@surfrunnerd8457 Very well put
I have said this so many times. By far the greatest athlete in the history of sports. It is not close either.
I would argue that Jim Thorpe may have been the better overall athlete, but Wilt Chamberlain was the greatest basketball player to ever live.
Wilt- "look, Michael, just remember, when you played the league changed all the rules to make it easier for you to dominate. When I played the league changed all the rules to make it harder for me to dominate."
Dumisa Tony Johnson yeah, he was wild
So what about this generation lol 😂
@@joshuajames6707 All on attack and defensive side is seriously lacking. Just look at the +40 / +50 games of a ton of players. Went up exponentially..
Correct
Only fools would say Wilt was the goat .
Yes he was a great player back in his day and s great athlete .Though some of what you've cited has no actual documentation except from wilts mouth and local lore
And stop with comparing him to Jordan . If Jordan played in those days , MJ would own every record to this day . Well except Wilt couldn't throw a free throw to save his life . Wilt could not jump 48" , like most of the bs said is easily proved wrong , simply looking at video , Wilt couldn't get his head to the top of the rim . A 48 would put his neck above the rim .
If Wilt played in the golden age 80s 90s ball , he'd be around 25 to 30 ppg . The talent level is far superior golden age than during his day .
All you'd have to do is foul him , he's one of the worse free throw shooters in the history of the game .
Remember how easy it was to neuter Shaq ?
Wilt has only 2 rings his first championship he was surrounded by great players , he scored 24 . His 2nd and final championship again had superstars around him .
Jordan has 6 rings and undefeated in the championships , was always the best player on he floor , carried every championship with never having a good center . He had Scottie , one superstar . Jordan was clutch , all on the floor knew it was going to MJ , and it could not stop him , Jordan was routinely double triple and at times quadruple teamed and still beat them , Chamberlain was not and could not . Wilt needed great players around him to win , Jordan basically did it on his own while making the team around him better .
The only thing you can say about Wilt is he was great ,but the argument about the best big man is the only one to be made .
Jordan was the goat .
No argument
Coach: How many minutes would u like to play
Wilt: *Yes*
😂
I would like to play all of them
Same answer when asked how many points he wanted to score. Lol
Wilt: (finishes an apple pie) "I don't get tired"
🤣
Wilt has more 60-point games than Jordan has 50-point games. Wilt has more 70-point games than every other NBA player in history combined.
Imagine being Wlt Chamberlain's bench.
Player:When will I get in the game?
Coach: When our Center is tired
Player:*Looks at Wilt*
Also Player: Aight Imma head out
Lmao might as well
@@stefanpapdi5151 If I was in that ers he would be my bench but anyways
@@nikolajokic3706 Who would put you over a FIFTY ppg man
@@trollkenobi6727 look at the name it’s nikola jokic lol but that’s wrong
I saw Wilt give a demonstration of his leaping ability in 1959. We placed a quarter on top of the backboard and he leapt and retrieved it. He also demonstrated his high school foul shooting technique which was to leap from behind the foul line and dunk the ball. They changed many rules to counter his abilities. There is no doubt that he was the GOAT.
I agree Michael!
@@ronbonora7872 bruh he cant shoot that's why! 😂😂
eggstreme hotsauce His post fade-away was deadly. Do your research bud.
Also there’s footage of him making hook shot threes
Wilt was nasty with fadeaways, finger rolls, and hook shots. How the hell you think he retired as the leading scorer in history? Literally unstoppable creativity and strength. Even made Hall of Famers look average sometimes.
I'll bet theres no video or photo of this anywhere...in his prime, and in the NBA there isnt one video of him with his head even near the rim. Had average 35 in vertical sorry.
I would take Chamberlain as my first pick of all the players who have ever played
I second that motion
I would second him, micheal jordan is better at shooting and has most of wilts athletic abilities so he's better overall. Wilt is a close second tho, he would be the perfect person to just camp in the paint and get an easy layup or contact dunk and getting easy rebounds
@@Poloskii yeah I would probably say MJ, then Wilt, then Hakeem in terms of which players were the best overall.
@@TheFadedSpade35 dont get me wrong wilt could shoot, he shot 70% of the free throw line in college and was actually a good deep range shooter shooting 20 out of 25 half court during practice and winning alot of horse games. But Michael can just do it better and more efficiently which I value over somebody that can dominate any opponent, as lets be honest, wilt would lock Michael down in a 1v1. But for a team I would rather have Michael
@@Poloskii wasnt wilt dunking his free throws in college, why was his free throw so high. I also know he nailed 28 out of 32 in his 100 point game.
The dunk at 7:18 by an old, slow, less powerful Wilt should give you a hint at just how poweful his dunks were in his prime. The toe story is very believable especially since kerr admitted it himself.
Yeah I gotta agree. His claim that he slept with 20,000 women was false, but he said it tongue-in-cheek. Every other claim... I wouldn't take it with a grain of salt. None of the things we KNOW he accomplished are believable. But he did accomplish them. Knowing that, i wouldn't doubt anything he said he could do to be honest
Mitchell Saberniak facts, when he say he would average 70 he really believe it...the man averaged 50 and never sat down
This is a very underwhelming dunk for a guy with his height and wingspan.
@@omnivorous65 you can blame wilt for making and banning most of the rules up
@@omnivorous65 "This is a very underwhelming dunk for a guy with his height and wingspan." Agreed, almost retired definitely injured Wilt reverse dunking over young Kareem was much more impressive, as was his blocking two Young Kareem skyhooks, which IIRC young Sampson or young Hakeem did to old Kareem in 1986.
He was never competitive, he was superior and he knew it, he did not try to humiliate anyone, he enjoyed his gifts that life gave him
He was very competitive, but also had a strong desire not to be seen as someone who relied too heavily on his sheer size, reach, and strength. It takes a lot of drive to still put as much effort into training and practicing as Wilt did for 16 seasons in a row, and he was very competitive in a range of different sports before and after his NBA career.
“So-and-so of today is the greatest player ever!”
*Shows them Wilt Chamberlain*
“Didn’t he play against 5’5” white guys? Besides they couldn’t dribble right!”
*Shows them that players on average were only an inch shorter and the dribbling was due to a clause, not player ability.*
“...We shouldn’t compare eras!”
😂
people averaged 6 foot 6 in wilt era. he said that in he why wilt Chamberlain the goat.
but in his era people didn't shoot 3s and every 3 was a 2 back then.
They also measured them without their shoes on. So the league average height for both centers and players period would be identical to today. As for handles... if the guys of today tried doing those things they'd get called for carrying every time.
@@lainiwakura4678 and now the league has forced teams to start listing according to shoes off height and hey-oh wouldn't you know it, a good number of people who were allegedly 6'11" to 7'1" are all shorter than they claimed. Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis? 6'9.75". Joel Embiid? Just shy of that 7' at 6'11.75". So as it so happens, the gap between the modern average big guy and the old school average big guy is even smaller than it at first appears. Now there's the odd gigantic guy. But most - and definitely most great big men - are in the same range of height encompassed by old school HoF Russell, Bellamy, Thurmond, Pettit, Reed, etc. I am *shocked* I tell you, shocked.
@@Stimulation334 That doesn't matter when you are dominant athlete. Keep in mind Wilt didn't shoot 3's because it wasn't part of the game then. You think he wouldn't learn to do it you dropped an approaching prime Wilt in this current era? Another thing to point out was that Wilt got to the line at a crazy rate. You don't think that wouldn't translate in this modern era where besides 3s inside shots leading to FTs are one of the most efficient baskets? He'd put half the team in foul trouble and force the game to slow down at a dramatic rate. In reference to Shaq's dominant run and also getting the opposition to crazy foul trouble, it was TIRING for defenses to throw bodies and defending him all night under the hoop. So that led his teammates to also just run town on most teams and take advantage of that condition. Wilt most definitely can do the same in this modern era where he's a supreme athlete with top tier strength and has the length to defend multiple sequences on offense all by himself and cut everyone off including any shots close to the rim. He's so efficient getting his buckets he'll 20~30 points with the greatest of ease and tack on another 20~30 if he needs to take over the rest of the night.
I was actually stunned when I heard about his death, I thought he would live forever, at almost 70 I vividly remember his Sunday afternoon battles against Bill Russell, Warriors vs. Celtics yes kids the Warriors were in Philly at that time and how ABC's Chis Schenkel and Jack Twyman used to call the game. Wilt Chamberlain changed the game, he was a skilled big man like no other ask Kareem about him better than that ask Bill Russell. He could score at will, drop dimes like John Stockton or terrorize his opponents with his vicious dunks. He was fouled repeatedly and a lot of them were not even called or he would be untouchable on the scoring list despite him being a poor free-throw shooter. The league had to change the rule concerning free-throws because of him. You kids who think you know the NBA do some research on one of the most dominant big men ever, Wilt Chamberlain. Thank you, Mr.Arnett, its good to know that someone at least is trying to keep memories of the legends alive.
I agree Darnell! Wilt is the GOAT and the young folks should learn some NBA history and they will come to the same conclusion!
@@ronbonora7872 Wilt is an amazing player and definitely the most athletic player in NBA history but MJ is arguably better than wilt.
He was a track and field star, drafted by the KC Chiefs, benched 500 lbs, and beat Jim Brown in a 40 yard dash. 72 NBA records with a 30 pts, 23 rebounds career average. Sounds like GOAT to me
He never benched 500 pounds.
@@nickleback3695 schwarzenegger said wilt is the strongest man he has ever seen
@@nickleback3695 prove it, NFL players are up to around 700 nowadays
@@nickleback3695I bench 200 and I am a freshman some seniors bench 400 wilt was way stronger than any kid at my school will ever be
There was supposed to be a boxing match between Ali and Chamberlain. Ali, obviously being a supremely skilled fighter, was confident he could easily defeat a complete amateur like Wilt. However, some have said that he was advised not to do it by his manager. Although they were confident Ali could win the fight, Wilt's reach created a problem, and a few lucky punches from Wilt could have been very embarrassing for Ali.
but Johnny Kerr confirmed that Wilt broke his toe. WDYM! a simple block from this man dislocated the LeBron James of the 1960’s shoulder
Guys Johnson was bad news when basketball was a physical game. I remember the All Star game when Wilt threw him into the 3rd row of seats behind the backboard.
Britt Courville bad news? As in a scrapper?
"Red" Kerr did confirm that Wilt broke his toewhen the ball hit it after going through the rim with tremendous force so it's not a tall tale from Wilt. Facts
Gus Johnson was naturally strong and huge for a power forward along the lines of Lebron and he didn't even lift weights! But no player ever has been close to as powerful as Wilt. It's a good thing he didn't have a mean spirit. 🙏🏻
@@GaRciiA805 stone killer from the gates of hell. People moved out of the way when Gus went to the rim. Just like Wilt,he could jump to the top of the backboard.Johnson and Chamberlain didnt like each other.
in 1956 wilt played for overbrook high in philadelphia and played my high school. when he entered the gym that day and i saw him bend down to enter the doorway i knew we lost.
Thank you for sharing that.
frank dalessandro how badly did you guys lose?
Wilt has the NBA record for most individual NBA records. He would still hold this record even if he only played his rookie season and then immediately retired.
and the NBA did not record blocked shots until after Wilt retired...that would add even more records.
@@brihev4355 Agree Wilt blocked more than anyone more than Russell more than Mark Eaton!!
WILT CHAMBERLAIN HOF COMPETITION
1.BILL RUSSELL 6'10
2.NATE THURMOND 6'11
3.WALT BELLAMY 6'11
4.WILLIS REED 6'9
5.WES UNSELD 6'7
6.BOB LANIER 6'11
7.DAVE COWENS 6'9
8.KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR 7'2
9.ARTIST GILMORE 7'2
10.ZELMO BEATY 6'9
Legends
And all these measurements are without shoes
@@jamesmeuwissen7823 yep
Wilt's Era(7-2) centers with shoes(like now):
Ray Felix 7-0+
Chuck Share 7-0 +
Walter Dukes 7-1 +
Swede Halbrook 7-4 +
Walt Bellamy 7-0 +
Nate Thurmond 7-0 +
Reggie Harding 7-1 +
Mel Counts 7-1 +
Walt Wesley 7-0 +
Hank Finkel 7-1 +
Craig Spitzer 7-1 +
Craig Raymond 7-0 +
Otto Moore 7-0 +
Rich Niemann 7-1 +
Tom Boerwinkle 7-1 +
Dave Newmark 7-1 +
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7-3 +
Greg Fillmore 7-2 +
George Johnson 7-0 +
Bob Lanier 7-0 +
Elmore Smith 7-1 +
Tom Payne 7-3 +
Vic Bartolome 7-1 +
Jim McDaniels 7-0 +
William Smith 7-1 +
George Johnson 7-0 +(yes another G. Johnson)
LaRue Martin 7-0 +
Artis Gilmore 7-3 +
And now?..
Embiid is 7-0 with shoes, Gober is 7-1, Anthony Davis is 6-10, Shaq was 7-1.
Nowday centers are much more smaller then in Wilt's Era. It is the fact.
Yeah and in the majority of the early to mid 60's, a bunch of plodding white guys. It's no wonder that his scoring went steadily down as the better centers came into the league.
You forgot that wilt blocked kareem's legendary sky hook
And that was an old wilt, imagine 25 yr old wilt😬 he'd destroy kareem
Wasnt he the only one to do so? Twice!!
@@jackdempsey2497 I think Hakeem or Ralph Samson did it once too but I don’t know which one
@@jackdempsey2497 I'n a row!
@@richardmotaifebles7353 Nate thurmond according to jabber.
Connie Hawkins told a story where his team from Brooklyn was playing Wilt's team from Philly in an outdoor tournament. Connie's team set up their defense where "Jumpin Jackie Jackson, who had crazy hops, was to come from the weak side and time Wilt's fadeaway. So Wilt shot the fadeaway and Jackie got way up and caught the ball mid flight. The crowd went nuts, everybody was running around going wild. Wilt was pissed and called time out. When the game started again Wilt blocked everything on defense and threw down all kinda dunks, game over. Hawkin's team learned a lesson - don't ever make Wilt MAD!
Wilt's the one true GOAT!
I agreed WITH YOU
Greatest player Of all Time
by far!
nah its anthony bennet
@@m1stafa no you are! LOL
@@ronbonora7872 thanks?
Wilt The Stilt is undoubtedly a top tier goat candidate its a shame he played in his era. He would dominate in any era. All the power moves shaq could make in the post where illegal back then to limit Wilt and his dominance so he had more finesse game than people realize. He had a fadeaway shot off the glass in the post too.
Hack a Shaq got its early start with Chamberlain, he couldn't make a free throw to save his life! This one flaw in his game hurt his team greatly and is probably why he has two rings and Russel has....9.
Stephen Mahood Russell has 11 but good point
@@stephenmahood8724 Actually, Russell has 11 championships in 13 years in the NBA. I believe he had 9 in a row.
@@vb14086 8 in a row
A hook, a finger roll !!
Wilt Chamberlain was the great athlete and greatest of all time in the NBA period!
Wilt holds 68 individual and 4 shared records in the NBA. Only a fool does not know or realize that Wilt is the King of basketball. Wilt could out run, out power, out jump and out smart all other players. No comparison folks! Wilt could only bench press 600 pounds.
Clean and Jerk almost 400lbs as a 7ft guy, that's completely insane..... The 56 ft shot put in college at that size and the 50' triple jump at that size, winning the big 8 high jump 3 years in a row...
In 1962 Wilt had the following 5 games in a row...points 65,67,61,100,58. !! 15 games that season of 60 pts over more!! and 7 games of 35 rebounds or more !! As a rookie Wilt had a 44 pts 42 rbs game against Russell. some data!!
Thank you bro! I've been telling all my friends and stuff Wilt Chamberlain might still be the greatest ever and no one knows shit about him! Dude was literally unstoppable, unguardable in every way. People who know and play basketball understand
And his defense was just as incredible. He would always piss off Kareem with his steals, blocks, and strength
Yet he got outscored by Sam Jones multiple times. And his free throws suck.
your friends should brush up on NBA history and then they will know that Wilt is the GOAT!
@@AMG-ko3gt which series?
@@AMG-ko3gt Sam Jones was a guard
Well done. I met Wilt in 1970. I could not adjust my senses to his height, breadth, and evident power.
new York City skyline
wilt was benching 400 lbs in his 60's...
@Gabriel Rich
There’s no evidence of many of his claims.
465
RobertBaratheon305 witness testimonies say this is true. And how are how you going to say something somebody saw with their own eyes wrong.
@Mags T
That’s not evidence.
I guess you’ve never heard an exaggeration or lies in your life.
@@StannisTheMannis305 ask Arnold Schwarzenegger, his former training partner
Wilt was so dominant that he had the leisure of playing based on how he wants to just for funsies. I wanna lead the league in points and rebound got old so he wanted to lead in assists.
@Los Zetas I think that was the season and playoff Wilt deferred to West too much. In that finals I think West average 38ppg while wilt got that measly 11ppg but got 25rpg
Which is funny because some people see that as flaw or weakness than a show of absolute dominance. Y'know the expression that if you are tall, can walk and chew bubblegum that you can play in the NBA? Michael Jordan was effortlessly flying to the basket and making near impossible shots with his TONGUE out. Just cuz he can. Larry Bird has had multiple stories where he checks the scoring records of venues and he challenges himself that game night to try break them. All while trying to lead his team to a win. One game he decided to score only with his left hand and dumped nearly 40 points. Had to switch to his right near the end so he can win. These legends can do basketball things effortlessly than the rest of the other players gotta put mad effort in on a nightly basis.
@@t4d0W cool but why the hell did you attempt to bring up mj, just asking..
People don't understand that Wilt was a great passer, imo the greatest passing center of all time.
@@t4d0W Wilt did everything the coaches asked of him. He might have been the best player today.who could stop him. He would have been better then Shaq.
My father would laugh whenever I'd say Jordan was the GOAT. He'd say "If Jordan scored 49 points, everyone would say, Jordan is the greatest. But if Wilt scored 49 points, they'd say, Wilt was held below his average. Now let that sink in, son."
@Coatesville Red Raiders That's a very interesting assessment. I mean, them playing "in a different time" is obvious. Nevertheless, I've seen plenty of footage of 1960's basketball games, plenty and still watch them to this very day. And I'd have to respectfully disagree with your summation, in its totality. In fact, I'd surmise that the exact opposite is the case. The 60's game was much, much slower paced. More methodical, more stationary, with fewer fast breaks. Less racing up and down the court. There was no "Show Time" equivalent back then. The modern game is much more free wheeling and wide open. Less 'team' structured and more individualistic. And here's a very interesting stat regarding the aforementioned comparison between Chamberlain and Jordan,
Average Shot Attempts Per Game:
Mike - 22.9
Wilt - 22.5
So, obviously more shots were taken contemporarily. At least as it pertains to Jordan, comparison wise.
just take a moment when today sports science & trainer can change player like Gianis (from skinny to monster), What kind of Monster will they make IF wilt play in this ERA???
EXACTLY! That is the kind of question people should be asking
@@jonnyarnett maybe they need life insurance policies in their contract HAHAHAHAHA
Giannis may be the closest thing we can get to a Wilt in this modern era. He's an absolute unicorn in terms of measurables with height and length. He's a top tier athlete by modern NBA standards and his durability is one of the best the league has to offer when given a chance in the regular season and especially the post season. Despite being one of the top 10 players, he is untouched by concepts of load management. His coach just pulls him out when his team is winning by a large amount deep in the game because they would rather not risk the possible freak injury and have him around where they need him the most which is the playoffs. But if given the chance to play 40+ minutes and go ham, Giannis can most definitely do it.
@@t4d0W p
Shaffiq Mokhtar This is not modern science lol this is just called growing, eating nd training. Most people taller than 6ft3 are very skinny when they are young and only start having muscle in their late 20's. Just look at wilt he was skinny in his 20 but very muscular in his 30 and 40.
Many many overwhelming stats. One of the most amazing is that he in his whole career never fouled out.
Damn but that's just regular season, right? Still really impressive. I know Kawhi had fouled out in the playoffs but not the regular season
He fouled out once in the season he averaged 48.5 minutes a game that was the only seconds he wasn't on the court all year
@@wagglewiggle He didnt foul out he got 2 techs
Wilt holds record in track and field at university of Kansas. He has grab a quarter of the top of the backboard. Others have done this. He lifted heavier weights then Arnold Schwarzenegger and Andre the giant. Guy so legendary if we didn't have video or state line no one would believe it.
I believe it. I saw him play and there is no one better!
Thomas Spittle “Wilt holds record in track and field at university of Kansas”
Nope! He never set a school record at Kansas and was never an All-American track and field athlete either.
@ Can you tell me more about the Jim brown story? I'm trying to find out info about Wilt. Did anyone see it? Is there an article or something?
Wilt claims he slept with 20,000 women and killed a mountain lion with his bare hands too. Most of the stories you hear about him are bogus.
Wilt holds no track records at KU. There is no record of him running a 49.0 quarter mile. Bill Russell was a better high jumper and a faster 440 runner. No doubt Wilt was a great athlete, but greatest ever?, nah.
To put the 6’6 high jump into perspective, he used to straddle technique as the modern method was yet to be invented. If he had used the Fosbury flop he likely could have done 7’3+
I stood next to the guy. The most unbelievable, amazing human being ever!
I wholeheartedly agree. Never a specimen to grace us again. One never compares athletes from different eras. No one will ever dominate like Wilt did in his era. Thank you for the video.
A guy needs lots of stamina for 20k. Just sayin...
....It’s Wilt!!
Wilt blocked consecutive Skyhooks from Kareem, after having busted his knee. Prime Wilt was a rim protector good enough that the NBA chose to abstain from counting blocks until Wilt had retired. They started counting blocks the very year he was no longer there to secure those records, as well. Of course his monumental wingspan and standing reach helped, but without his reach and jumping ability, the Skyhook became something which only a select few players could occasionally reach..
Wilt Camberlain one of Greatest Basketball Player of All Time he got almost ever records in NBA 100 Points one game that Tell you how great he was
I just can't grasp how great of an athlete he was. It's clear to me he was the greatest. He played entire games all 48 mins. I rarely pick old-timers as the goat but damn Wilt really was.
That unreal stamina was a result of track and field.
One of the Coldest intros in the game
I asked my dad who he thought the greatest was. He’s seen all of them play. He said, “well if I had to pick one: Wilt always seemed to me a man apart.”
Back in the Sixties when I was in junior high I read a book about Wilt. It wasn't very good, but it had a photo that was maybe the most astonishing thing I've ever seen. It showed Wilt with both arms straight out, apparently palming two basketballs. But then I saw the caption: "Wilt palms two sixteen pound bowling balls." And he wasn't holding them by the holes; he was PALMING them. I used to bowl a bit and every once in a while I'd pick up one of the sixteen pound balls, and I can't even remotely imagine being able to do that.
When they would show Wilt shooting free throws (which was always an adventure; as talented as he was, and as good as he was shooting overall, the free throw line was his kryptonite, though he did once hit 33 of 34 from the free throw line, which for a long time an NBA record, and maybe still is).
I was never less than utterly in awe of Wilt. However, one thing you have to keep in mind with all Wilt's accomplishments, and that is the Sixties was the Golden Age for centers. Most teams had a dominant center, and most of them were enormous. The one weird exception was Wes Unseld, who was only 6'7, but he was one of the widest players ever. But he is a weird case,, someone who would have been a superb center in any period, despite his lack of height. I saw him listed all kinds of weights, but I always though he was around 6'7, 275 or 280. He was built like an NFL lineman.
But the best center - even better than Wilt - and my co-all time best player was Bill Russell. I've never seen a more intelligent player or one who made the most of his skills. In the Nineties I told people that Russell was almost exactly like Dennis Rodman, except that he had the leadership skills of Michael Jordan, was taller than Rodman, was faster than Rodman, was quicker, stronger, and a better leaper. And he was a better shooter than Rodman, but that says more about how horrible Rodman was as a shooter than it did about Russell. Russell understood what was happening on the court better than most great point guards. Near the end of his life Red Auerbach paid Michael Jordan a compliment by saying that he was almost as good as Bill Russell at "orchestrating" a game, and I love that word. Russell orchestrated games in ways that Chamberlain was never able to. And on top of all that, Russell was the best rebounder of all time (on a per minute basis; because he came out of the game, Chamberlain topped him on a game average, but Russell got more rebounds per minutes). And I've never seen a more dominant defensive player. And while he was not a great shooter, it always seemed like the Celtics (who I hated; in the Sixties I was a Lakers fan) won when Russell hit both ends of a one and one from the FT line (in the Sixties they still did that).
Russell played like the future of the human race hinged on the Celtics winning. Chamberlain never seemed to have that kind of fire. The only player I've ever seen who played as ferociously was Michael Jordan. And I honestly don't know who would have come out on top. Bill Russell was the immovable object and Jordan the irresistible force.
But back to Chamberlain. I do think that while Russell was the better center, he is the second greatest center ever, and both of those guys are way out ahead of everyone else. Third would be Kareem before the age of 30 and fourth would be Bill Walton before the foot injury that ended his career at Portland. If Walton had been healthy, he'd be in all the discussions about the GOAT. He had the potential to be dominant Russell was dominant, but his feet failed him. He was the only center I've seen who was almost as good as Russell defensively. He was even better than Chamberlain as a passer (he was a Larry Bird quality passer). And while he wasn't pretty on offense, a healthy Walton would have ended his career averaging 20 ppg. The previous year, when he was MVP and led Portland to the NBA championship, and until his injury the next year, Walton looked like one of the all time greats. But here is the last thing I'll say. From 1955 to 1975, if Shaq had been sent back in time, he would not be remembered as one of the very best centers. I'd put him behind Russell, Chamberlain, Kareem, Walton (though if he'd been healthy, Walton might have surpassed Kareem), and then probably Shaq, though Walt Bellamy and Nate Thurmond were close. Reed was great, but really should have played power forward. Wes Unseld would be in that larger group and so would Dave Cowens when he emerged. A guy who played power forward who was as good as Shaq offensively and on the boards was Elvin Hayes, who is bizarrely forgotten today. Not a passer, but Hayes was a prolific shooter with one of the all time great fade away shots. And Bob Lanier was another fine center who today is forgotten. Like I said, the Golden Age of Centers.
Incredible insight. I couldn't agree more. Superb analysis.
Are you forgetting Hakeem Olajuwon? He was better than Shaq and mor athletic than Walton.
It is recorded that he had a 50 inch verticle. He was a high jumper. He has the highest recorded verticle in NBA history.
Where is it recorded? He had a 9' 9" reach, so if he touched the top of the backboard that is a 40" vertical. Artis Gilmore could also touch the top of the backboard. Where is the love for Bill Russell? He was ranked 7th in the world one year in the high jump and ran a 49.0 quarter mile.
There are stories of Wilt and some UCLA players dominating the Magic Johnson led lakers in a pick up game.
And Wilt blocked all layups, after getting angry.
Short version: 1980s Magic/Worthy/Scott/Green/King vs Wilt+4Jayhawks, game point Magic shot, Wilt blocked, Magic called game over goaltend, Wilt said that was a clean block, Magic said no, Larry Brown was watching & said "that was a clean block". Before playing another game to settle this, Wilt said "there will be no shots made", and blocked EVERY LAST SHOT ... and won. It's on RUclips.
@@NameCallingIsWeak The interview not the game is on RUclips
Coatesville Red Raiders Don’t know about the UCLA players but Larry Brown said he personally saw Wilt and Magic and what happened that day. Check it out
Coatesville Red Raiders the topic is the ultimate athlete. For Wilt who was about 47 at the time and Magic who was 23 to do that period is amazing. Most people knew it was a publicity stunt to ask him to comeback. Like Ali said he was coming out of retirement in the 90 s it was hype. I don’t care what Wilt says, I listen to the people around him.
Wilt in his prime playing today would not be known as Wilt the Stilt. Call him Wilt The Destroyer.
His nickname in this social media age would probably just be “Wilt the God” 😂
There has never been a more complete dominant athlete than Wilt Chamberlain in any sport.
Wayne Gretzky he basically got the triple crown in hockey six years in a row.
Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky.
you forgot the one where he blocked a guys shot so hard he dislocated the guys shoulder.
gus johnson, a powerful power forward
@@juicethreetwo Gus Johnson - 6'6", 240. Took him off the court on a stretcher.
It was a dunk attempt by Gus Johnson
In terms of general athleticism I can agree on Wilt, but when it comes to athleticism for Basketball, we can have a debate. Overall quickness of movements, hands, forst step speed, reaction time, hand eye coordination, balance and agility are some of the most important things when it comes to basketball, and when we add these, someone like MJ or Bron can have an argument.
Wilt was out-lifting Arnold and his weightlifting buddies on the set of Conan the Destroyer. Arnold confirms this.
Arnold walked away because Wilt was utilizing heavier weights.
Wilt was absolutely the greatest athlete in human history. No one ever had his combination of strength, speed, and leaping abilities. By far, and it can't be said enough, by far the strongest player in NBA history. After he retired from the NBA he began playing volleyball and quickly became the greatest volleyball player ever too.
I also heard that Wilt Chamberlain was responsible for the free-throw line rule change. Before Wilt, you simply had to make the shot before your foot passed the line, as opposed to today where you have to stay behind the line the whole time. So Mr. Chamberlain, because he was a notoriously bad free-throw shooter, would takeoff from the free-throw line & dunk it. So imagine to the most iconic slam dunk moments in history… Dr. J and Michael Jordan taking off from the free-throw line to win their respective trophies... This man did it routinely; and for one point, each leap.
Theres a video Wilt did hook shots 4 times in a row...at the 3 point line...on a 5 dollar bet!
I haven't always agreed with you, but I do on this one. Good job.
Earvin Johnson - People talk about there will never be another Micheal Jordan... but there will never EVER be another Wilt Chamberlain.
Wilt Chamberlain was by far the most dominate force the NBA has ever seen.
Multiple coaches and players have said he had a 50 inch vertical.
Eric Menig he would do foul shots by dunking from the foul line😂 the NBA has to change the rule so he couldn’t do it anymore
no one other than him said he had a 50 inch vertical
Even 45 inches is still crazy....even 40
It’s hard to dispute his ability just based on the level at which he dominated his era. I don’t think that has will ever be duplicated. On the athleticism I would say in my lifetime Dennis Rodman was the best athlete I’ve seen. Doesn’t have the size obviously but never got tired or outplayed and literally guarded all positions regularly. Outstanding video!
Dennis Rodman???!! Are you kidding me????
Wilt was and always will be the GOAT of all GOATs.
The toe one is apparently real, the guy confirmed it. I can see it if things line up just right. Also the shows back then had almost no protection, so I can see it being perchance possible.
He is by far the best athlete ever in nba! No doubt.
Best athlete in modern times. The game was not ready for him yet .
Even though blocks were not kept, Wilt would easily have the blocks record and the triple double record! Points, rebounds and blocks.
He had a quintuple double also.
Guy was a beast!
Wilt chamberlain actually averaged 74 Pts / game (playoffs) and 53 /game (season) in a pro league when he was a high school junior. The Team was called the FAY’s and there are photos of wilt and scoring sheets that proved it. He was there under the name George Marcus, to maintain his amateur status so he could get a college scholarship.
This is true.
He was dominating pros as a high schooler.
Johnny Kerr, a HOF early NBA great DID have his toe broken by a Wilt Chamberlain dunk.
Yes, many of the stories you hear about Wilt have to be taken into perspective or with a grain of salt, but there are just too many recounts of things Wilt did that almost seem beyond human from numerous individuals with unquestioned credentials.
He was also part of two of the greatest teams in NBA history that DID win NBA Championships: The 1966-67 Sixers and the 1971-72 Lakers, which had records of 68-13 and 69-13 respectively and went through postseason opponents with ease.
He was definitely one of the greatest athletes. Just imagine if he had spent more time in the NBA.
Would have mentioned some other sports he was good at besides Track and Field. Like also being a professional volleyball player.
Race car driver too.
Imagine being good at everything, he wasn't human. I know its only a saying but I'm starting to believe this man had a genetic mutation or something
Sending this to my Dad
Wilt was the best of all time
What's make him more impressive is, he did all this in a pair of converse
Young man I think he is the greatest player of all time. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
I rewatched that clip at 6:23 about 10 times. How can someone that big move that fast?
Matts5 holy shit I really just noticed that
Look up Larry Allen fast run wasn't as tall but 450 pounder makes up 40 yards in a few seconds
Don't even be callin Wilt "this freak of a man". He's the elite of the elite, so elite he's still under-rated.
wilt ran a 4.4 40-yard dash against jim brown in a race...
okay that might be an extreme exaggeration. I believe all of the feats except that.
@@TheIcemanthomas whether you believe it or not. it happened. wilt had it in his book, and jim never refuted it...
@@TheIcemanthomas david robinson could do this too.... so why not wilt?
@@kelvinkloud david Robinson did not run a 4.4 dawg. U got sources on that one? I know wilt was fast but 4.4 40 time? I'd have to see that to believe it. Like I said, the long jump and high jump feats are solidified. His strength and leaping are proven. but a 4.4 at 7 ft 1 is damn near impossible. At the most I could see 4.6
CPGoat #3 yeah, it’s easy to be skeptical of the 40 times. Not just for Wilt, but anyone before automatic timing became a thing. Even with today’s high-precision digital watches, using hand timing can still typically be off one- to two-tenths of a second. Not a big deal over 440 yards (still pretty quick for a high schooler whether the actual time is 49.4 vs. 49.2) but the shorter the distance the bigger the difference (4.73 doesn’t sound nearly as impressive as 4.61 in a 40 yard dash, though this could easily be the difference between automatic time and hand time of the same run). So you can’t really use 40 times as definitive proof when declaring that Wilt was as fast as Lebron.
JxmyHighroller made a video about Wilt's vertical, it worth to check it out. I think he calculated it somewhere around 40 inches, which is still really impressive
he despised being called "wilt the stilt." he preferred being called the big dipper...
If I played in the 1960's I wouldn't defend wilt chamberlain, if you even got close to him he could easily shove you away and dislocated your shoulder. No thanks
When Larry Bird was asked who the greatest NBA player of all time was, his answer was simple. “Open up the record book and it will be obvious who the greatest is,” said Larry Legend.
7:19 look how high the ball bounces off the floor after he dunks. Don’t tell me that wouldn’t break someone’s foot
Oh shit, i just realized that.. thx for pointing out
Those guys had canvas shoes no rubber toe protection. Christ ...
Wilt would lead the league in scoring, rebounds and blocked shots if he played in this era.
Whenever Johnny uploads, you gotta click the noti
Without question Wilton Norman C hamberlain was the greatest athlete of the twentieth century.
Watch Wilt shake Shaq"s hand. He almost rips his arm off
It's 100% true ... Shaq looked in shock
Saw him at the beach once. Most impressive human being I've ever seen, though David Robinson up close was pretty wild too.
Coach: Okay, You will be guarded by Wilt
Player: Oh no no no no no no
Thank you for your analysis. It helped me to understand how truly great an athlete he really was.
Even his shoes were subpar! Hands down GOAT!!! He was a monster athlete!!!
The big dipper is always so disrespected, thanks so much for making this video, and show how unstoppable he was
Some of your interview clips with Wilt were taken out of context.
20,000 is possible, his belair home got a special room for orgy.
John I've known this for over 30 years. My college coach was the grad asst at Kansas in 88 under Larry brown, his dad and Larry played against Wilt in 57. And Wilts coach was the second coach ever at Kansas. Then that coach played under the inventor. Btw Wilts opponents in the 57 national title game, the UNC team had a grad asst by the name of Dean Smith. Dean was born in the city I went to college. Emporia Kansas
I guess when you own 72+ NBA individual records that will never be broken its pretty clear.
@Peke Cellphone As the number #1 in some stats yes he has 72. But he's also #2,3,4,5 on allot of those same list.
Imagine passing Wilt at #3 in something to find out you have to pass him at 2 and 1 to really pass him.
Maybe the greatest athlete to play the game for sure. Definitely should be in the conversation. Wilt would dominate today. Great players can play in any era
1:25 did Wilt just stopped the most unstoppable shot in NBA history?!
Man I don’t see anyone in the NBA use a reverse finger roll in the post. So skillful with his peripheral vision to attempt a move like that.
Fact check he broke that man toe wit a dunk
I still have a hard time believing it. lol. I WANT to, but idk man. Do you have a link to your credible source?
Jonny Arnett -NBA RUclipsr Johnny Kerr was the player who apparently had his toe broken by a Chamberlain dunk. That’s Kerr’s own account of the incident. He was quoted in the Chamberlain biography “Tall Tales.”
Jonny Arnett -NBA RUclipsr There’s another in incident, better documented (with video evidence), in which Wilt blocked a dunk attempt by Gus Johnson with such force that he not only stripped the ball away from the 6-6, 230 pound Johnson, but also dislocated The man’s shoulder in the process.
LOVED this Vid.. TY Sir ^ ^
I totally agree with you... wilt the stilt was and will always be the greatest player to have ever played the game of basketball.
i am so hyped about this playoffs that all i can do is rewatching old videos in yt xD