The most dominant hoopster of all-time

As the NBA season gets into its early groove this year, it’s time to recognize one of the all-time greats, arguably unsurpassed by anyone, Wilt Chamberlain.

While Michael Jordan transcended the game, Chamberlain mutated it. Never before, or since, has one player so dominated his opposition the way “Wilt the Stilt” did for so many years. Various rules had to be adopted or altered to account for him being so far beyond his competition.

Current fandom may argue the game was significantly different, particularly in his early days, making it difficult to determine how meaningful his figures were. On the flip side, with far fewer teams (ten) in the NBA during nearly all of his career, it meant he faced the league’s other standouts much more frequently than contemporary hoopsters do. Regardless, the numbers Wilt willed against his opponents is almost beyond comprehension.

In a high school contest, he once scored 60 points—in ten minutes.
In two years at the University of Kansas, despite opponents using stall tactics to keep the scores down, he averaged 30 points and 18 rebounds a game. In a single 1962 NBA contest, he compiled a still unmatched 100 points while averaging over 50 a game for the whole season. One of only four players ever to surpass 30,000 career points (and in the least amount of seasons), Wilt's career rebounding record of nearly 24,000 is likely unbreakable.

When no player prior to his rookie NBA year managed to exceed 29 point-per-game in any one season, Chamberlain averaged 30 points per game over his entire career. He led the league in scoring his first seven years in a row and in rebounding 11 of his 14 professional seasons. His scoring figures are even more impressive considering he was a horrible free-throw shooter, barely making 50% in his career.

Despite creating an overwhelming number of statistical records and championships, Wilt, to this day, isn’t fully considered a “champ” by many. It’s hard to believe someone who both physically and statistically dwarfed his opposition could play in the shadows of anyone else at all, much less often. But the onslaught of Bill Russell (video) and his Boston Celtics frequently put Chamberlain’s dominance in the background.

While the Celtics’ owner-coach Red Auerbach racked up nine titles during Wilt’s career (and ones immediately before and after as well), the 7-1 “Tower of Power” managed just two rings in 14 seasons. Because Boston’s center Russell won so many more banners, many don’t even believe Chamberlain was the best big man of the era.

Critics cite the ability of the Celtics counterpart to raise his teammates’ play to a championship level, while Wilt was considered the ball hog, racking up those dizzying numbers but failing to elevate those around him as well. It’s as if Chamberlain was the only guy on the court for his side, while Russell was the consumate team player.

There may be some truth to that, particularly where Russell’s positives are concerned. He deservedly ranks among the best to ever play the game, without any debate. But, lost in all of Wilt's gaudy scoring and rebounding numbers, he actually led the NBA one season in assists per game. Still, when Godzilla gets the ball near the bucket, do you want him to pass the ball to someone twenty feet away?

Wilt Chamberlain may not have filled the fingers of his large hands with title rings, but the four-time MVP and Hall of Famer is and will remain one of the most paramount all-time performers in the world of sports. In his hometown of Philadelphia, a statue bearing his honor symbolizes that greatness.