Wilt Chamberlain
Childhood & High School Career
Wilt Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennslyvania. He played very well at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia . Chamberlain played on the varsity basketball team for three years. He scored 2,200 points in all three years. Wilt turned out to be devastating 7'1". Many nicknames he received were based off of his height. Like, "Wilt the Stilt," or "The Stilt." Those two names came from a reporter and Chamberlain hated them all.
College Career
When Chamberlain grauduated from high school, he had to make a choice of what college he would want to go to. He decided to go to the University of Kansas. He debuted with the Jayhawks in 1956 and led them to NCAA finals 1957. But they loss to North Carolina. Chamberlain won the "Most Outstanding Player"of the tournament. By continuing to successed, he made the all-conference and all-American teams the following seasons.
NBA Career
Wilt Chamberlain left college in 1958. He decided to play for the Harlem Globetrotters before playing for the Philadelphia Warriors. Wilt played his first professional game against the New York Knicks in 1959. He scored 43 points in that game. Playing that well in his first season in the NBA caused him to recieve many honors. Like, the NBA Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards. He also started a rivalry with Bill Russel that played for the Boston Celtics. In 1962, Chamberlain set a new record for most points made in one game ,which is 100 points. He even still holds that record today. At the end of season, he ended with more than 4,000 points. He was first NBA player to do that. He was also selected for the All-NBA first team three years in a row. Wilt was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers and he also recieved a championship there. Chamberlain was traded from the 76ers to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1968. He won the Lakers a championship in 1972 and was the NBA Finals MVP. Wilt Chamberlain eventually retired from the NBA in 1973. Wilt played in 1,045 games and averaged 30.1 points per game. He hels the NBA points-per-game record until Michale Jordan beat it in 1998. After retirement, Chamberlain written an autobiography, he tried to coach a basketball team, and was in the 1984 action film Conan The Destoryer. Wilt Chamberlain died of heart failure in 1992. But his NBA legacy will live on forever.