Wilt Chamberlain

Lore & Background

Chamberlain won two NBA championships: the 1967 NBA Finals as a member of the 76ers, and the 1972 NBA Finals as a member of the Lakers. He also won four regular-season Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, the Rookie of the Year, one Finals MVP, and one All-Star Game MVP. He was selected to thirteen All-Star Games and ten All-NBA Teams (seven First and three Second teams). He won seven scoring, eleven rebounding, nine durability, and nine field goal percentage titles.

Reader's Guide

Chamberlain holds 72 NBA records, including several regular season records in scoring, rebounding, and durability; blocks were not counted during his career. He remains the only player to score 100 points in a single game. He also once gathered 55 rebounds, and never fouled out. Chamberlain is the only player to average 30 points and 20 rebounds per game in a season, a feat he accomplished seven times. He once averaged 50 points per game, as well as 48 minutes per game, in a season.

Did You Know?

• Chamberlain was one of the first players to make prominent use of shots like the fade away jump shot and the finger roll.
• His success near the basket led to the widening of the lane, offensive goaltending rules, and the banning of inbound passes over the backboard.
• Chamberlain, who was always a poor free throw shooter, had the ability to dunk from the foul line, which led to the ruling that a free-throw shooter must keep his feet behind the line.
• Following his professional basketball career, Chamberlain played volleyball in the short-lived International Volleyball Association (IVA) and served one term as league president.