Wilt Chamberlain Biography: Life and Death of the NBA Legend

What was Wilt Chamberlain's height when he started high school?

Why did Wilt Chamberlain's father have to raise the ceiling light fixtures in their home?

How was Wilt Chamberlain initially perceived when he started playing basketball?

How many colleges offered Wilt Chamberlain free scholarships when he was ready for college?

What was the salary Wilt Chamberlain received when he joined the Philadelphia Warriors in the NBA?

What was Wilt Chamberlain's nickname due to his height?

What made Wilt Chamberlain stand out during his first two seasons in the NBA?

Who was Wilt Chamberlain's fiercest rival mentioned in the text?

In which game did Wilt Chamberlain achieve the historic feat of scoring 100 points in a single night?

Where did the game where Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points take place?

What did Bill Russell prophesy about Wilt Chamberlain's scoring abilities?

Early Life and Childhood

Wilt Chamberlain was born in 1936 and came from a family of nine children with a mother who was a maid and a father who worked as a handyman and welder.
He was a sickly child and was often teased by his neighbors.
By the age of 10, Wilt had grown so tall that his father had to raise the ceiling light fixtures in their Philadelphia home to accommodate his height.

Physical Growth and Development

By the age of 12, Wilt was already over 6 feet tall.
He reached 6 feet 10 inches tall by the time he started high school at 14.
Wilt needed a special, long bed to sleep on and would quickly grow out of the clothes bought for him.
He eventually grew to be 7 feet 2 inches tall.

College Basketball and Scholarship Offers

Wilt received free scholarship offers from over 200 colleges by the time he was ready for college.
He became the most publicized college basketball player of all time.

Professional Basketball Career

Wilt turned professional to play with the Philadelphia Warriors in the NBA and was paid the highest salary ever paid a basketball player at that time - $65,000.
Despite being only a rookie, Wilt scored more points, made more rebounds, and played more minutes per game than any other player in basketball history during his first two seasons.

Notable Achievements and Rivalries

Wilt's fiercest rival, Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics, predicted that Chamberlain had the ability to score 100 points in a single game.
On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game against the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in front of a crowd of 4,124 spectators.

Learn about the challenges and childhood of basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain, from his humble beginnings to his extraordinary height at a young age.