Wilt Chamberlain: "My playing weight was around 300-310"

[CavaliersFTW]

http://youtu.be/kBv0fGysb5o?t=23m14s

Towards the end of his career, just like I've said many times before from gathering data from newspapers. Now here he is saying it directly. I know most of you will go "well duh" but there was at least 1 or 2 posters on here who were trying to say Wilt 'never' weighed more than his 275 list weight or some nonsense along those lines.

[Eric Cartman]

The interviewer is so ****ing annoying my ears are bleeding.

[millwad]

Seriously, I love your dedication and work but do you really have to create a new Wilt thread regarding every single thing you find about him?

[CavaliersFTW]

The interviewer is so ****ing annoying my ears are bleeding.
Yeah he is hard to put up with, probably why I never made it this far into the interview before. I had seen this interview before (at least parts of it) but only just now noticed Wilt describe himself as 300-310lbs, which is the kind of data I find important when discussiosn come up about the greatest athletic specimens to play the game were.

[Haymaker]

Wilt was an insecure bitch who exaggerated and embellished his stories to prop himself up. Remember the mountain lion thing? :facepalm

[CavaliersFTW]

Seriously, I love your dedication and work but do you really have to create a new Wilt thread regarding every single thing you find about him?
Yes! :lol

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Disappointed it's not more to be honest.

[jongib369]

I actually kind or know the interviewer. Lives in the same town as I do and even spoke to his wife. Can't stand him in the interview but he was nice enough to get Gale Sayers autograph for my grandpa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNy7SvrLE9w :bowdown:


Anyways, I'm surprised it isn't obvious he weighed that much in his later years...Didn't you say he even got up to 315 earlier in his career? Out of his usual shape of course

Imagine his FG % if he could bulldoze people like shaq :roll:

[bdreason]

And he slept with 50,000 women too. :rolleyes:

[jongib369]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRl2Fzjsf1U

Idk if you've seen that video but this would be a nice audio clip to add to your highlights

[MP.Trey]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRl2Fzjsf1U

Idk if you've seen that video but this would be a nice audio clip to add to your highlights
"the fanga-roll!" George Gervin is awesome.

[plowking]

And he slept with 50,000 women too. :rolleyes:

This.

Not to mention he was very insecure and hated the nickname "Stilt", so I wouldn't be surprised if he exaggerated his claims by some margin.

I wouldn't believe the 300-310lbs claim.

[CavaliersFTW]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRl2Fzjsf1U

Idk if you've seen that video but this would be a nice audio clip to add to your highlights
Thanks, I will def find a use for that in a future vid :cheers:

[CavaliersFTW]

This.

Not to mention he was very insecure and hated the nickname "Stilt", so I wouldn't be surprised if he exaggerated his claims by some margin.

I wouldn't believe the 300-310lbs claim.
:facepalm While Wilt did of course tell fish stories, he was self conscious about his size, he always wanted a level playing field and avoided boasting about his size - in fact, he usually tried to dodge topics about his size because he hated the idea that people pushed that he only dominated because of it. Thus, you see him even try to dodge the question during that interview. Wilt's fish stories tended to revolve around his athleticism which he felt WASN'T a product of his size, a-la his 50 inch vertical which of course was bunk but it's not like he ever had it measured, knew what it was, than proceeded to lie about it, his vert had never been measured and at the time he stated it was 50 inches there really was zero standard for determining and documenting player verticals and lots of the great leaping players at the time were cited with anywhere from 40-50 inch verts. In his own typical boastful manner, he tried to assert that his was 50 inches up there with the best of them. Him almost dodging the question about his playing weight in his later years and the way he used to boast about topics, are not one in the same sorry.

[SyRyanYang]

http://youtu.be/kBv0fGysb5o?t=23m14s

Towards the end of his career, just like I've said many times before from gathering data from newspapers. Now here he is saying it directly. I know most of you will go "well duh" but there was at least 1 or 2 posters on here who were trying to say Wilt 'never' weighed more than his 275 list weight or some nonsense along those lines.

Didn't he die like, ages ago?:biggums:

[fpliii]

I thought this common knowledge? Anyhow, nice to hear it from the horse's mouth.

[Marchesk]

Wilt's fish stories tended to revolve around his athleticism which he felt WASN'T a product of his size, a-la his 50 inch vertical which of course was bunk but it's not like he ever had it measured, knew what it was, than proceeded to lie about it, his vert had never been measured and at the time he stated it was 50 inches there really was zero standard for determining and documenting player verticals and lots of the great leaping players at the time were cited with anywhere from 40-50 inch verts. In his own typical boastful manner, he tried to assert that his was 50 inches up there with the best of them.

I thought Wilt claimed that in response to all the attention Jordan was getting for his athleticism. 50 inches isn't a reasonable claim to make for a seven footer, or any NBA player. Jordan, Spud Webb, Dr. J, David Thompson, Dominique - none of those guys had a 50 inch vertical.

The highest vertical recorded by the NBA is 46 inches by DJ Stephens. Jordan's was around 44. So what Wilt did was exaggerate in keeping with his legendary image, just like with the 20,000 women claim.

[fpliii]

I thought Wilt claimed that in response to all the attention Jordan was getting for his athleticism. 50 inches isn't a reasonable claim to make for a seven footer, or any NBA player. Jordan, Spud Webb, Dr. J, David Thompson, Dominique - none of those guys had a 50 inch vertical.

The highest vertical recorded by the NBA is 46 inches by DJ Stephens. Jordan's was around 44. So what Wilt did was exaggerate in keeping with his legendary image, just like with the 20,000 women claim.

Was David Thompson's ever recorded?

[bdreason]

Wilt Chamberlain, "when I came into the league there wasn't more than 2 black players on any team. The only black player that was allowed to score a lot of buckets was Elgin Baylor. All the other black players were resigned to being hustle players".

When Wilt scored 100 points, there wasn't a single black player that played on the opposing team. The guy that guarded him was a 6'6" white guy, because the regular starting center (a 6'10" white guy) was hungover from drinking the night before.

[CavaliersFTW]

I thought Wilt claimed that in response to all the attention Jordan was getting for his athleticism. 50 inches isn't a reasonable claim to make for a seven footer, or any NBA player. Jordan, Spud Webb, Dr. J, David Thompson, Dominique - none of those guys had a 50 inch vertical.

The highest vertical recorded by the NBA is 46 inches by DJ Stephens. Jordan's was around 44. So what Wilt did was exaggerate in keeping with his legendary image, just like with the 20,000 women claim.
Again though, you must also understand neither he nor anyone else really had any way of knowing just how ridiculous it was going to sound 20 years in the future now that we actually record and measure such a thing accurately and frequently. There was no mass standard or database for measuring or accessing measured verticals back then. Hindsight is 20/20, now a days we know 50 inches sounds ridiculous, in the early 90's though, people were saying MJ had a 46 inch vert, and that X amount of guys could touch the top of the backboard, and that McHale and Ewing had 8 foot wingspans etc. LOTS of Wild claims existed back then, they don't all just revolve around Wilt or come out of Wilt's mouth. Now that we have standardized draft tests these sorts of claims sound much more ridiculous now, than it did back then. So yes of course he was just throwing out an exaggerated number because of his competitive nature, but it's the sort of thing that shouldn't be used to say, discredit Wilt stating his playing weight or something. I doubt he's exaggerating his playing weight the way he made up a number about what he thinks his vertical might have been.

[CavaliersFTW]

Wilt Chamberlain, "when I came into the league there wasn't more than 2 black players on any team. The only black player that was allowed to score a lot of buckets was Elgin Baylor. All the other black players were resigned to being hustle players".

When Wilt scored 100 points, there wasn't a single black player that played on the opposing team. The guy that guarded him was a 6'6" white guy, because the regular starting center (a 6'10" white guy) was hungover from drinking the night before.
:biggums:

Darryll Imhoff was the white guy guarding Wilt that night, he was 6-10 and he was the substitute center dipshit, and the 3rd string guy who rotated was "6-6" forward Johnny Green... a black leaper who at the time reportedly had a max reach of 12 feet 6 inches. Whether that's true or not, you have a "white guy" that is no smaller, weaker, or less athletic than Tyler Zeller or Anderson Varejao guarding Wilt with a black guy the size and athleticism of Tmac helping out. A similar emergency rotation could happen in the league TODAY.

[jongib369]

:biggums:

Darryll Imhoff was the white guy guarding Wilt that night, he was 6-10 and he was the substitute center dipshit, and the 3rd string guy who rotated who was "6-6" was forward Johnny Green... a black leaper who at the time reportedly had a max reach of 12 feet 6 inches. Whether that's true or not, you have a "white guy" that is no smaller, weaker, or less athletic than Tyler Zeller or Anderson Varejao guarding Wilt with a black guy the size and athleticism of Tmac helping out. A similar emergency rotation could happen in the league TODAY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6f5Uyu6Dv4

6' 5.5 without shoes

[bdreason]

:biggums:

Darryll Imhoff was the white guy guarding Wilt that night, he was 6-10 and he was the substitute center dipshit, and the 3rd string guy who rotated was "6-6" forward Johnny Green... a black leaper who at the time reportedly had a max reach of 12 feet 6 inches. Whether that's true or not, you have a "white guy" that is no smaller, weaker, or less athletic than Tyler Zeller or Anderson Varejao guarding Wilt with a black guy the size and athleticism of Tmac helping out. A similar emergency rotation could happen in the league TODAY.


I'm just going by the words that came out of the mouths of Wilt and the Knicks players. I'll take their word over yours.

[Marchesk]

Was David Thompson's ever recorded?

nba.com says it was 44, but I don't know where they got that number from.

http://www.nba.com/history/thompson_bio.html

I see one source listing Dr J at 41", but they list MJ at 48" and the site says those numbers are unconfirmed.

[CavaliersFTW]

I'm just going by the words that came out of the mouths of Wilt and the Knicks players. I'll take their word over yours.
lol, unless someone painted Johnny Green white, and wanted to ignore the existence of Darryl Imhoff your sources didn't come from them. Honestly, it sounds like your just making criticisms up in your head as you go along, as usual.

[Marchesk]

Also, I'm not believing the world record is five feet. I call BS, unless it's been confirmed officially. Or it was a running vertical, not a standing one.

[jongib369]

lol, unless someone painted Johnny Green white, and wanted to ignore the existence of Darryl Imhoff your sources didn't come from them. Honestly, it sounds like your just making criticisms up in your head as you go along, as usual.

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2011/08/09/19700307_royals_warriors_play_3.nba/index.html

[bdreason]

http://youtu.be/_SE43WJgg-g?t=4m



"It was a different league back then, featuring a different style of basketball. Wilt changed all that very quickly. It was a slow motion, slow dance game. Most the guys in the league couldn't even dunk. And here comes this phenomenon, showing everybody what the future is."





Imagine the reaction if a team, with game in hand (up 20+ points), attempted to force a player to 100 points in the modern league... going as far as to intentionally foul the other team to get the ball back. It would be seen as a disgrace to the game of basketball, as it should be.

[Marchesk]

and that X amount of guys could touch the top of the backboard

Yeah, I heard those growing up. Plenty of people still believe it's not that hard for tall (6'8" and up) leapers. Except almost nobody has officially done it. I've seen a couple youtube videos of guys touching a stick attached to the top of the backboard, but I don't know if the backboard was regulation height. The one in the GM looked like BS, but the one outside seemed more legit. Still, it could have been a few inches low.

And now way in hell has anyone ever made change at the top, and no way Earl Manigault was able to touch. Pure playground legend bs.

My feeling is that it's a very rare feet, only done by freak like Wilt. I don't know if Sampson ever did it.

As for the playing weight, I never doubted that seeing older Wilt's size in videos. He looks bulky enough.

[CavaliersFTW]

http://youtu.be/_SE43WJgg-g?t=4m



"It was a different league back then, featuring a different style of basketball. Wilt changed all that very quickly. It was a slow motion, slow dance game. Most the guys in the league couldn't even dunk. And here comes this phenomenon, showing everybody what the future is."





Imagine the reaction if a team, with game in hand (up 20+ points), attempted to force a player to 100 points in the modern league... going as far as to intentionally foul the other team to get the ball back. It would be seen as a disgrace to the game of basketball, as it should be.
Yeah, he's describing the state of the NBA in the 50's. Are you glossing over how he says Wilt quickly changed all that ? Wilt was in the league for 3 years by the time his 100 point game happened. A lot changed, quickly in that time frame.

[fpliii]

nba.com says it was 44, but I don't know where they got that number from.

http://www.nba.com/history/thompson_bio.html

I see one source listing Dr J at 41", but they list MJ at 48" and the site says those numbers are unconfirmed.

44" would get his head right to rim level. I can't find him getting that high, though he seems to have gotten to mid-net without much effort. These seem to be the three videos out there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQPVKQIFxVk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6OsKy1c5A0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whIPLxAXGc4

This reference:

http://books.google.com/books?id=-q9M4pe3kmUC&pg=PA91&lpg=PA91&dq=david+thompson+standing+reach&source=bl&ots=MLYRwPFVLg&sig=5LkWhjupilk2d0t5SMWwyoEL62U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WHkpUsDkIaTk4APD04GQBA&ved=0CGIQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=david%20thompson%20standing%20reach&f=false

has him at 42" max, and also puts Dr. Dunkenstein at 48" (Jordan and Nique between 36" and 40", which sounds low).

[LAZERUSS]

Wilt Chamberlain, "when I came into the league there wasn't more than 2 black players on any team. The only black player that was allowed to score a lot of buckets was Elgin Baylor. All the other black players were resigned to being hustle players".

When Wilt scored 100 points, there wasn't a single black player that played on the opposing team. The guy that guarded him was a 6'6" white guy, because the regular starting center (a 6'10" white guy) was hungover from drinking the night before.

Baylor, Oscar, and Bellamy were all 30+ point scorers in Chamberlain's 61-62 season.

Chamberlain also had a 73 point game that year against... the 6-11 Bellamy, which was just one of his THREE games of 60+ against him. In fact, Wilt AVERAGED 52.7 ppg against Bellamy that SEASON, and covering ten H2H's. And to prove it wasn't a fluke, he AVERAGED 43.7 ppg against Bellamy in another ten h2h's the very next year. Or, let's put it this was... he AVERAGED 48.2 ppg against Bellamy over the course of TWENTY straight games.

He had THREE complete seasons of 38.1 ppg, 38.2 ppg, and 39.7 ppg against Russell.

A couple of years later, in his nine H2H's with HOFer Willis Reed, Chamberlain AVERAGED 40.1 ppg.

Oh, and at age 32, and as late as the '69 season, Chamberlain hung TWO games of 60+. AND, he started out the '70 season by LEADING the league in scoring, at 32.2 (on a .579 FG%), over the course of the first nine games, before shredding his knee.

So, it didn't matter to Wilt whether his opposing centers were black or white, he dominated them all.

[stanlove1111]

http://youtu.be/kBv0fGysb5o?t=23m14s

Towards the end of his career, just like I've said many times before from gathering data from newspapers. Now here he is saying it directly. I know most of you will go "well duh" but there was at least 1 or 2 posters on here who were trying to say Wilt 'never' weighed more than his 275 list weight or some nonsense along those lines.


I don't believe anything Wilt says about himself. Not sure why you would..

Its fine if you want to believe Wilt weighed that much, but if he did then add 40 pounds onto the weight of anyone else who ever played to make it fit. If you do that then its not a big deal that Wilt weighed 300 because then a lot of guys were closer to that.

Remember Cav if Wilt really weighed that mush then Wilt was bigger then Reed by the same degree that Reed was bigger then West and so on and so on..

And of Wilt weighed 310 then Shaq weighed 390.

[Fresh Kid]

shaq would of beem scared of wilt tho:oldlol:

[Psileas]

I don't believe anything Wilt says about himself. Not sure why you would..

Its fine if you want to believe Wilt weighed that much, but if he did then add 40 pounds onto the weight of anyone else who ever played to make it fit. If you do that then its not a big deal that Wilt weighed 300 because then a lot of guys were closer to that.

Remember Cav if Wilt really weighed that mush then Wilt was bigger then Reed by the same degree that Reed was bigger then West and so on and so on..

And of Wilt weighed 310 then Shaq weighed 390.

It's not the first time you've claimed this. What is the rationale behind it? Show us the numbers you believe are true for Wilt, Reed and West. I only hope you don't pull the 235 number for Reed, just because BBR says so.

[stanlove1111]

It's not the first time you've claimed this. What is the rationale behind it? Show us the numbers you believe are true for Wilt, Reed and West. I only hope you don't pull the 235 number for Reed, just because BBR says so.


Whats the rational behind this? Really. Go look at their weights. Then look at everyone elses weight who ever played. We could do these comparisons all day

This is the way it is. Either Wilt didnt weigh 300 or he did and everyone elses listed weight is way off and they all weighed a lot more then listed. If this is the case then 300 isn't a big deal anyone because many guys weghed near that. And again Shaq weighed 390 if Wilt weighed 310.

[Psileas]

Whats the rational behind this? Really. Go look at their weights. Then look at everyone elses weight who ever played. We could do these comparisons all day

This is the way it is. Either Wilt didnt weigh 300 or he did and everyone elses listed weight is way off and they all weighed a lot more then listed. If this is the case then 300 isn't a big deal anyone because many guys weghed near that. And again Shaq weighed 390 if Wilt weighed 310.

It's never been as simple as just looking at their weights. All I see is Willis Reed being listed at 235, Moses Malone listed at 215, Artis Gilmore at 240, then I see Ron Artest being listed at 244. If one weight among all these seems anywhere near spot on, this is Artest's. So, back to Wilt, if Laker Wilt was 310 lbs and Artest 244, Wilt was heavier than Artest to the same degree Artest is compared to Bulls' Jordan (who has been listed at a bit less than 200). Anything extraordinary here now?

[CavaliersFTW]

It's never been as simple as just looking at their weights. All I see is Willis Reed being listed at 235, Moses Malone listed at 215, Artis Gilmore at 240, then I see Ron Artest being listed at 244. If one weight among all these seems anywhere near spot on, this is Artest's. So, back to Wilt, if Laker Wilt was 310 lbs and Artest 244, Wilt was heavier than Artest to the same degree Artest is compared to Bulls' Jordan (who has been listed at a bit less than 200). Anything extraordinary here now?
Guy is a clown, he still doesn't understand that listed weight isn't accurate. There are articles abound whether they be sports illustrated, or interviews for local papers, or w/e that can reveal how much player X weighs during X season, and rarely ever is it what they are listed on bball reference. Bball reference is nothing but a website created 20, 30, 40, and 50 years after some of those players played, they find one source of playing weight and they post it. Often times it ISN'T even the players listed info. For example, Jerry West, who was listed 6-3, is only penciled in at 6-2 on bball reference. Bball reference is an accurate stat site. Not an accurate source for player size.

[stanlove1111]

It's never been as simple as just looking at their weights. All I see is Willis Reed being listed at 235, Moses Malone listed at 215, Artis Gilmore at 240, then I see Ron Artest being listed at 244. If one weight among all these seems anywhere near spot on, this is Artest's. So, back to Wilt, if Laker Wilt was 310 lbs and Artest 244, Wilt was heavier than Artest to the same degree Artest is compared to Bulls' Jordan (who has been listed at a bit less than 200). Anything extraordinary here now?

much did Jerry West weigh? How much did Willis Reed weigh?

Like I said if Wilt weighed 300 then its not that big a deal because alot of guy weighed close to that if you don't believe their weigh listed.

[stanlove1111]

Guy is a clown, he still doesn't understand that listed weight isn't accurate. There are articles abound whether they be sports illustrated, or interviews for local papers, or w/e that can reveal how much player X weighs during X season, and rarely ever is it what they are listed on bball reference. Bball reference is nothing but a website created 20, 30, 40, and 50 years after some of those players played, they find one source of playing weight and they post it. Often times it ISN'T even the players listed info. For example, Jerry West, who was listed 6-3, is only penciled in at 6-2 on bball reference. Bball reference is an accurate stat site. Not an accurate source for player size.


This guy is an idiot. He quotes things like SI like they put Wilt on a scale.

If you would have read my posts I never claimed that listed weights are always correct.

[avonbarksdale]

please please stop posting

[CavaliersFTW]

please please stop posting
No

[La Frescobaldi]

I don't believe anything Wilt says about himself. Not sure why you would..

Its fine if you want to believe Wilt weighed that much, but if he did then add 40 pounds onto the weight of anyone else who ever played to make it fit. If you do that then its not a big deal that Wilt weighed 300 because then a lot of guys were closer to that.

Remember Cav if Wilt really weighed that mush then Wilt was bigger then Reed by the same degree that Reed was bigger then West and so on and so on..

And of Wilt weighed 310 then Shaq weighed 390.

Like, for example, Russell finally telling the truth about his own weight at 5:10 mark? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdd2biHVlyA

210 lbs, huh?

[LAZERUSS]

I can't help but shake my head...

No matter what Chamberlain claims, there will be those "wilt-bashers" who just won't accept it.

It was well documented in the mid-60's that Chamberlain's weight was around 300 lbs. And why would anyone bother to argue it?

If anything, I would question Wilt's own admission that he was barely over 7-1. There were sources which credited him with being 7-2+ in the 60's. And he CERTAINLY would measure that in today's NBA...and likely 7-3.

In any case, he was towering over the other 6-11 and seven-footers of his era.