Wilt Chamberlain strength and domination

[Scott Pippen]

Blocking

* "When challenged, Wilt could do almost anything he wanted. In 1961 a new star named Walt Bellamy came into the league. Bellamy was 6-foot-10, and was scoring 30 points a game. First time they played against each other, they met at half court. Bellamy said, 'Hello, Mr. Chamberlain. I'm Walter Bellamy.' Chamberlain reached for Bellamy's hand and said, 'Hello, Walter. You won't get a shot off in the first half.' Wilt then blocked Bellamy's first nine shots. At the start of the second half Wilt said to Bellamy, 'Okay, Walter. Now you can play.'" [1]

* Of all his memories of Wilt Chamberlain, the one that stood out for Larry Brown happened long after Chamberlain's professional career had ended. On a summer day in the early 1980s, when Brown was coaching at UCLA, Chamberlain showed up at Pauley Pavilion to take part in one of the high-octane pickup games that the arena constantly attracted. "Magic Johnson used to run the games," Brown recalled Tuesday after hearing that Chamberlain, his friend, had died at 63, "and he called a couple of chintzy fouls and a goaltending on Wilt. "So Wilt said: 'There will be no more layups in this gym,' and he blocked every shot after that. That's the truth, I saw it. He didn't let one [of Johnson's] shots get to the rim." Chamberlain would have been in his mid-40s at the time, and he remained in top physical shape until recently[1].


Dunking

* "What's unfortunate is that most people regard the great leapers as being only the short guys who could dunk," said the 7-1 1/16 Wilt Chamberlain. "My sergeant [vertical leap] was higher than Michael Jordan's. When I went to Kansas, they had a 12-foot basket in the gym, because Dr. Phog Allen was advocating the 12-foot basket. I used to dunk on that basket. It was an effort, but I could do it." [2]

* Wilt Chamberlain claims that his sergeant, during his prime, was "46 to 48 inches, easy." [2]

* "When I was a freshman, I fooled around with shooting free throws this way: For some reason, I thought you had to stay within the top half of that free-throw circle, so I would step back to just inside the top of the circle, take off from behind the line and dunk. They outlawed that, but I wouldn't have done it in a game, anyway. I was a good free throw shooter in college." Actually he was a 62% free throw shooter, which is poor except in comparison to his 51% as a pro. [2]

* Legends abound of the truly great leapers who could touch the top of the board. Almost always the feat involves money-claims that the player could grab a dollar bill off the top of the board, or could pluck off a quarter and leave two dimes and a nickel change ... "I defy anyone to say they took change off the top of the backboard," Chamberlain said. "I could. Someone would put a quarter up and I'd snatch it down. I've heard stories about Jackie Jackson doing it, but I've never seen anyone (but himself) come close." Sonny Hill, a Philadelphia leaping legend of the '60s, backs Wilt, saying, "The only man that's been to the top, that's Wilt. I asked Kareem if he ever did, and he could jump a little bit. He told me, `Sonny, no.'" [2]



Scoring

* In Denver, Nugget Coach Dan Issel said, "As I grew up, Wilt the Stilt was the player. Just the things he was able to do. I guess one year they told him he couldn't make as much money as he wanted because he couldn't pass the ball, so he went out and led the league in assists. "Watching Wilt, you always kind of got the idea he was just playing with people. That he was on cruise control and still 10 times better than anybody else that was playing at that time." [1]

* "I just remember he was dominating, a scoring machine, unstoppable," Walt Frazier, the Knicks' Hall of Famer, said. "The guy looked indestructible. He was such a physical specimen, I never thought something like this would happen to him at 63. "His legacy is comical. When you read about his records, it makes you laugh. He has records that are just remarkable. I don't care if he was 10 feet tall, the things that he did.[3]

* Darrall Imhoff, who as a 6-foot-10 rookie center for the New York Knicks had the misfortune of guarding Chamberlain during his 100-point game in 1962, said, "I spent 12 years in his armpits, and I always carried that 100-point game on my shoulders. "After I got my third foul, I said to one of the officials, Willy Smith, 'Why don't you just give him 100 points and we'll all go home?' Well, we did." Two nights later, at Madison Square Garden, Chamberlain tried to go for the century mark again. But Imhoff held him to 54 points. The fans gave Imhoff a standing ovation. "He was an amazing, strong man," Imhoff said. "I always said the greatest record he ever held wasn't 100 points, but his 55 rebounds against Bill Russell. Those two players changed the whole game of basketball. The game just took an entire step up to the next level." [1]

* Former NBA center and Chicago Bull coach Johnny "Red" Kerr, who played part of one season in Philadelphia with Wilt and against him for six-plus years, said, "He was the NBA. He was the guy on the top. Wilt was the guy you talked about--he and Bill Russell. He was the most dominating center--the best center to ever play in the NBA." [1]


Strength

* Former Celtics guard K.C. Jones remembered his casual run-in with Wilt. "He stopped me dead in my tracks with his arm, hugged me and lifted me off the floor with my feet dangling," Jones said. "It scared the hell out of me. When I went to the free-throw line, my legs were still shaking. Wilt was the strongest guy and best athlete ever to play the game. [Source: Goliath's Wonderful Life, Hoop Magazine; May 1999; Chris Ekstrand]

* Several years after Wilt stopped playing, he toyed with the idea of a comeback. On the day he visited the Knicks' offices in Madison Square Garden, he talked to Red Holzman, then strode out to the elevator. When it opened, two deliverymen were struggling with a dolly piled high with boxes of office supplies, mostly letterheads and envelopes. The load was so heavy, the elevator had stopped maybe four inches below the floor level and now the deliverymen were huffing and puffing, but they couldn't raise the dolly high enough to get it on the floor level. After maybe two minutes of the deliverymen's huffing and puffing, Wilt, his biceps bulging in a tank top, peered down at them and intoned, "Gentlemen, maybe I can help." They stepped back, he stepped into the elevator, grabbed each end of the rope slung under the dolly and without much exertion, quickly lifted the dolly onto the floor level. Looking up in awe, the deliverymen said, "Thank you." Wilt said, "You're welcome." Wilt stepped into the elevator and rode down to the street level as another witness followed the two deliverymen toward the Knick offices and asked, "How much does all this weigh?" They quickly surveyed the stack of big boxes of office supplies. "Close to 600 pounds," one said. [Source: The Good Natured Giant Wasn't Belligerent, Sports of the Times; Oct 13, 1999; Dave Anderson]


Post-NBA life

* In 1982, when he was 45 and Philadelphia 76er owner Harold Katz was hot after him, the Houston Chronicle's George White asked Elvin Hayes if Chamberlain could still play. "Some things about Wilt, you never forgot," Hayes said. "He was such an awesome physical specimen. To go up under Wilt Chamberlain, to be down there and look up at him when he's towering up over you waiting to dunk, was a terrifying picture. To see him poised up there, knowing he was about to sweep down with that big jam . . . that must be the most frightening sight in sports. The ball goes shooting through the net and you better have your body covered up because he could really hurt someone. I was scared. Everyone was scared when he got that look in his eye, that don't-try-to-stop-this look that he got when he really wanted it. . . . "I think Russell realized there was no way he could have stopped Wilt if he had been fully intent on making it a two-man game. No one who ever put on a uniform could have done it. When I played him, I kept this foremost in my mind: Above all, don't make him mad. Don't embarrass him. You wanted to keep him quiet as long as possible." [4]



Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Chamberlain

* "Chamberlain played the game the same way Russell did, except he scored so much more. But his teams had to get more points from him. He'd score 45 points and his teams would still lose."
* "Wilt had to fight people's dissatisfaction that his teams didn't win. There he was, this great dominating player, and his teams didn't win championships. Well, Wilt wasn't playing for the right team. As an individual, he was in a class by himself, but his teammates--they were OK, but not the supporting cast Russell had."
* "If you want to get Wilt ticked off or bitter, just mention Bill Russell. You will incite him."
o Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in an 1998 interview with Playboy magazine




if all true:applause::bowdown:

[SoCalMike]

this is a very nice write up on a great player... honestly, i think he would have handled Shaq very easily, as he would have out hustled him and i don't think Shaq could have out muscled him. he was an incredible physical specimin.




:pimp:

[Loki]

* "When I was a freshman, I fooled around with shooting free throws this way: For some reason, I thought you had to stay within the top half of that free-throw circle, so I would step back to just inside the top of the circle, take off from behind the line and dunk. They outlawed that, but I wouldn't have done it in a game, anyway. I was a good free throw shooter in college." Actually he was a 62% free throw shooter, which is poor except in comparison to his 51% as a pro. [2]

LOL Wilt was even worse than Kobe "I can get mine whenever I want to except in the Finals" Bryant when talking about himself. He's basically saying that he used to dunk FT's from behind the line off a single step run-up. GTFO. :oldlol:

[inclinerator]

wilt is great no question he was an athlete ahead of his time and was stronger than anyone during that time too. Every Era is different we cant compare and say Wilt would be a scrub today. He may or he may not be, we would never know. Each era is wholely different. When Wilt played it was the beggining of basketball no one knew the best ways to score and most efficient ways. It was faster paced, teams took more shots. No three pointers so the fg percent equaled out with absurd number of shots taken. DUring the Mj era there was man to man no zone. It was a tough defensive era were people got fouled hard. There would be moves that would instantly be called fouls today. Todays era the zone. One of the most deadliest type of defense trapping the stars of the team and allowing the others to score. They could send the whole team after the star if they wanted to. It is harder for stars to score unless they are not double or triple team. The mj era had better man to man defenders. Todays era have better helped and double teamers. Ala the celtics.

ps i think shaq would give him trouble not even the 300 lbs today could contain shaq 1v1

[SoCalMike]

ps i think shaq would give him trouble not even the 300 lbs today could contain shaq 1v1

its really something i would have loved to see... too bad we cant make that kinda stuff happen.

one historical note regarding wilt... he was actually well over 300 pounds... more like around 320 from what i remember reading about/hearing from interviews from chick hearn, etc. apparently, at that time in the league, being over 300 sounded "bad" so he wanted to be listed under that. i think he was listed at 290?

i dont think shaq could have moved him that much but again, it would have been glorious to see those two do battle, both in their primes. personally, i would have given to to wilt.



:pimp:

[One of Shemps Kids]

Was he a basketball player or a superhero? Can you say "overrated"?

I love that athletes of generation pasts always grow tenfold in greatness after every year, especially those with a lack of film to back up nor disprove old timer's claims.

When my kids are growing up, they'll probably be saying some bull **** like "My dad told me that today's basketball players don't have fundementals like the old days. He said Kobe Bryant could score 50ppg in this era at ease, and when Wilt Chamberlian played, he could jump from freethrow line to freethrow line...with a single step."

[BrianScalabrine]

He is better than Jordan and Kobe combined.

[zabuza666]

He sounds like an arrogant *******, no humility what-so-ever.

Great player mind you.

[nba_55]

He was sick!!!! 100 points, 55 rebounds!!!!
and what make me laugh was the part that said that a guy told him to 54 points and got a standing ovation.

[StroShow4]

all i have to say is that he comes off as one arrogant mofo. wow. :oldlol: :roll:

[CaptainOwlClub]

fun to read- no doubt on his dominance and ability

why is he such a liar though? no chance he slept with 20,000 women- wouldnt we have heard of his superfreak genes passed down to ATLEAST one future 7-0 footer?

never once have i heard of even one player who claimed to descend from wilt- there is no way thats possible is there?

just by the numbers there had to have been atleast 1 basketball playing wilt jr to reach atleast the ncaa level if not the league

[Kblaze8855]

If you have a 100 point game, a 55 rebound game vs who is considered the best rebounder ever, have a 20/20/20 game, lead the L in rebounds 11 times, score 50ppg in one of 7 seasons you lead the leage in that, lead the league in assists, shoot 73%, win 68 and 69 games with 2 titles, and leave the game with a few dozen records only to be so good as a retired player that you still get offers to join the NBA at age 53...you would be arrogant too.

And I dont doubt wilt could take a step and lay it in from the Ft line. Not dunk though. The FT line isnt as far for guys on that level as it seems for most. A lot of people can dunk from the line. Jeff Foster did it with ease. It doesnt even see mto be in dispute from anyone that Wilt dunked from the line and the NCAA outlawed jumping at the FT line because of it. Just a matter of how much space he needed to run to do it.

[Loki]

And I dont doubt wilt could take a step and lay it in from the Ft line. Not dunk though. The FT line isnt as far for guys on that level as it seems for most. A lot of people can dunk from the line. Jeff Foster did it with ease. It doesnt even see mto be in dispute from anyone that Wilt dunked from the line and the NCAA outlawed jumping at the FT line because of it. Just a matter of how much space he needed to run to do it.

He said he dunked it, though. That's the point. I could believe that he laid it up too off of one step, but not a dunk. The fact that he even expected people to believe that is hysterical. :oldlol:

[Kblaze8855]

Id like to see what he or Larry Nance could do taking off after a couple steps. I figure he meant a full step then the step he jumps with.

[Loki]

Id like to see what he or Larry Nance could do taking off after a couple steps. I figure he meant a full step then the step he jumps with.

He said he stayed within the top half of the FT circle. I don't think a guy Wilt's size (or any NBA player, really) can get more than one step from the back of that circle to the FT line.

[Chicago76]

I know that Wilt was given to a lot of hyperbole, but there is really no way to overstate his athleticism. What we do know about him is what is documented in his 100 yd, 440, 880, long jump, high jump, and shot put scores. Not by him, but by his actual, recorded times in meets. We have a pretty good idea of what he could do in the 1500m and its easy to convert 100yd and 440 times to 100m and 400m times. This means that we can figure out what he would do in these events in the decathlon.

I think it's fair to say that he could equal all of his personal bests in a decathlon if he actually focused on track. It's probably also fair to say that he could shave 0.2 seconds off a 100m time running on a modern surface vs. cinders and add 3-4 inches to his high jump using the flop technique rather than the scissor technique in the 50s. Using those assumptions, this is how Wilt would look through 5 events in the 2004 Olympics. Yeah, I said 2004, 40 years after his day, at 7-1 250 lbs, against guys using better training and nutrition:

1 *Dmitriy Karpov*(KAZ) 4689
2 *Roman Šebrle*(CZE) 4594
3 *Bryan Clay*(USA) 4554
4 *Dean Macey*(GBR) 4454
5 *Tom Pappas*(USA) 4415
6 *Claston Bernard*(JAM) 4408
7 *Chiel Warners*(NED) 4387
8 Wilt Chamberlain (USA) 4330
9 *Attila Zsivoczky*(HUN) 4294
10 *Jaakko Ojaniemi*(FIN) 4261
10 *Laurent Hernu*(FRA) 4199

The next question out of everyone here is: "If he was so great at the decathlon, why did he never do it in the Olympics?" The answer is here, from World Champion and Gold Medalist Al Oerter, who threw discus for Kansas while Wilt was high jumping, shot putting, and running the 440:

”A person can physically throw 80 metres, the limiting factor is the size of the circle. A young person with a height of about 190 cm, a good arm length and a phenomenal turning capacity can definitely throw much further than the World record. I tried to show basketball player Wilt Chamberlain how to throw the discus once, but he couldn’t do it because, at 216 cm, he was too tall for the ring.”

Chamberlain was simply too big to get the torque in the discus ring and he was also probably too heavy for the pole vault poles.

There is a video out there of Chamberlain high jumping. If you notice, his technique isn't great, and he only takes a three step jog to the bar, while everyone else takes a 6 to 8 step run. He's on at 0:08 jumping 6-4. Bud Smith, the second man in history to jump 7-0 won the meet at 6-9. Chamberlain ended up second at 6-6. It still gives you an idea that if he treated this as more than a "hobby" he could have been world class in anything he did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCLDu4HBYtc

I don't doubt for a second that he could dunk a basketball from 15 feet with a two step approach. And I think he could get two steps in by running along the circle.

A lot of the young guys on this board say Wilt just beat up on smaller guys. The truth is, he was gifted with 1 in a 10 million athleticism. He just happened to combine that with one in a million height. The odds were incredible and we'll only see something like this once every century on earth, which means a fair amount of you reading this will be dead by then. Olajuwon, Jabbar, Robinson, O'Neal aren't even close.

[OutOfPlace]

Wilt's athleticism is wildly overblown. Guy wasn 't even on Ryan Hollins level.

Scrub.

[inclinerator]

um no he was just tall and skinny dwight howard could probably jump over that you just need hops and agile

[VeeCee15]

Look at videos of wilt on youtube.

He is nothing special athletically nowadays.

Shaq would own him so hard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLrMw3vvhQw

Wilt = a stiff by today's standards.

[Heretik32]

There hasn't been anyone on Earth as convinced of Wilt's greatness as Wilt himself. If someone had asked him whether he could fly he'd have responded in a heartbeat that yes indeed, he could. Without even breaking a smile.

[Heretik32]

On Wilt's dominance:

I always compare players with other players of their "generation", and I abhore topics like "If Ewing played today". If you take prime Ewing as was and put him into today's game he'd be nothing special. My opinion, as said. You can compare Kobe and McGrady until the cows come home, but you can't really compare Ewing to Yao because, quite simply, the game never stops evolving, and player skillsets are evolving, too. More importantly, the game's athleticism increases at ever higher speeds.

That said, there are always players that somehow "skip" a generation, thus dominating their competition. Those guys are athletic freaks or just incredibly innovative or effective with their skillsets. Those are the kind of players that are indeed able to compete with the next generation. Pre-injury Vince was an example. Kobe, of course. LeBron. Heck, Jordan skipped three or four generations. But in my opinion, and bash me all day for all I care, there will be a time when even a prime Jordan with his back-then athleticism and skillset wouldn't dominate the league. Those guys are legends because they were that good at that time, and they laid the foundations for future generations.

Wilt was bunches of generations ahead of his time. He slaughtered his opponents just because of his immense athleticism, much like Shaq generations later. But even mighty Wilt, and again, that's probably just my opinion, would be nothing special in today's league.

[Younggrease]

On Wilt's dominance:

I always compare players with other players of their "generation", and I abhore topics like "If Ewing played today". If you take prime Ewing as was and put him into today's game he'd be nothing special. My opinion, as said. You can compare Kobe and McGrady until the cows come home, but you can't really compare Ewing to Yao because, quite simply, the game never stops evolving, and player skillsets are evolving, too. More importantly, the game's athleticism increases at ever higher speeds.


Ignorance..prime Ewing was skilled and more athletic then ever center in the league except one. And I would take Ewings athletic package over Howards because Ewing was more coordinated and had a touch around the rim. Nothing special?? you must be like 12 and never watched Ewing play, these centers in the league today can barely score on the block. Chris Kaman and Marcus CAmby are top 5-10 centers in the league. But Ewing would be nothing when he is better defensively then Camby and 10 times better offensively then Kaman.

Nothing special?

I guess all the centers today do this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxnB9OA3-gA&feature=related

and this is the same Zo that was blocking EVERYONE but with 2 of his own kidneys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5f6TBOiaxw&feature=related

Greg Oden wishes he was as good as Ewing was in college

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B23Ki5px57g



Wilt was bunches of generations ahead of his time. He slaughtered his opponents just because of his immense athleticism, much like Shaq generations later. But even mighty Wilt, and again, that's probably just my opinion, would be nothing special in today's league.

More ignorance. Nothing special? In a league where the Yao and Dwight are the 2 best centers? Dwight is 6"9 with no post moves and Yao is 7"6 nd shoots fadeaway jumpers in the clutch and watches games from the sidelines. But Wilt 7"1 and world class athlete with more touch then Dwight, better moves, would be nothing special.

[Heretik32]

you must be like 12 and never watched Ewing play

You expect people to lead intelligent discussion with you on that basis?

[Younggrease]

You expect people to lead intelligent discussion with you on that basis?

there is no other explanation for someone to say Ewing would be nothing special in the NBA today... Pls feel free to enlighten me...

[Vendetta]

Wilt would not be able to contain a prime Shaq. Shaq would have just pushed him out of the way like he has done every single player he's ever faced.

[Heretik32]

there is no other explanation for someone to say Ewing would be nothing special in the NBA today... Pls feel free to enlighten me...

You got to be aware that you know those players only in one certain context, and that's them playing back when they played against those players they played against. Athleticism in sports is evolving at a terrifying rate, and any player that even remotely relied on athleticism back then would be hopelessly outmatched in that area today.

You also mustn't forget every generation of players learns from the players that came before them.

The problem is that you can't argue with hero worship. And fact is that we'll never know just how good Ewing at al would do against today's players. It's all just speculation.

[Younggrease]

You also mustn't forget every generation of players learns from the players that came before them.

The problem is that you can't argue with hero worship. And fact is that we'll never know just how good Ewing at al would do against today's players. It's all just speculation.


And well it seems lie no one as learned to have a game like Ewing had. Its really not even speculation. A talent like Ewing doesnt come along too often. He is a legit 7 footer, crazy wing span and could run the floor, he could shoot a jumper and he could hit jump hooks. Its about as much speculation as wondering if Hakeem could still play today, but I guess you think that's just hero worship too.

[SoCalMike]

The problem is that you can't argue with hero worship. And fact is that we'll never know just how good Ewing at al would do against today's players. It's all just speculation.

I don't disagree with this statement about speculation, but some of you dismiss the guy with very little basis in fact because he was around before most of you were born and you never really saw him play. I find that very poor reasoning. I wonder how many of you ever watched him play via ESPN classic or other documentary films?

Wilt was a gifted athlete with incredible size, strength, heart and hustle whether it was in today's era or yesterday's.

This is not about "hero worship" and that statement you make tries to sumarily dismiss Wilt's greatness and I think its a bit silly with all due respect.



:pimp:

[VCMVP1551]

LOL Wilt was even worse than Kobe "I can get mine whenever I want to except in the Finals" Bryant when talking about himself. He's basically saying that he used to dunk FT's from behind the line off a single step run-up. GTFO. :oldlol:

Wilt is a legend and without a doubt a top 10 player of all-time but he lied a lot and had a massive ego.

There's no way in hell he had a 46-48 inch vertical. Subtract 10 inches from that claim and you have a realistic best case scenario for Wilt's prime vertical.

I've also heard comments by Wilt saying things like "If I knew all of my records wouldn't be unbreakable I would have actually tried to make my free throws."

It's also funny how people criticize Shaq for demanding 2 trades, fighting with teammates ect. when Wilt did the same thing as well as getting multiple coaches fired.

Most people ignore all of Wilt's flaws. Pretty much any of the criticisms of Shaq apply to Wilt as well.

[SoCalMike]

All of my comments regarding Wilt have nothing to do with his ego which was bigger than his size. Yes, he was on arrogant mofo which really stood out in his time.

You cannot dismiss anyone's achievements because of their ego or because you don't like thier personality.. Think of Ali in boxing... same kind of thing... Huge ego, but he backed it up.


:pimp:

[VCMVP1551]

All of my comments regarding Wilt have nothing to do with his ego which was bigger than his size. Yes, he was on arrogant mofo which really stood out in his time.

You cannot dismiss anyone's achievements because of their ego or because you don't like thier personality.. Think of Ali in boxing... same kind of thing... Huge ego, but he backed it up.


:pimp:


Yeah I'm not trying to diminish any of what Wilt did, I'm just pointing out that Shaq gets criticized far more for doing pretty much the same thing.

The 76ers had to hold practice later because Wilt liked to wake up late. Could you imagine if Shaq tried to pad his stats and lead the league in categories on purpose like Wilt did?

I think Wilt gets cut some slack because he is a legend now who played 40 years ago while Shaq is still around but regardless of the reason it's a double standard.

[Younggrease]

Yeah I'm not trying to diminish any of what Wilt did, I'm just pointing out that Shaq gets criticized far more for doing pretty much the same thing.

The 76ers had to hold practice later because Wilt liked to wake up late. Could you imagine if Shaq tried to pad his stats and lead the league in categories on purpose like Wilt did?

I think Wilt gets cut some slack because he is a legend now who played 40 years ago while Shaq is still around but regardless of the reason it's a double standard.

Shaq rarely gets criticized outside of this board... Wilt was criticized a lot more in his time from what I hear.

[VCMVP1551]

Shaq rarely gets criticized outside of this board... Wilt was criticized a lot more in his time from what I hear.

Back then, maybe but from what I hear people mostly focused on Wilt not winning a championship for the first 7 years of his career. Shaq was criticized for that same thing during the 90's as well.

Shaq takes a lot more criticism now than Wilt does when ranking players all-time.

People focus on Shaq's work ethic and Shaq's ability to get along with teammates and coaches but those things apply to Wilt as well. People rarely mention that in those discussions anymore.

I'm not excusing some of Shaq's behavior either, I'm just saying the same criticism should apply to Wilt in those all-time ranking discussions.

[Heretik32]

I don't disagree with this statement about speculation, but some of you dismiss the guy with very little basis in fact because he was around before most of you were born and you never really saw him play. I find that very poor reasoning. I wonder how many of you ever watched him play via ESPN classic or other documentary films?

Wilt was a gifted athlete with incredible size, strength, heart and hustle whether it was in today's era or yesterday's.

This is not about "hero worship" and that statement you make tries to sumarily dismiss Wilt's greatness and I think its a bit silly with all due respect.



:pimp:

No matter how physically gifted the guy might've been, it can't hold a candle to todays athletes, who are more or less bred to be the ultimate sports machines from an early age and with much more sophisticated methods.
I accept Wilt's greatness and acknowledge him as a top 3 player ever, but if you put him in a time machine and onto today's NBA courts, he'd be in for a lot of humiliation.

[SoCalMike]

No matter how physically gifted the guy might've been, it can't hold a candle to todays athletes, who are more or less bred to be the ultimate sports machines from an early age and with much more sophisticated methods.
I accept Wilt's greatness and acknowledge him as a top 3 player ever, but if you put him in a time machine and onto today's NBA courts, he'd be in for a lot of humiliation.

thats pure speculation as you have pointed out.... comparing players against different eras is an impossible task.



:pimp:

[Chicago76]

People are quick to dismiss the athleticism of those from prior years because they automatically assume that modern techniques must produce greater athletes. All things equal, they do, but for guys who were true freaks of nature in their time, the transcend whatever disadvantages they had against modern training.

Like Chamberlain, Jesse Owens was a freak of nature. He jumped 8.13 meters in 1935 in the long jump while taking off from a cinder runway. 62 years later, with all those advances everyone talks about, his 8.13 meter jump (non-wind aided) from an obsolete track wearing heavy spikes would be good enough for the bronze medal in the 2007 world championships.

Of course the 2007 athletes were wearing lightweight spikes, jumping from a composite surface, with the best nutrition, with full time trainers and support staffs, presumably using drugs that WADA hasn't figured out how to test for yet...surely you guys don't think anyone in athletics is clean now, do you?

and Jesse Owens would be beaten for the silver medal by 3 cm by someone 62 years more "advanced" than he was.

Yeah...guys from today are automatically better athletes. Sure.

[Heretik32]

People are quick to dismiss the athleticism of those from prior years because they automatically assume that modern techniques must produce greater athletes. All things equal, they do, but for guys who were true freaks of nature in their time, the transcend whatever disadvantages they had against modern training.

Like Chamberlain, Jesse Owens was a freak of nature. He jumped 8.13 meters in 1935 in the long jump while taking off from a cinder runway. 62 years later, with all those advances everyone talks about, his 8.13 meter jump (non-wind aided) from an obsolete track wearing heavy spikes would be good enough for the bronze medal in the 2007 world championships.

Of course the 2007 athletes were wearing lightweight spikes, jumping from a composite surface, with the best nutrition, with full time trainers and support staffs, presumably using drugs that WADA hasn't figured out how to test for yet...surely you guys don't think anyone in athletics is clean now, do you?

and Jesse Owens would be beaten for the silver medal by 3 cm by someone 62 years more "advanced" than he was.

Yeah...guys from today are automatically better athletes. Sure.

Good point actually.

[Kblaze8855]

No matter how physically gifted the guy might've been, it can't hold a candle to todays athletes, who are more or less bred to be the ultimate sports machines from an early age and with much more sophisticated methods.
I accept Wilt's greatness and acknowledge him as a top 3 player ever, but if you put him in a time machine and onto today's NBA courts, he'd be in for a lot of humiliation.


In a league where a 30 something vlade Vlade divac, Theo Ratliff, Big Z, and Jamal Magloire have been all star centers....a 7'1''(be listed as probably 7'2'' or more today since they measure in shoes) track star who can long jump 21-24 feet(not a theory....an actual result from a recorded jump in college) and jump over Kobe using an awful 50s method.....is too unathletic to play well?

Wilt was at 7'1'' a legit olympic level all around athlete(as was Bill Russell....top 5 ranked high jumper in the 50s). That kind of special doesnt go away in 40 years. If Big Z and Vlade Divac can be stars in our era there is no case against wilt concerning his athletic ability.

[D-Fence]

Good read, Scott Pippen. I’ve heard that stuff before, but it's nice to read it together in one post. It's unfortunate, however, that some posters continue to seemingly discredit all things historical without much apparent reasoning.


Was he a basketball player or a superhero? Can you say "overrated"?

I love that athletes of generation pasts always grow tenfold in greatness after every year, especially those with a lack of film to back up nor disprove old timer's claims.

When my kids are growing up, they'll probably be saying some bull **** like "My dad told me that today's basketball players don't have fundementals like the old days. He said Kobe Bryant could score 50ppg in this era at ease, and when Wilt Chamberlian played, he could jump from freethrow line to freethrow line...with a single step."



Wilt's athleticism is wildly overblown. Guy wasn 't even on Ryan Hollins level.

Scrub



um no he was just tall and skinny dwight howard could probably jump over that you just need hops and agile



Look at videos of wilt on youtube.

He is nothing special athletically nowadays.

Shaq would own him so hard.

Wilt = a stiff by today's standards.

At least Heretik32 made an argument. I think it relies upon a flawed belief of constant increasingly rapid evolution and standards of athleticism, though. It’s a rather unimportant point, anyhow, especially when one begins assuming what would happen to a player if we somehow transport them in time and just throw them in some games without modern benefits. Does that say anything significant about Wilt Chamberlain or whomever?

Additionally, of course a lot of stories about Chamberlain and past events in general are factually suspect, but that's a natural fault of humans. Even without a strong ego, people will foget things and "remember" things that never actually happened. Really, everytime any of us remember something, we're simultaneously recreating our memory--filling in blanks and otherwise unintentionally being confused. Easy to see that eventually one can believe they remember something that didn't happen or didn't happen the way they remember it. You don't need a big ego for that, although it probably doesn't hurt.

[guy]

In a league where a 30 something vlade Vlade divac, Theo Ratliff, Big Z, and Jamal Magloire have been all star centers....a 7'1''(be listed as probably 7'2'' or more today since they measure in shoes) track star who can long jump 21-24 feet(not a theory....an actual result from a recorded jump in college) and jump over Kobe using an awful 50s method.....is too unathletic to play well?

Wilt was at 7'1'' a legit olympic level all around athlete(as was Bill Russell....top 5 ranked high jumper in the 50s). That kind of special doesnt go away in 40 years. If Big Z and Vlade Divac can be stars in our era there is no case against wilt concerning his athletic ability.

I agree. I don't think Wilt would be having seasons where he was averaging 50 ppg/27 rpg, and having 100 point or 55 rebound games, but I think he'd be a star in any era. His athleticism transcends any era. He's a freak of nature.

[Chicago76]

Taking it a step further with guys who were freaks in the 60s and early 70s (during the time of Chamberlain):

Ralph Boston, not Bob Beamon, was consistently the best long jumper of the 1960s. Beamon had one out of his mind jump that hurt Boston's legacy. Anyway, Ralph Boston had several non-wind-aided jumps in major meets 40-45 years ago that would have made him world champion today in the long jump.

Mark Spitz won 7 golds in the 1972 Munich Olympics. All of his world records have been totally obliterated. Swimming probably has undergone more technical assistance than any other sport in the world. First it was the swim cap to cut down on drag (Spitz didn't use). Then it was better pool technology that absorbed waves (Spitz didn't have). Next it was swim stroke analysis in jet pools (Spitz didn't have). Finally, it has been these new anti-drag suits (Spitz didn't have). Spitz attempted a comeback at 41 after being out of competitive swimming for 20 years. He didn't qualify, and it was kind of stupid to think he would, given his age and time away. But, at 41, he actually beat several of his old records. A 41-year old man's body was able to adapt to modern techniques in 6 months to produce results he couldn't get at 21.

Even if the actual athletic differences are significant (and I don't think they are), I think it's fair to say the body of a 24-year old Chamberlain would have responded almost immediately to modern training.

Can we finally put to rest the "Today's athletes are better" argument?

[Kblaze8855]

Id say that overall the athletes today are better but how much it impacts the players ability is vastly overblown. Good players last through every era to the next one. Kareem could have been in the nba from 1965 to 1990 if he wanted it. Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld had teammates and opponents in the NBA till like 2002. **** Allen Iverson and Wes Unseld share a common teammate or two(Rick Mahorn). The NBA isnt old enough for there to even be these real divides yet. This isnt baseball where the "legends" are from 1912. Wilt was an nba level player in 1989. In the 80s there were billboards put up in Philly concerning his potential comeback when he got offered a deal and wanted to do it just to show people he still could. Wilt was an NBA level player from at least like 1955 to 1985 or later. Some of the true greats have shown 25+ year windows of being able to compete. Guys like Jordan play for years against Kareem and at 40 still give players 50 in 2002 and 2003. Guys like Elvin Hayes were 23/11 players with Bird and Magic and winning more in the late 70s than they did in the "weaker" eras they started in with WIlt and Russell.

Players evolve but they dont do it at nearly the same rate in the NBA as in some sports. As was pointed out some sports(like Swimming) have major advances to make a guy move better in water. What really makes a guys jumper better if he takes a 1000 shots a day? He might have more range(since he takes more shots from 3) but he wouldnt just be more accurate at making the shots hes expected ot take.

If Rodman comes out in 2005 and not 86(at age 25 I add...Rodman by age could have been in the NBA in 1981) is he gonna better predict where rebounds come off the rim? Would having a more modern handle like a Jamal Crawford really make MJ score 40 a game and not 37? What if it made him rely more on it and not his crazy first step and he developed into a more selfish(appearing) over dribbler and was harder to build around? If Larry Bird could jump higher and run faster maybe he doesnt work as hard on his skills used to make up for it(though he was more athletic pre injury than people seem to think).

Great players develop about as they should. I cant see any great player in history who actually developed a modern jumper just sucking today. Jumper is why I question Cousy and some other guards who played in the set shot era....but who knows. Magic shot 38% from 3 one year with a set shot. But his was quite a bit more accurate than Cousys from what I have seen....and hes 6'9''. Cousy isnt...

[Heretik32]

[QUOTE=D-Fence] It

[stephanieg]

I can't help but shake my head when I read a topic like this. Do kids think mad scientists are doing genetic engineering to make athletes nowadays or what? Or maybe it's simply a matter of them only seeing modern day players.

How is the NBA geared towards making athletes better today? Well, teams make a lot more money due to television deals and merchandise sales which means they can afford all sorts of goodies like chartered planes instead of red eye flights and they can buy better sports equipment. There was a time when coaching staffs didn't want guards lifting weights because they were concerned it would affect their shooting touch. Nutrition is better tracked nowadays. Larry Bird wouldn't be eating chips and water before the Finals. Or if he was it would be against his team's wishes (like how KG didn't sleep for several days this year).

Another nice addition is better surgery and sports medicine in general. What used to be a career ending injury now just causes a player to miss a season or even less depending on the problem. If Ralph Sampson were playing today the team's training staff would've probably nipped that problem in the bud and he would have a much longer and successful career.

All that's nice, but its totality doesn't end up causing much of a difference in what the players can actually do on the court. Wilt Chamberlain would be destroying today. Not 50 points and 55 rebounds because the game itself has changed (some *teams* don't get 50 rebounds in a game) but he'd easily put up prime Shaq-like numbers.

It's even more ridiculous to think about this because, as many posters have pointed out, there have been several players who have dominated or excelled without relying on athleticism. Basketball is a game of skill. You need a minimum level of stamina and strength and speed to compete but you don't need to be a freak like Wilt or Jordan or Shaq.

Let's face it. If Larry Bird played in the 60s and did his thing there half this board would claim he would be a scrub nowadays. The only reason they give him any respect is because they watched him on TV when they were growing up. Of course, that assumes half this board remembers the mid-80s, a dicey proposition. But at least you can buy his games on DVD, so there's no excuse.

[Loki]

No matter how physically gifted the guy might've been, it can't hold a candle to todays athletes, who are more or less bred to be the ultimate sports machines from an early age and with much more sophisticated methods.
I accept Wilt's greatness and acknowledge him as a top 3 player ever, but if you put him in a time machine and onto today's NBA courts, he'd be in for a lot of humiliation.

There is no 7'+ player today who is as athletic as Wilt Chamberlain. Stop the nonsense. The average 7-footer is more athletic than the average 7-footer in Wilt's time, but none are as athletic as Wilt, much less MORE athletic than him.

[VCMVP1551]

There is no 7'+ player today who is as athletic as Wilt Chamberlain. Stop the nonsense. The average 7-footer is more athletic than the average 7-footer in Wilt's time, but none are as athletic as Wilt, much less MORE athletic than him.

No 7 footer today but in Shaq's prime I'd say he was atleast as athletic.

He was just as tall as Wilt at 7'1", he outweighed him by a good 65 pounds at 340 yet he could run the court as well as any big man and he had a 36 inch vertical.

[Loki]

No 7 footer today but in Shaq's prime I'd say he was atleast as athletic.

He was just as tall as Wilt at 7'1", he outweighed him by a good 65 pounds at 340 yet he could run the court as well as any big man and he had a 36 inch vertical.

I don't think prime Shaq could outrun or outjump Wilt. What Shaq could do given his enormous mass is incredible, but strictly as a run/jump athlete, I think Wilt had him. Look at that high jump footage from Wilt -- do you think that Shaq could have ever exhibited that leaping ability and flexibility? I don't.

[OutOfPlace]

Shaq pretty much blows Wilt out of the water in every facet of athleticism. Much more explosive vertical (Shaq would dunk at will against anyody, Wilt couldn't), better body control and flexibility (check out Shaq's breakdancing for evidence of this), superior strength (Shaq basically brushes 7 foot+ 300lbers like Sabonis out of the way), faster from end to end (Wilt couldn't run the break like Shaq did in his Orlando and LA days - even as a skinny teenager), better basketball physique (bulkier with lower center of gravity = harder to move out of position, better lateral quickness) longer wingspan/greater length (Wilt had a 7'4 wingspan, Shaq's is 7'7) etc.

Wilt was pretty athletic. Shaq? He makes the stilt look like the bastard, midgetized offspring of Kenny George and Gheorge Muresan.

[Loki]

Shaq pretty much blows Wilt out of the water in every facet of athleticism. Much more explosive vertical (Shaq would dunk at will against anyody, Wilt couldn't), better body control and flexibility (check out Shaq's breakdancing for evidence of this), superior strength (Shaq basically brushes 7 foot+ 300lbers like Sabonis out of the way), faster from end to end (Wilt couldn't run the break like Shaq did in his Orlando and LA days - even as a skinny teenager), better basketball physique (bulkier with lower center of gravity = harder to move out of position, better lateral quickness) longer wingspan/greater length (Wilt had a 7'4 wingspan, Shaq's is 7'7) etc.

Wilt was pretty athletic. Shaq? He makes the stilt look like the bastard, midgetized offspring of Kenny George and Gheorge Muresan.

That's just ridiculous. Shaq was not faster and could not jump higher than Wilt. You could argue that what Shaq could do at his size is more impressive athletically than what Wilt could do at his size (read: weight), but strictly as a run/jump athlete, Shaq had nothing on Wilt. Could you ever picture Shaq making that high jump posted earlier? No way can he leap like that, nor does he have the body control and flexibility to get his body/legs over the bar like that. Wilt was almost assuredly faster end to end as well, considering that he ran track.

[inclinerator]

dude wilt was just tall and atheletic compare to the people back then. Now there are alot of tall people like him maybe not as athletic but wont back down from wilt. Unlike Shaq Wilt wasnt facing double triple teams.

[VeeCee15]

Go look at videos of Wilt on youtube

Wilt = a STIFF by today's standards.

The dood would be destroyed.

[Psileas]

[QUOTE]I know that Wilt was given to a lot of hyperbole, but there is really no way to overstate his athleticism. What we do know about him is what is documented in his 100 yd, 440, 880, long jump, high jump, and shot put scores. Not by him, but by his actual, recorded times in meets. We have a pretty good idea of what he could do in the 1500m and its easy to convert 100yd and 440 times to 100m and 400m times. This means that we can figure out what he would do in these events in the decathlon.

I think it's fair to say that he could equal all of his personal bests in a decathlon if he actually focused on track. It's probably also fair to say that he could shave 0.2 seconds off a 100m time running on a modern surface vs. cinders and add 3-4 inches to his high jump using the flop technique rather than the scissor technique in the 50s. Using those assumptions, this is how Wilt would look through 5 events in the 2004 Olympics. Yeah, I said 2004, 40 years after his day, at 7-1 250 lbs, against guys using better training and nutrition:

1 *Dmitriy Karpov*(KAZ) 4689
2 *Roman

[VCMVP1551]

I don't think prime Shaq could outrun or outjump Wilt. What Shaq could do given his enormous mass is incredible, but strictly as a run/jump athlete, I think Wilt had him. Look at that high jump footage from Wilt -- do you think that Shaq could have ever exhibited that leaping ability and flexibility? I don't.

Well I haven't seen any of Wilt's track footage but I haven't seen him run down the court this fast.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aCvTmmj6QUo&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wL6CYWJcx_I

This video is pretty impressive too considering Shaq's probably about 390 in it.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kVsWuHblBwU

These dunks IMO show off more athleticism than I've seen in any clip of Wilt on the basketball court.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AMX1FGwyr38
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Dy-0RWbbzd8

Shaq's about as tall as Zydrunas Ilgauskas but as heavy as Eddy Curry. There has never been an NBA player as big overall as Shaq. Most NBA players even close to that size are stiffs.

[VeeCee15]

Really..all this talk is garbage

Just go look at some Wilt Chamberlain videos.

He is a stiff i am sorry.

[Younggrease]

When Wilt dunked it he never tried to put extra on it, he simple jumped high enough to put it through. No one would challenge him enough for him to have to climb the ladder.


You got to remember he was pioneering what he was doing. Also remember we have VERY limited footage of him in his prime.

Its funny how the argument changes from him being "nothing special" to not being as athletic as prime "Shaq":)


http://youtube.com/watch?v=J4ve46vquxo&feature=related

this is 36-37 year old Wilt vs. Kareem(guy was a great athlete)..This clip has no bearing on who is better but just shows what 37 year old Wilt was doing. Look at the last dunk on Kareem at the end of the clip. It looks like he had to make the moves up so others like Shaq could do them down the road. I have no doubt if Wilt wanted to he could spin 2 hand dunk 30 times a game earlier in his carreer. And since I havent seen tape I dont know if he ever did.

[Kblaze8855]

Really..all this talk is garbage

Just go look at some Wilt Chamberlain videos.

He is a stiff i am sorry.

Jamal Magloire was an all star in like 2004. The word "Stiff" doesnt mean what it used to at the center position.

And videos of wilt doing just about anything show he was quite athletic. What would a world class 7'1'' athlete like Wilt need to d oto score? Just jump and lay it in...which he did. Think he was trying to show off? He could have come down and done 360s if he wanted. Ive seen Wilt dunk from behind the basket. Ive seen him do a windmill in a brief clip on his time with the Globetroters. But its pregame dunk show **** for the crowd. They didnt try to show up opponents back then. Hes a 7'1'' guy with olympic level high jump potential and great times on the track. hell he got a contract offer from the Kansas City Chiefs. Hes just an outstanding total athlete. Him not tossing a guy out of the lane and tearing down the goal doesnt mean anything. Maybe he just had respect for his opponents. You see next to nothing flashy highlights wise from his era. EVen guys like David thompson with legit tested 42-44 inch verticals were not out there doing 360s and such in game.

If you put a guy like Iggy or Jason Richardson in a league where dunking on a guy is disrespect, nobody is throwing them lobs, and a windmill might get you benched and people would be saying they arent that athletic either.

Fundamentals dont require you to jump 38 inches. If you can get 50/27 a game playing good solid ball what is the motivation to jump over someone? so kids 40 years later wouldnt look back and wonder why you didnt?

[Collie]

Lol at people saying Wilt would be a stiff in today's NBA. The guy was getting offers to play in his mid 40's. he played against guys like KAJ, Bob Lanier, Bill Russell, Nate Thurmond, Walt Bellamy and other 6-10 to 7-0+ guys and dominated.

[jlitt]

When Wilt dunked it he never tried to put extra on it, he simple jumped high enough to put it through. No one would challenge him enough for him to have to climb the ladder.


You got to remember he was pioneering what he was doing. Also remember we have VERY limited footage of him in his prime.

Its funny how the argument changes from him being "nothing special" to not being as athletic as prime "Shaq":)


http://youtube.com/watch?v=J4ve46vquxo&feature=related

this is 36-37 year old Wilt vs. Kareem(guy was a great athlete)..This clip has no bearing on who is better but just shows what 37 year old Wilt was doing. Look at the last dunk on Kareem at the end of the clip. It looks like he had to make the moves up so others like Shaq could do them down the road. I have no doubt if Wilt wanted to he could spin 2 hand dunk 30 times a game earlier in his career. And since I haven't seen tape I don't know if he ever did.


That Video was NASTY. Are you kidding me at 37. Kareem didn't even try on defense cause he knew no way he could stop him. I always thought that Wilt if he wanted to could have put scoring and rebound records far away from the reach of others if that was his prime objective. The thing with him is that he lost interest in being so dominate. MJ was fueled by his ego and maybe a false sense of insecurity to become the greatest. Wilt seemed to be just very comfortable with being the best player but never wanted to push his boundaries. It must have been a bit pointless for him to dominate, especially with no one to challenge him individually.

[Lebron23]

That Video was NASTY. Are you kidding me at 37. Kareem didn't even try on defense cause he knew no way he could stop him. I always thought that Wilt if he wanted to could have put scoring and rebound records far away from the reach of others if that was his prime objective. The thing with him is that he lost interest in being so dominate. MJ was fueled by his ego and maybe a false sense of insecurity to become the greatest. Wilt seemed to be just very comfortable with being the best player but never wanted to push his boundaries. It must have been a bit pointless for him to dominate, especially with no one to challenge him individually.


How did you know did you watched Wilt played in the 1960's?

[Scott Pippen]

very good discussion here, but why some are disrespectful to Chamberlain saying he would be stiff today?:(:banghead:

[Psileas]

1) Because their mental age has only that big a capacity.
2) Ego/era bias.
3) Just to sound that they know something about his era and competition (and most of the times, they don't)
4) To draw attention.

It doesn't matter what Wilt would average in his era, they'll just ignore it. In fact, the more dominant numbers he'd produce, the less respect he and his competition would draw. He once averaged 50 and some come and, without the slightest evidence and justification, claim that Shaq would average 50-60. If he somehow managed to average 70 against the same competition, they'd say that Shaq would average 80. No wonder of course that the vast majority of these posters is younger than 25 (the only 30+ person I can remember making such claims was a-not that bright in general-dude coming from the basketball powerhouse called UK who didn't even know who Bill Russell was :oldlol: ).

[CavaliersFTW]

um no he was just tall and skinny dwight howard could probably jump over that you just need hops and agile
September 6, 1963:
http://i.imgur.com/9hHKU.png

Photo of Wilt from September 1963:
http://www.santacruzlive.com/dmillereditor/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2012/05/Wilt_13_WEB.jpg

:rolleyes:

[KobesFinger]

You bumped a 5 year old thread for that?

[CavaliersFTW]

You bumped a 5 year old thread for that?
It seems so

[KobesFinger]

It seems so

I haven't seen a pic of Wilt in his playing days where he looked 300lbs to me. He looks smaller than rookie Shaq

[CavaliersFTW]

I haven't seen a pic of Wilt in his playing days where he looked 300lbs to me. He looks smaller than rookie Shaq
Probably because a few things: he's taller/longer than Shaq. 2, cameras back then use shorter zoom/focal length which effects the appearance of how 'filled out' subjects look.

Wilt next to Shaq, has been filmed twice, both times Wilt's upper body and overall stature appears larger than 'rookie Shaq', and he was at or below 300lbs at the time (in 1997 he claims he was maybe about 270lbs at that present interview, and played during his Laker years between 300-310lbs).

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZSS4UHjiUHw/UuSAVKY4Q6I/AAAAAAAAE7I/QJe2E8SWkRU/s400/Sequence%252001.Still017.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kf1oH-0whOs/UuR-cdmKiFI/AAAAAAAAE6U/KD3ax8zaR84/s400/Sequence%252001.Still009.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU43dTuMuig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRX-0FsCYO4

1997 interview regarding his weight:
http://youtu.be/kBv0fGysb5o?t=23m14s

[Marlo_Stanfield]

I haven't seen a pic of Wilt in his playing days where he looked 300lbs to me. He looks smaller than rookie Shaq
oh a dumb kobe stan. he looks WAY stronger than Shaq in that picture.
watch the video of old Wilt shacking young Orlando Shaqs hand.
Wilt still looks bigger and u can see he nearly ripped Shaqs arm out.
Wilt is one of the strongest man to ever live on earth:bowdown: :bowdown:

[BoutPractice]

2008 was a strong era for pro/against Wilt arguments.

[CavaliersFTW]

No matter how physically gifted the guy might've been, it can't hold a candle to todays athletes, who are more or less bred to be the ultimate sports machines from an early age and with much more sophisticated methods.
I accept Wilt's greatness and acknowledge him as a top 3 player ever, but if you put him in a time machine and onto today's NBA courts, he'd be in for a lot of humiliation.
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: at this whole post

[Marlo_Stanfield]

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
for his own sake i hope hes just trolling:facepalm