Quote:
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Originally Posted by fpliii
From my files:
summer before 59-60 season:
239
59-60:
250
250
250
x
60-61:
252
260
x
265
61-62:
250
240
300
280
62-63:
250
250
x
300
63-64:
300
290
290
x
64-65:
290
275
265
276
65-66:
x
285
275
x
66-67:
275
275
290
x
67-68:
x
x
x
275
68-69:
275
300
x
x
69-70:
275
270
270
x
70-71:
275
290
300
275
71-72:
275
280
x
x
72-73:
x
x
285
x
before 73-74 season:
300
For each of his playing years, there are four numbers ('x' meaning I don't have two independent sources). The first number in each set is from the preseason, the second from early season (pre-All Star break), the third is deep into the season, the fourth is during/after the playoffs.
The are just his playing weights though. I've seen a couple of papers list his weight in the 310-325 range during offseasons, though I only have single sources for them. Later in his life I think Wilt could've approached a high weight, though I don't think he played at much higher than 300lbs.
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I've got tons of newspaper articles about his weight throwing those numbers around too but really to be realistic, 90% of his "printed" weights that aren't specific numbers (like the 250's/275's) are probably just a news writers pure conjecture or usage of his official list-weight, or even just re-printing a weight they saw printed about him in the past and it is all said casually in passing. Unless it's a very specific number, or they reveal a little bit of info about how they obtained that number it should be taken with a pretty heavy grain of Salt IMO
239 and 252 are both new-to-me numbers that look very intriguing, do you have the sources by chance?
I generally dismiss all of the even numbers or numbers that line up "perfectly" with his list info (250 even, or 275 even) but the ultra specific ones that interest me and I feel are genuinely revealing are:
*258lbs from a news story 1 month before his NBA debut
*265lbs from a 1962 season news story shortly after the 100 point game
*320/315lbs as per Alex Hannum about his training camp weights 1963-64
*292lbs mid season playing weight of 1964 (same season he came into camp overweight) stated by Chick Hearn in a Lakers documentary (this 292lbs number also validates the use of the "290lbs" numbers that were thrown around at around the same time period)
*295-300lbs as per an article I recently encountered that stated in spite of Wilt's list weights, he typically played between those aforementioned numbers towards the latter half of his career
*327lbs as specified in the 1980's after a "recent weigh in" (at the time of the movie Conan the Destroyer)
It's specific numbers or numbers with a bit more backstory into how the weight numbers were obtained that interest me the most
Wilt claims his bodyweight in the 1960's peaked at 365lbs
Wilt loves to tell tall tales, do any of you think he ever got that heavy or do you think it's an exaggeration? Highest weight listed via newspaper print from that time says that in 1963-1964 season he entered the Warriors pre-season training camp at 320lbs (also there are printed articles of him weighing 315lbs and 300lbs from his playing years). Outside of those articles the highest other documented weight for him was after he retired, 327lbs when he worked out with Arnold Schwartzenegger for the movie Conan the Destroyer. Shaq and Charles Barkley have both weighed as much as 378lbs after they retired, the heaviest Shaq weighed during his playing career was 368lbs IIRC - what do you guys think, just another Wilt tall tale?
Re: Wilt claims his bodyweight in the 1960's peaked at 365lbs
