<div class="quote_poster">Quoting King James:</div><div class="quote_post">I really miss Wilt, I remember being at work when I heard about his death, it was terrible. I could listen to him talk hoops all day, much like Bill Russell. I remember the NBA @ 50, they were walking around Cleveland here when the All-Star game was in town. They were in Tower City (a mall type place here) Could you imagine being at the mall and seeing Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, I would like pass out.</div> Same here, have you ever read Russell's book http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearc...451203887&itm=1 . Great book on leadership and being a team player
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting sunsfan1357:</div><div class="quote_post">Also, just a little FYI about the thread title...Wilt hated being called "The Stilt," he preferred "The Big Dipper."</div>Yes, I read about that. He was nicknamed "The Big Dipper" by his friends because he would always have to dip his head under doorways. "Wilt the Stilt" is so fitting though; here is why:
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rudeezy:</div><div class="quote_post"> -Wilt, not Bill Willoughby, was the first player drafted by the NBA out of high school. However, he was required to wait 4 years until he could join the NBA.</div> For real? He was drafted in 1959 by the Philadelphia Warriors, right? And he won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1960, did he? Where's this 4-year-waiting-span?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting bender:</div><div class="quote_post">For real? He was drafted in 1959 by the Philadelphia Warriors, right? And he won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1960, did he? Where's this 4-year-waiting-span?</div>He was drafted in 1955, I believe, but was not able to play until the '59 season. He went to Kansas and played there for 4 years.
No, he played for Kansas' varsity squad two years. Freshman weren't eligible and he left after his junior year and joined the Harlem Globetrotters where he played an array of positions, including point guard. Yes he was drafted out of high school, the NBA then had territorial draft rights to whoever was available. So Philadelphia basically had first dibs on Wilt because he played high school ball there...
Wilt was amazing, such a great offensive and defensive force. He's such a pioneer, a revolutionary player. KG kinda reminds me of him because of their similiar form of play, meaning great on both sides. However I know they were different, him and Olajuwon were inhuman. Centers with such a great shooting ability. I really admire and respect this guy, he was the best of the best. May he R.I.P....
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Magic Johnson:</div><div class="quote_post">Wilt was amazing, such a great offensive and defensive force. He's such a pioneer, a revolutionary player. KG kinda reminds me of him because of their similiar form of play, meaning great on both sides. However I know they were different, him and Olajuwon were inhuman. Centers with such a great shooting ability. I really admire and respect this guy, he was the best of the best. May he R.I.P....</div>Well said. He was truely great, arguably the greatest of all time.
Don't forget Zelmo Beatty on that list of centers...in the Golden Age of NBA centers, Wilt reigned supreme. Those 55 rebounds came against Russell, by the way. Living in the Philadelphia area, I got to hear a lot of Wilt stories. I always thought one of the greatest testaments to his greatness was the various rumors that would pop up from time to time about his coming out of retirement. In the early 1980s, there were rumors that the 76ers and the Chicago Bulls were going to lure him out of retirement. The thing was, even 7+ years after he retired from the ABA (not that he got to play with San Diego), these rumors were taken seriously, and the writers took it as a given that Wilt would come back and be a star. As far as the rings...well, those two times Wilt had a decent supporting cast, he won.
Ahhh...the rumors. Even after Wilt retired he was still the most talked about person in the NBA. Wilt had so much talent and athletic ability that he could have came back and played after five years of retirement and still could have been a legitimate star. He really deserved more than 2 rings but like Steve said, those were the only years he had a DECENT supporting cast. Russel's Celtics had a real squad, at one point they had 7 future HOFers. And you thought the Lakers of today were stacked. I've already posted this but for the people who have not seen it yet, check out this amazing stat: Out of 26 total scoring records, Wilt holds 17 of them. Out of 13 total rebounding records, Wilt holds 9 of them.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rudeezy:</div><div class="quote_post"> He really deserved more than 2 rings but like Steve said, those were the only years he had a DECENT supporting cast. Russel's Celtics had a real squad, at one point they had 7 future HOFers. And you thought the Lakers of today were stacked.</div> Huh? What do you mean when he had a DECENT supporting cast? Wilt has always had a good/great supporting cast. Teams with Alvin Attles, Guy Rodgers, and Tom Gola aren't just decent supporting casts. Same goes for teams with Nate Thurmond, Guy Rodgers, and Attles. Same goes for Cunningham, Greer, and Chet Walker. Same goes for West, Baylor, and Hairston. He has ALWAYS had good or great supporting casts, but Russell just had better ones.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting sunsfan1357:</div><div class="quote_post">Huh? What do you mean when he had a DECENT supporting cast? Wilt has always had a good/great supporting cast. Teams with Alvin Attles, Guy Rodgers, and Tom Gola aren't just decent supporting casts. Same goes for teams with Nate Thurmond, Guy Rodgers, and Attles. Same goes for Cunningham, Greer, and Chet Walker. Same goes for West, Baylor, and Hairston. He has ALWAYS had good or great supporting casts, but Russell just had better ones.</div>They didn't even compare to Russels. There is no argument.
No one is comparing them to Russell's. If you read my last line I said he had better casts than Wilt. However you said he won when he had a DECENT supporting cast. Wilt always had good or great supporting casts, so there is an arguement for that.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting sunsfan1357:</div><div class="quote_post">No one is comparing them to Russell's. If you read my last line I said he had better casts than Wilt. However you said he won when he had a DECENT supporting cast. Wilt always had good or great supporting casts, so there is an arguement for that.</div>The thing is, I was comparing them to Russel's. They were decent compare to Russel's, at best.
Obviously there is no comparison between the supporting cast that Russell had and the cast that Wilt had. Wilt was an extraordinary player who changed the game in many ways and he will be missed.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rudeezy:</div><div class="quote_post">The thing is, I was comparing them to Russel's. They were decent compare to Russel's, at best.</div> There was no clear distinction that you were comparing the two, but if you say you were...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting sunsfan1357:</div><div class="quote_post">There was no clear distinction that you were comparing the two, but if you say you were...</div>Yea, sorry. Can we get back on topic now, jeez.
I've been on topic the whole time, sans the last two posts which were in response to you going off topic. Now let's get on topic.
Did you guys know that Wilt starred on the movie Conan the Destroyer? (With Conan being the governor of California LOL) Wilt looked pretty cool, he was a huge warrior who seemed to be switching sides from the good guys to the bad guys and was eventually killed by Conan. I just saw the movie yesterday, it was cool in a retro kind of way. Anyways, it was nice to see Wilt, even if he was not playing ball, but wielding a strange-looking mace instead.
