Wilt Chamberlain(1936-1999)
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to
Olivia Ruth (Johnson), a domestic worker, and William Chamberlain, a
welder, custodian, and handyman. Wilt didn't come from a race of giants
as many thought. Both his parents were no bigger than 5-9, but as a
young boy he began a growth spurt which would eventually stop when he
reached 7-1. That height made him legendary in sports history as
arguably the greatest basketball player ever. Chamberlain played at
Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, and collegiately at Kansas
University, where he led the Jayhawks to the NCAA finals. Kansas lost
in title game to North Carolina and that game haunted Chamberlain
throughout his career and gave birth to the unfair image of him as a
"loser." He left Kansas as an underclassman to play professionally for
the Harlem Globetrotters, and after a year with them, signed to play
with his hometown team in the NBA, the then-named Philadelphia
Warriors. With the Warriors he performed some astonishing feats that no
NBA player before or since accomplished.
