Today, August 21, is the birthday of the late Wilt Chamberlain, and we here at Lakers Nation would like to celebrate his great career and life. Chamberlain was born today in 1936 in Philadelphia and was drafted in 1959 by the Philadelphia Warriors after playing for the Harlem Globetrotters for the year.
Chamberlain will forever be remembered as one of the best big men this league has ever seen and, it appears as though his 100 point game is something that will stay in the record books forever. After playing for the Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers, Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1968.
As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, Chamberlain won the 1972 NBA Championship alongside another legendary player, Jerry West. “The Big Dipper” was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978 as a two-time NBA champion (1967, ’72), an NBA Finals MVP (1972), a four-time NBA regular season MVP (1960, ’66, ’67, ’68), a seven-time All-NBA First Team (1960, ’61, ’62, ’64, ’66, ’67, ’68) and three-time Second Team (’63, ’65, ’72) selectee, a two-time All-Defensive First Team (1972, ’73) selectee, the Rookie of the Year (1960) and one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).
Chamberlain dominated the paint on both ends of the court, and he was truly an unstoppable force. Many of the great centers after Chamberlain’s time idolized him, and his impact on the game will never be forgotten.
On what would be his 77th birthday, Lakers Nation celebrates the life and career of a legend, Wilton Norman Chamberlain.
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