Happy Birthday Tribute to Wilt Chamberlain and His Greatest Moments

People grow old, but Wilt Chamberlain's basketball prowess is timeless.

Almost 14 years have come and gone since one of the greatest players in NBA history passed away. Were Chamberlain alive today, he would have just turned 77. And were he alive today, he would still tower over us all.

He spent 14 years tearing up opponents and treating the hardwood like his local playground. During that time, he established himself as one of the most dominant players the world would ever see.

Blocks, dunks, rebounds—he did it all. Some of the things he did (blocks) weren't even officially measured while he was playing, which is anything except surprising.

Because Chamberlain was always years (decades?) ahead of his time. Four decades removed from his days as an NBA fixture, that hasn't changed.

Happy Birthday, Wilt.

An Assortment of Memories

Footage of Chamberlain is difficult to come by.

The behemoth played before Twitter, YouTube, gifs and SportsCenter. Not all of his most memorable moments were captured on video, which is why much of what follows comes without visual evidence.

Fortunately, the NBA was kind enough to create a compilation of some of his highlights. Before we delve into specific achievements and moments, I'd suggest watching the embedded footage. You won't regret it, unless you're a relative to one of the defenders he mutilates. Even then, you still might enjoy it.

Once you've seen it, all he was able to do, and have a better understanding of how monstrously domineering he was, you'll be able to appreciate more of what's to come.

50 at 25

I get it, averaging 50.4 points in a single season isn't so much a greatest moment as it is a collection of dominance, but you can't talk about Chamberlain without mentioning his 1961-62 score-for-all.

Only 25 and playing in his third NBA season, Chamberlain went bonkers. His 50.4 points per game are the most anyone in league history has ever averaged for an entire season.

In fact, no one has even come close to eclipsing a similar mark. Well, that's not entirely true. Chamberlain himself came pretty darn close. He posted 44.8 points a night the very next season, in 1962-63.

After him—and after the 1960-61 Chamberlain (38.4 points)—Elgin Baylor's 38.3 points in (wouldn't you know it) 1961-62 are the closest thing we've seen to his 50-point, season-long excursion. 

To be clear, no one else outside of Chamberlain has even hit 40, let alone 50. And after his 1962-63 outburst, no one topped 37 again until Michael Jordan (37.1 points) did so during the 1986-87 campaign.

I rest my case.

What Broken Bones?

Chamberlain's only NBA Finals MVP came as a member of the Lakers, and what a memorable one it was.

In 1972, Chamberlain led the Lake show to their first title since 1954 while averaging 19.4 points per game during the finals. And he did so at the age of 35. After suffering a broken bone in his hand.

Incredible.

Keep in mind, this wasn't the same Chamberlain that notched 50.4 points per game during the 1961-1962 season. This came a decade later, 16 years into his career, and following a regular season in which he posted just 14.8 points a night, the second-lowest mark of his illustrious career.

The 7'1" Chamberlain never had issues towering over the competition, but injuries are injuries. Playing through them is difficult.

No matter who you are or what era you hail from.

Still Shaking (Backboards) at 36

Chamberlain had better dunks, some of which can be seen here. Few, however, were as symbolic as this.

During his final season, in 1972-73, he still had power. Overwhelming power. And in the middle of the 1973 All-Star Game he dunked (like always), shaking the backboard in the process.

At first glance it doesn't seem too amazing, but the dude was 36. He barely had to elevate off the ground and could still jam with such force that there was some residual quaking up near the backboard.

No, he didn't rip down the entire basket; he wasn't Shaquille O'Neal. That doesn't doesn't change how mighty his sword was, though.

Many of his individual accolades weren't able to be documented for our viewing pleasure. This is merely a taste, laced with a deep-seated meaning, of how staunch a dunker he could be—even when his career was winding down.

Posterizing Walt Bellamy with a Finger Roll

Every so often you come across a video that makes you clasp your hands to your head and say, "Damn, Wilt Chamberlain was enormous." This is one of those videos.

Chamberlain had a wingspan somewhere between 7'8" and 7'9", on top of his 7'1" frame. That made for easy dunking. And show-stopping finger rolls too.

Excuse me?

Most big men, Shaq and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar included, resorted to sky hooks or rim-rocking dunks to showcase their size. Chamberlain was both no different and very different.

Take this finger roll of his over Walt Bellamy. Now, Bellamy stood at 6'11" and here Chamberlain is simply laying one in over his head like he was the 1960s' version of Muggsy Bogues. But he wasn't, hence my obsession with how effortless Chamberlain made this look.

Blocking Shots in the Clouds

There's blocking shots, and then there's the way Chamberlain would block shots.

Notice how much air he was able to generate when sending back a field-goal attempt. You could fit another player in the space between the ground and his feet (so long as his name was Nate Robinson).

Today, the NBA has athletic fiends who can hurdle airplanes if need be. And the league also plays home to a number of premier shot-blockers. What the Association doesn't have is that perfect combination of height, athleticism and shot-swatting prowess. Not like Chamberlain anyway.

Being the 7'1" monster that he was, he belted shots before they even began their decline, sometimes in line with the top of the backboard. I'm not even sure you could call some of his blocks actual blocks. The way he would catch them at their peak, prior to their descent, it was more like an unorthodox rebound.

It's about time we came up with a name for what these were. Joining the words "rebound" and "block" to form "rock" is simple enough, but not nearly as catchy as it should be. How about "reblock?" Or "blockbound?"

Suggestions are welcome, as you can see I'm striking out more than Justin Upton.

Whatever you want to call these, they were, and remain, impressive.

Not in Wilt's House, Walt

Some moments are best relayed through the spoken word.

Most of us know Chamberlain was strong. Decades later, we still welcome past tales that demonstrate just how strong. His block on Mr. Bellamy during a game against the Knicks in 1968 is one of those anecdotes.

At one point, Bellamy attempted to dunk on Chamberlain, the latter of which wouldn't have it. Any of it.

"Bellamy reared back," one spectator recalled to the Philadelphia Daily News, via NBA.com "and was slamming the ball down when Wilt put his hand above the top of the rim and knocked the ball off the court. He almost knocked Bellamy off the court, too."

Poor, Walt. First he's on the wrong end of my finger-roll infatuation, now he's the lone invite to this version of Chamberlain's block party. Talk about drawing the short straw.

Then talk about how incredible of a feat this was. I envision it being something like Roy Hibbert's Game 6-saving block on Carmelo Anthony—only better. And more painful.

And, most importantly, more Wilt-like.

A Century's Worth of Points

Failure to touch upon Chamberlain's record-setting 100-point game would be a crime.

March 2, 1962 was the day, the Philadelphia Warriors were his team, the Knicks his opponent and their defense his pinata. Chamberlain notched 100 points, leading the Warriors to a 169-147 victory over their New York foes.

Like his average of 50 points per game for an entire season, no one has duplicated his performance. Absolutely no one.

Kobe Bryant came (fairly) close, rattling off 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, falling 19 shy of Chamberlain's record. And that was with him hitting seven three-pointers, a shot that wasn't at Chamberlain's disposal in 1962.

It was simply an other worldly performance by a legendary player.

"The ego was essential. ... In 100 points there was a hubris but also a symbolic magic," wrote Gary M. Pomerantz in his book, Wilt, 1962, according to Sports Illustrated's Richard Rothschild. "In our culture the number 100 connotes a century, a ripe old age, a perfect score on a test. ... One hundred was a monument."

That "monument" still stands today, and while I can't predict the future, I doubt it's one that will be torn down anytime soon.

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