wilt dead at 63

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SoCalHoops News

Wilt Chamberlain Dead At 63--(Oct. 12, 1999)

The Los Angeles Lakers have released a short statement today, announcing the following:

Chamberlain Dies: Hall of Famer and former Laker center Wilt Chamberlain, the most awesome offensive force in basketball history, died Tuesday at age 63.

There will be a press conference today at 3:30 p.m. at Chamberlain's Bel Air residence, and Lakers' general manager Jerry West will also hold a separate press conference at 3:45 p.m. today

According to AP News sources, Steve Ruda of the Los Angeles City fire department said that someone at a residence in Bel Air called at 12:32 p.m. PT reporting a heart attack. Rescue workers pronounced Chamberlain dead on the scene at the residence in the foothills west of Los Angeles. Ruda said there were "obvious signs of death" from "apparent natural" causes. The LA Coroner's office will conduct an examination to determine the cause of death. LAPD officials are also planning an afternoon press conference at Chamberlain's residence to release more details.

One of the greatest ever to play the game, Chamberlain led the NBA in scoring seven times (1959-65), rebounding 11 years, and even led the league in assists in 1968. His career scoring total was an astonishing 31,419 points. A four-time league MVP, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1978, his first year of eligibility. He played 14 seasons for the Philadelphia Warriors (1959-62), the Golden State Warriors (1962-65), the Philadelphia 76ers (1965-68), and the Los Angeles Lakers (1968-73). He was an All-NBA first-team selection seven times.

When he retired at the end of the 1972-73, Chamberlain held several records: he scored 50 or more points an amazing 118 times, 60 or more points 32 times. His record of 23,924 rebounds still stands. After his playing days were over, Chamberlain also coached a bit, played a lot of beach volleyball in Santa Monica, and also acted in movies and television. Chamberlain was also a busy guy, who claimed in his autobiography that he had sex with 20,000 women. "The women who I have been the most attracted to, the most in love with, I've pushed away the strongest," Chamberlain said in a 1991 interview with the The Associated Press. "There are about five women I can think of I could have married. I cared for them a lot, but not enough to make a commitment." Chamberlain never married.

In 1961-62 alone, Chamberlain set unbelievable records: He scored a total of 4,029 points in a single season, averaging 50.4 ppg, and on March 2, 1962, had the single game that will probably never be equalled again, in which he scored 100 points, a feat that no one has come close to since.

With the Lakers, in 1971-72, the team set an NBA record with 33 consecutive wins on the way to a league-record 69-13 regular-season tally, breaking the previous record of one victory less by Chamberlain's 1966-67 Sixers.

A native of Philadelphia, Chamberlain drew national fame as a prep star at Overbrook High School in the heart of the city. The most coveted prospect of the recruiting season, Chamberlain chose to attend the University of Kansas, and he led the Jayhawks to the NCAA finals in 1957, ultimately losing to North Carolina in triple overtime. As a result of Chamberlain, several rules of the game were changed, including widening the lanes and implementation of the goaltending rule.