Wilt Chamberlain is widely known as one of the greatest players in NBA history.
In his prime, he put up unreal numbers and set countless records — many of which will probably never be beaten.
As great as he was, there may be signs he held back his game at times.
In his memoir, ‘Hondo’, basketball legend John Havlicek shared a secret about Chamberlain. Apparently, he was so committed to never fouling out in a game that he would essentially stop playing if he got his fourth foul. Over the length of his career, one could imagine how many games he may have given up as a result.
“Wilt’s greatest idiosyncrasy was not fouling out. He had never fouled out of a high school, college, or professional game and that was one record he was determined to protect. When he got that fourth foul, his game would change. I don’t know how many potential victories he may have cheated his team out of by not really playing after he got into foul trouble.”
Wilt was a dominant force and talented player. He is as accomplished as anyone could hope to be.
Still, there are a lot of things he gets heat for. In Rick Barry’s book (Confessions of a Basketball Gypsy), for example, he called out Wilt for being a “loser” who avoided the ball in late-game situations.
“I’ll say what most players feel, which is that Wilt is a loser…He is terrible in big games. He knows he is going to lose and be blamed for the loss, so he dreads it, and you can see it in his eyes; and anyone who has ever played with him will agree with me, regardless of whether they would admit it publicly… When it comes down to the closing minutes of a tough game, an important game, he doesn’t want the ball, he doesn’t want any part of the pressure. It is at these times that greatness is determined and Wilt doesn’t have it. There is no way you can compare him to a pro like a Bill Russell or a Jerry West…these are clutch competitors.”
How much of Wilt’s behavior, and dedication to personal records, kept his team from winning? Could he have been even better had he not tried to maintain pointless milestones?
While it’s hard to make judgments on Chamberlain’s career nowadays, we can say that he’s a 2x Champion, 4x MVP, 7x Scoring Leader, and 2x All-Defensive player. We can also say that, in over 1,045 games, he never fouled out a single time.
Clearly, though, people have mixed feelings about the guy and his controversial career.
