Wilt Chamberlain was as dominant an athlete individually as any sport has ever seen. The big man put up stats that no one has even come close to matching in the modern era and the stories about Wilt have turned into legends. He is remembered as this larger-than-life figure, the consummate superstar, but before he made it to the top of the basketball world, Chamberlain too was just a kid waiting for his opportunity.
Wilt Chamberlain‘s massive rivalry during his time in the NBA was with Bill Russell, the legendary center of the Boston Celtics. Chamberlain put up the big stats, while Russell won more championships, and he did so under the guidance of Head Coach Red Auerbach. But before Auerbach got to the Celtics, he ended up coaching Wilt Chamberlain in high school. Auerbach recounted the time Chamberlain was working as a bellhop for $13, talking to the Washington Post in 1999.
“Auerbach said he met Chamberlain after his senior year at Overbrook High in Philadelphia. Chamberlain had gotten a summer job at a hotel in the Catskills in Monticello, N.Y., where he was playing in a summer league. Then about 6-11, “he was the biggest bellhop in the country,” Auerbach said.
“Even then, Chamberlain – who went on to play at the University of Kansas – knew his size and skills would take him places. ‘He was never humble,’ Auerbach said. ‘He was confident. He was a giant among men, and he knew he would get bigger and stronger.'”
Chamberlain was coached by Auerbach at this time and while they would go on to become rivals in the NBA, there was a thought that Wilt got his bellhop job thanks to Auerbach. And the theory also suggests that Auerbach wanted Wilt for his Celtics.
Red Auerbach May Have Tried To Plan To Bring Wilt Chamberlain To The Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics, at this time, were definitely in need of an elite center. They would get Bill Russell soon enough and have a lot of success, but some thought that Auerbach was trying to bring Wilt to the Celtics first. This was because of the ‘Territorial Pick’ rule, so when Auerbach told Wilt he could get him into Harvard, people thought that’s what he was trying to do (via Basketball Network).
“Why don’t you go to Harvard, kid?” he said. “And then I’ll be able to pick you off in the territorial draft for the Celtics.”
There is no telling how things would have gone if Wilt Chamberlain had joined the Celtics; would they still have dominated the way they did? These ifs are huge in the context of the NBA’s history because if Chamberlain had 11 rings to go along with his stats, he would likely still be the undisputed GOAT of the game to this day.
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