NBA players are elite athletes who are expected to stay in excellent shape for the course of their careers. Because of these expectations, most players usually abstain from eating certain foods, or at least watch how much food they are eating. But one NBA player who was a statistical marvel on the court was the same even at the dinner table.
During the tail end of his career, Chamberlain played for the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Jerry West. West once told the story of how shocked he was to see Chamberlain’s eating habits.
Wilt had invited West to his hotel room. Upon entering, West saw an incredible amount of food ranging from brisket sandwiches, ribs, coleslaw, and even 7Up. West could barely eat one of the sandwiches.
On top of that, the two were supposed to play the next day. West was concerned about Wilt’s eating and lack of exercise. Wilt would respond by having a 25-rebound game the next day. But he was truly amazed to see Wilt finish all the food set for them as the night came to an end.
“I open the door and he’s got a towel tied around his neck, [and] he’s got a pair of basketball shorts on. That’s all he had on. I look around and I said, ‘Oh my God, what is this guy doing?’ There were three [giant] racks of ribs, there were six 7 Ups — he drank 7 Up like it was water. There were two one-pound brisket sandwiches. … Coleslaw, potato salad, barbecued beans, barbecued chicken. I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Oh my God, what’s going to happen here tonight?’”
“I think there was about half of one of these 7 Ups left. I said, ‘Have you been working out?’ Nope. I said, ‘How in the hell are you going to play tomorrow night?’ … Well, he goes out and gets 25 rebounds. And when I left there that night, his towel [made it look] like he was pregnant. I have no idea how a man could eat that much.”
Source: Sportscasting
Clearly, Chamberlain knew what he was doing with all that food. And the amazing part is how easily Wilt was able to eat so much, and still perform at the highest level the next day without any hesitation.
There is no doubt that Wilt Chamberlain is one of the greatest players in NBA history. He holds so many of the NBA’s most unbreakable records, including the most points in a single game with 100 points, that it seems almost impossible that his numbers are real. Chamberlain set records so astronomically high that it seems highly unlikely that they could ever be surpassed.
And if someone kept track of records when it came to eating among NBA players, Chamberlain may have held those records too.
