Wilt Chamberlain was the true definition of a statistical marvel. Throughout his career, Wilt used his incredible size and athleticism to dominate the NBA in a way that has never been seen since. Chamberlain has some of the greatest records in NBA history, but perhaps the most astounding one is his 100 point-game, still to this day the most points a single player has scored in a game.
Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks, in what is considered by many as the most incredible single-game scoring performance in NBA history. Chamberlain’s 100 point game is one of the NBA’s most unbreakable records. But what happened after the game truly cements Wilt Chamberlain as one of the greatest personalities to ever enter the NBA.
As revealed by Basketball Mecca on Instagram, after scoring 100 points against the Knicks, he actually caught a ride home with some of the Knicks players. When he got done with the ride, he sarcastically thanked them for dropping him despite him humiliating the Knicks just a few hours ago and gave them gas money as compensation for dropping him.
Wilt woke up in his New York apartment on game day and took a train to Philly after sleeping only 2-3 hours the night before. He stayed awake on the train, fearing he would miss the Philly stop and awaken in D.C (final stop).
Next was a two-hour bus ride to Hershey, where the game was being held. According to his teammates, he chatted with them the whole time before spending the last few hours ’till game-time at an arcade shooting gallery (no sleep there either).
So yes, Wilt dropped 100 points on the Knicks after pulling an all-nighter.
The best part?
Wilt, wanting to go back to his place in NY, asked his friend Willie Naulls (of the Knicks) for a ride back to New York. Willie accepted but made it clear that Richie Guerin and Cleveland Buckner (also Knicks players) would be in the car as well and that Guerin had just made remarks about Wilt’s “selfish act” a few minutes earlier in the Knicks locker room.
Wilt, not wanting to cause trouble, just told his friend he would stay quiet and sleep the whole time not to make things awkward.
But… When they finally reached Wilt’s apartment in the Upper West Side, Chamberlain stepped out, smiled and said “You guys are nice sons of bitches. Letting me score 100 points and THEN giving me a ride back. Here’s gas money”
Source: Basketball Mecca
Chamberlain was truly spectacular and had some of the best numbers in the history of the NBA.
Despite his incredible stats, there was one statistic that even Chamberlain did not like; the triple-double. He felt that triple-doubles were not an accurate reflection of how the players played, and they would trick fans into thinking that players had a good game.
Chamberlain was a dominant athlete on the court. But off the court, he had some incredible moments. Jerry West once revealed the story of how Chamberlain had an incredible feast for himself in a hotel room the night before a big game. There is no denying just how incredibly dominant Wilt was throughout the course of his legendary career in the NBA.
