Wilt Chamberlain age, height and family: All you need to know

Wilton Norman Chamberlain was famously known as Wilt Chamberlain was an American professional basketball player. Standing at 7 ft 1 in tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport’s history.

Chamberlain died at the age of 63.

Also read: Bill Russell’s NBA championship rings: A timeline

Several publications have argued that Chamberlain is the greatest NBA player of all time. He holds numerous NBA regular season records in scoring, rebounding, and durability categories; most notably he is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game, and average more than 40 and 50 points in a season.

Further records state that Chamberlain has been the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game in a season, which he accomplished seven times, and the only player to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game over the entire course of his NBA career.

Also read: In pics: Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell’s life through the years

During his basketball playing career, Chamberlain was known by several nicknames. He disliked the ones that called attention to his height, such as “Goliath” and “Wilt the Stilt”. A Philadelphia sports writer coined the nicknames during Chamberlain’s high school days. He preferred “The Big Dipper.”

After his professional basketball career ended, Chamberlain played volleyball in the short-lived International Volleyball Association (IVA), was president of the IVA, and is enshrined in the IVA Hall of Fame for his contributions. The former NBA player was a successful businessman, authored several books, and appeared in the 1984 movie Conan the Destroyer.

Also read: Bill Russell: Key stats that make him an NBA legend

Chamberlain was also a lifelong bachelor and became notorious for his statement of having had sexual relations with as many as 20,000 women.

According to various reports, Chamberlain had a history of cardiovascular disease. In 1992, he was briefly hospitalised for an irregular heartbeat.

Also read: NBA legend Bill Russell’s off-court funny moments

In 1999, his condition deteriorated rapidly. During this time, he lost 50 pounds. After undergoing dental surgery in the week before his death, he was in great pain and seemed unable to recover from the stress.