Wilt Chamberlain by Kathleen W

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Wilt Chamberlain By Kathleen W. Redman

1 Do you think it is possible for a professional basketball player to score 100 points in one game? It doesn't seem likely, does it? Well, it really happened.

2 Wilt Chamberlain, a man many consider the greatest basketball player in history, scored 100 points in a game against the New York Knicks. His scoring average that year was 50.4 points per game, a National Basketball Association (NBA) record that is still standing.

3 Wilt was born on August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was one of nine children and had a happy childhood. By the time he was five years old, however, he had grown big enough to convince the milkman to give him a job making deliveries!

4 He played basketball in junior high school. By the time he entered Overbrook High School, he was already 6'11" tall. During those years he developed a love for basketball that stayed with him throughout his life.

5 As a student at the University of Kansas, far from his Philadelphia home, Wilt proved that his talents extended to areas other than basketball. He became a track and field star there and was a conference high jump champion for three years in a row. He ran the 50-yard dash in 10.9 seconds and triple jumped more than 50 feet. He turned down offers to become a professional boxer and football player.

6 After college Wilt played for two years with the Harlem Globetrotters then joined the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959. Basketball fans were anxious to see how he would do in his first game. He did not disappoint them. He scored 43 points and grabbed 28 rebounds.

7 He continued to play amazing basketball for 14 years until his retirement in 1973. He broke many NBA records during that time, and many of his records still stand. He was the first player in NBA history to be named MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season, and along the way he set eight NBA season records.

8 He was the first player to score more than 30,000 points. He led the NBA in scoring seven times, in rebounding eleven times, and in assists once. He was the first-team all-star center seven times. In his 14 seasons, he played 1,045 games, scoring 31,419 points, an average of 30.1 a game. He also had 23,924 rebounds. In 1972-73, he made 72.7 percent of his field goal attempts, an NBA record.

9 After his basketball career was over, he became an actor, a writer, a celebrity, and businessman. In 1984, he co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie, Conan the Destroyer. He wrote four books, including an autobiography.

10 He always wore a rubber band around his wrist because of a personal superstition. He liked to say, "Nobody roots for Goliath." It came as a shock when he died unexpectedly of a heart attack in his sleep at the relatively young age of 63.

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Name ______Date ______Wilt Chamberlain

1. What is the record for the greatest number of 2. Name two other sports in which Wilt points scored in one game? Chamberlain excelled. 120 Ping pong, shot-put 50.7 Boxing, football 72 Inline skating, soccer 100 Track and field, ice hockey 3. Which of these is least likely to have been a 4. What are two things he did after he retired reason for his being a celebrity? from basketball? He made several NBA records. Writing, acting He scored 100 points in a single game. Acting, coaching Little League He was one of nine children. Coaching women's teams, working at He was 7'1" tall. Sears Taking college classes, coaching basketball 5. How many total points did he score in his 6. Chamberlain often said, "Nobody roots for professional career? Goliath." He probably meant: 30,419 People don't know much about the 31,491 Bible. 31,419 Nobody likes Goliath. 3,419 Everybody hated him just because he was big. People usually cheer for a smaller or less able person in a contest. 7. How can you tell from this reading passage that he appeared to be in good health when he died? He was an athlete. The use of the words "shock" and "unexpectedly" in the sentence about his death. He died from a heart attack, and heart attacks only happen to healthy people. The author says he was in good health.

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