Wilton Norman Chamberlain was an American professional basketball player. Standing 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) … See more

Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a family of nine children; he was the son of domestic worker and homemaker Olivia Ruth Johnson and William Ch… See more

Chamberlain stood 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) when he entered Philadelphia's Overbrook High School. As an avid track and field athlete, he high jumped 6 feet, 6 inches, ran the 440 yards in 49.0 seconds and the 880 yards in 1:58.3, … See more

After his last Overbrook season, more than 200 universities tried to recruit Chamberlain. Among others, UCLA offered Chamberlain the opportunity to become a movie star, the University of Pennsylvania wanted to b… See more

After his frustrating junior year, Chamberlain wanted to become a professional player. At that time, the NBA did not accept players until after their college graduating class had been completed; … See more

In 1973, the San Diego Conquistadors, a member of the NBA-rival league ABA signed Chamberlain as a player-coach for a $600,000 salary. According to Chamberlain, part of the reason for leaving the Lakers … See more

After his stint with the Conquistadors, Chamberlain went into business and entertainment, made money in stocks and real estate, bought a popular Harlem nightclub which he renamed Big Wilt's Smalls Par… See more