There are plenty of famous games in basketball history but Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-PT game has to rank right up there with the best of them. On March 2, 1962, Chamberlain set the NBA single-game record by scoring 100 PTS for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 win over the New York Knicks at Hershey Sports Arena in Hershey, PA. Chamberlain set 5 other league records that night (including most FTs made) and the 2 teams combined to break the record for most points in a game with 316. In addition to Wilt’s remarkable record, the game has taken on a mythic quality because it was not televised and no video footage of the game has ever been found. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jerry Waugh, Wilt’s former assistant coach at Kansas, about both the 1957 NCAA title game and the 100-PT game. Today marks the 60th anniversary of that night in Hershey so we take this time to remember 1 of the most amazing achievements ever seen on a basketball court.
There was 1 summer when Celtics coach Red Auerbach had Chamberlain play 1-on-1 against Kansas star BH Born, and after the 1953 NCAA tourney MOP was outscored 25-10 Born allegedly gave up his promising NBA career to become a tractor engineer because, “If there were high school kids that good, I figured I was not going to make it to the pros”: did all of that actually happen?! I did not hear that story but it certainly could have happened because lots of stories went around. I never saw Wilt as exaggerating things so it is always possible.
After going 56-3 at Overbrook High School, winning 2 city championships, and averaging 37.4 PPG, he had 200+ universities recruiting him: why did he turn down the chance to become a movie star at UCLA or get some diamonds from Penn and sign with the Jayhawks? I am not sure what it was that attracted him. I played for Phog Allen (so I am probably biased!), who we all called “Doc”: he was quite a personality and a great recruiter. It was not the same kind of environment at that time as it is today. Wilt was a bright guy so I think to get him out of Philly it must have been Doc’s personality that enticed him. I do not know what kind of financial arrangements were made by the people involved because I was still a high school coach at the time. Doc was a great salesman: he could tell a great story and was a captivating guy.
In his varsity debut on December 3, 1956, he broke a pair of school records with 52 PTS/31 REB in a win over Northwestern: what was the reaction like on campus to the overnight superstar? We always knew what he was capable of doing due to his size/strength. He lifted weights and took care of himself: he was an overpowering person who could also jump/move. I think that he would excel even in today’s game: we were very fortunate to have him here.
In addition to playing basketball he also ran the 100-yard dash in 10.9 seconds, threw the shot put, and won the Big 8 high jump 3 years in a row (he reportedly had a 50” vertical leap!): have you ever seen a more amazing athlete? Not for someone that size: you have to get all of the juices jangling at the right time! He was the exception: he moved differently because he was so tall and when he took a stride it was a long 1.
Take me through the 1957 NCAA tourney title game:
How did North Carolina coach Frank McGuire’s strategy of triple-teaming him on defense and freezing the ball on offense allow the Tar Heels to get a 1-PT 3-OT win? I am not sure how much it was the strategy: they had an effective team to go with it and slowed the tempo of the game down. We were unable to accommodate that but I give them credit because they had a very good team! It came down to the final shot but we would have won the game if both teams had been running up and down the floor all night.
He had 23 PTS/14 REB and was named tourney MOP despite losing the game: even though he played so well, where does that loss rank among the most devastating of his career? Our whole team took it hard: I still wake up with nightmares about it (just kidding)! We expect to win games here so anything less than a title is disappointing.
In his very 1st NBA game he had 43 PTS/28 REB against the Knicks en route to being named ROY/MVP: how was he able to come in and dominate the NBA from the start? You cannot just win games with anyone: you have to plan ahead, which is where coaching comes in. The ball still has to go in the hole and you have to shoot it better than your opponent.
On March 2, 1962 he became the only NBA player to ever score 100 PTS in a game: did you think such a stat was even possible, and do you think that anyone will ever break his record? It is really something: there are some teams who cannot even score 100! There are so many factors involved that it is almost like breaking the rules to do something so unique. It is a hard game to play: there are 5 guys on the court who all want to handle the ball and there are so many facets to the game. You have to shoot/dribble with guys hanging all over you.
He was a 4-time MVP, won 7 scoring titles/11 rebounding titles, and even led the league in AST once: how was he able to balance all of the different aspects of his game? I grant you that he was a great all-around player but he grew intellectually as he played it and had coaches who helped him. When the basket is 10’ high there is no question that size matters: Doc actually advocated for a 12’ basket because tall “goons” were ruining the game by dunking the ball. I do not know if it would ruin the game: the players would adjust to it.
He won a pair of NBA titles in 1967/1972 but lost 7 different playoff series to the Celtics: how did Bill Russell impact his life either on and off the court? Wilt was a smart person and understood that the pro game was about putting on a show and making money, and the big guys were a big part of that.
In 1978 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame and in 1996 he was chosen as 1 of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? We tend to idolize our athletes so much and point out how the strong man stumbles. When I look at Wilt I remember what a great player he was and how he adjusted to so much pressure/expectations around him, even as a college kid. Everyone thought that he would become the best there ever was and I think that he turned out pretty well. I admire how he handled everything. We were getting on a train 1 day and a porter said he looked like a big Sequoia tree: Wilt turned around and said “Yeah, but you are just a stump!” He belonged to a fraternity that branded a “K” into his chest: he did whatever it took to be part of a group. I had a great career but I had no expectations like he had: it was not fair to him. Basketball fit what he could do and he was a good person so I was lucky to have known him. He had to give up an awful lot to measure up.