1 00:00:20,063 --> 00:00:22,607  [Announcer] Sitting majestically       on one of the highest hills     2 00:00:22,690 --> 00:00:25,234  in the sumptuous Bel Air section             of Los Angeles            3 00:00:25,318 --> 00:00:27,945            it's a domicile                 as dazzling as Disneyland      4 00:00:27,987 --> 00:00:31,449    and even larger than its owner,        who is a giant of a man.       5 00:00:31,491 --> 00:00:33,367        Wilt agreed to give us                 his own description         6 00:00:33,451 --> 00:00:35,369         of this marvelous pad                    on a hilltop.            7 00:00:35,453 --> 00:00:38,498        Here he is big as life.       8 00:00:38,581 --> 00:00:40,458        Well, like most people,       9 00:00:40,500 --> 00:00:43,961           I always dreamed                     of owning a home.          10 00:00:46,214 --> 00:00:49,300       Wilt built his own house.      11 00:00:50,384 --> 00:00:51,969           From the outside,          12 00:00:52,053 --> 00:00:56,140         the house looked like                Darth Vader's helmet.        13 00:00:56,182 --> 00:00:57,809  There were triangles everywhere.  14 00:00:57,850 --> 00:01:01,104          As first I thought                 is he doing this right?       15 00:01:01,145 --> 00:01:05,316      But then it ended up being           a fabulous, fabulous house.     16 00:01:05,399 --> 00:01:08,236          [Wilt Chamberlain]              As you look around the house,    17 00:01:08,277 --> 00:01:09,320       it really represents me,       18 00:01:09,362 --> 00:01:11,405  and it's just really too complex  19 00:01:11,447 --> 00:01:14,575           to just sum it up                     in a sentence.            20 00:01:14,617 --> 00:01:16,494             It really is                  a lot of different things,      21 00:01:16,536 --> 00:01:19,872        as I think I'm probably            a lot of different things.      22 00:01:19,914 --> 00:01:24,210     He had wolf fur on the floor            and over on the couch.        23 00:01:24,293 --> 00:01:26,379            I'm, like, wow,                   this really is wolf.         24 00:01:26,462 --> 00:01:28,714        I mean, it has whiskers                  and everything.           25 00:01:28,798 --> 00:01:32,426           There were doors                 that were nine feet tall       26 00:01:32,510 --> 00:01:33,928     so he wouldn't have to duck.     27 00:01:33,970 --> 00:01:38,266           Then he had water                 all through his house.        28 00:01:38,349 --> 00:01:39,559           There was a hole.          29 00:01:39,642 --> 00:01:42,478      We could literally jump in              from the living room,        30 00:01:42,562 --> 00:01:45,731      and then we would just swim                under the house           31 00:01:45,815 --> 00:01:47,984      to take us around the pool.     32 00:01:48,776 --> 00:01:53,322      I loved the round waterbed.     33 00:01:53,406 --> 00:01:54,657            We called that                     the triple X room.          34 00:01:54,740 --> 00:01:57,160         We would go in there                   and play in there          35 00:01:57,201 --> 00:01:58,119          and jump in there.          36 00:01:58,161 --> 00:01:59,287         As I became an adult,        37 00:01:59,370 --> 00:02:00,538      I wondered to myself, okay,     38 00:02:00,580 --> 00:02:02,623           when was he doing                 in that room? [laughs]        39 00:02:02,665 --> 00:02:03,666       That was a special room.       40 00:02:03,708 --> 00:02:05,376       That was a special room.       41 00:02:05,418 --> 00:02:06,460           I am a bachelor,           42 00:02:06,544 --> 00:02:09,130         so I tried to create                    a type of house           43 00:02:09,213 --> 00:02:10,381      that would give me the mood     44 00:02:10,464 --> 00:02:12,717            that a bachelor               would normally like to have.     45 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:14,343         If I'm not mistaken,         46 00:02:14,427 --> 00:02:16,470          before Hugh Hefner                 purchased his mansion,        47 00:02:16,554 --> 00:02:18,639           he used to borrow                 Wilt Chamberlain's home       48 00:02:18,681 --> 00:02:20,808           for his parties.           49 00:02:20,892 --> 00:02:22,643      Was I thinking in my teens,     50 00:02:22,685 --> 00:02:24,312      you don't wanna get a job,             you wanna invent a job.       51 00:02:24,395 --> 00:02:27,398           Wilt Chamberlain                invented the world famous,      52 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:29,317       photogenic, millionaire,       53 00:02:29,358 --> 00:02:30,568            seven-foot-tall                    basketball player.          54 00:02:30,651 --> 00:02:33,279           He created a job                that did not exist before.      55 00:02:33,321 --> 00:02:35,072        Hello,MTV Cribviewers.        56 00:02:35,114 --> 00:02:36,157      It is I, Shaquille O'Neal.      57 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:37,325           This is my house.          58 00:02:37,408 --> 00:02:38,492     By the time you get to Shaq,     59 00:02:38,534 --> 00:02:40,244         Shaq's just applying                     for that job.            60 00:02:41,704 --> 00:02:43,748       When he built his house,       61 00:02:43,789 --> 00:02:47,376      Wilt called it Ursa Major,      62 00:02:47,460 --> 00:02:49,754            the Big Dipper.           63 00:02:49,795 --> 00:02:52,882        Right next to the bed,                 there was a button.         64 00:02:52,965 --> 00:02:57,303          Press that button,                  the ceiling went back        65 00:02:57,345 --> 00:02:58,763        and there was the sky.        66 00:02:58,846 --> 00:03:00,306           [Gary Pomerantz]                       And at night,            67 00:03:00,389 --> 00:03:04,769           he would look up                    at a starry night.          68 00:03:05,728 --> 00:03:08,439     [Robert Cherry] And he liked             to gaze at something         69 00:03:08,522 --> 00:03:11,234       even bigger than himself.      70 00:03:25,081 --> 00:03:28,709       So we're gonna call this            the Saboteur Hall of Fame.      71 00:03:28,793 --> 00:03:32,338     Wilt Chamberlain, he's really           kind of the poster boy        72 00:03:32,380 --> 00:03:33,923    for the Saboteur Hall of Fame.    73 00:03:33,965 --> 00:03:37,260      In 1965, Frank Deford wrote          aSports Illustratedarticle      74 00:03:37,301 --> 00:03:38,469            about how Wilt            75 00:03:38,511 --> 00:03:40,721        had just forced his way               out of San Francisco.        76 00:03:40,805 --> 00:03:42,473    He tried to leave Kansas twice.  77 00:03:42,556 --> 00:03:44,809       He tried to leave Philly              after his rookie year.        78 00:03:44,892 --> 00:03:46,310    And meanwhile they have no idea  79 00:03:46,352 --> 00:03:47,645    he's gonna do it again in 1968    80 00:03:47,728 --> 00:03:50,815          when he forces them              to trade him to the Lakers.     81 00:03:51,899 --> 00:03:54,443     [Wilt] All satisfying stories               have a bad guy,           82 00:03:54,485 --> 00:03:57,863    a villain to make the good guy              look even better.          83 00:03:57,905 --> 00:04:01,492        During my playing days,             I was a classic bad guy.       84 00:04:01,534 --> 00:04:04,495        Controversy followed me                 wherever I went.           85 00:04:04,537 --> 00:04:08,749          Many times, though,          the bad guy becomes the good guy  86 00:04:08,833 --> 00:04:11,002         as the plot unfolds.         87 00:04:13,170 --> 00:04:18,551    If Ike Richman was still alive,       during that period of time,     88 00:04:18,592 --> 00:04:20,219        I think Wilt would have              stayed in Philadelphia        89 00:04:20,303 --> 00:04:21,637        the rest of his career.       90 00:04:21,721 --> 00:04:23,097       [Announcer]On the right,              president Irv Kosloff,        91 00:04:23,139 --> 00:04:25,558              sole owner                 after the death of Ike Richman.  92 00:04:25,599 --> 00:04:28,686             Back in '68,                      we had a situation          93 00:04:28,728 --> 00:04:31,230      where Wilt and Irv Kosloff               had a disagreement.         94 00:04:31,314 --> 00:04:35,484     Ike Richman had promised Wilt            a piece of the 76ers.        95 00:04:35,526 --> 00:04:37,820          That he would have                  a share of the team,         96 00:04:37,862 --> 00:04:40,990        and my dad acknowledged              that that may be true.        97 00:04:41,073 --> 00:04:45,161          But there never was                 anything in writing,         98 00:04:45,244 --> 00:04:46,954       so was Wilt gonna buy it?      99 00:04:47,038 --> 00:04:49,498          Was it going to be                   in lieu of salary?          100 00:04:49,582 --> 00:04:51,083     I think it's highly unlikely     101 00:04:51,125 --> 00:04:54,462  that we were just gonna give him          a share of the team,         102 00:04:54,503 --> 00:04:55,838    because he had no basis for it    103 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:59,133      other than a verbal promise          that Ike Richman told him.      104 00:04:59,175 --> 00:05:01,218               The 76ers                   wouldn't be worth anything      105 00:05:01,302 --> 00:05:02,720     if not for Wilt Chamberlain.     106 00:05:02,762 --> 00:05:05,806      He knew what he was worth.      107 00:05:05,848 --> 00:05:07,099      He was way before his time      108 00:05:07,141 --> 00:05:11,437        to be able to perceive               why can't I own a team?       109 00:05:11,479 --> 00:05:15,691       But my dad felt one owner                making decisions           110 00:05:15,733 --> 00:05:17,735    was the best way to do things.    111 00:05:17,818 --> 00:05:18,986         And Wilt said, look,         112 00:05:19,028 --> 00:05:20,654          if you're not gonna               treat me right, I'm out.       113 00:05:20,696 --> 00:05:22,823       There was no free agency                back in those days.         114 00:05:22,907 --> 00:05:24,241     That didn't come till later.     115 00:05:24,283 --> 00:05:26,744            So the players                 really didn't have much say     116 00:05:26,827 --> 00:05:28,579           in what they did.          117 00:05:28,621 --> 00:05:31,457          But Wilt was, like,               if I don't like it here,       118 00:05:31,499 --> 00:05:32,666      I'm gonna figure out a way      119 00:05:32,708 --> 00:05:33,918           that you're gonna                not want me here anymore       120 00:05:33,959 --> 00:05:36,212       so I can get over there.       121 00:05:38,005 --> 00:05:41,050     Wilt did a lot of complaining                to the press.            122 00:05:41,092 --> 00:05:42,718     We're out here to make money.    123 00:05:42,802 --> 00:05:44,762        We're playing something                that we love to do,         124 00:05:44,804 --> 00:05:48,432  but the primary interest for you        is how much you can make.      125 00:05:48,474 --> 00:05:51,227           On July 9, 1968,           126 00:05:51,310 --> 00:05:55,398             Wilt's traded                 to the Los Angeles Lakers.      127 00:05:56,399 --> 00:05:58,025         Sometimes I sit back         128 00:05:58,109 --> 00:06:00,945           and I just wonder                   the impact that had         129 00:06:01,028 --> 00:06:02,822        on the whole franchise.       130 00:06:02,905 --> 00:06:04,490       Maybe it could have been                     resolved               131 00:06:04,573 --> 00:06:05,616      if he had part of the team.     132 00:06:05,658 --> 00:06:06,992  That might have been the answer.  133 00:06:07,034 --> 00:06:09,995  It would have changed the course      of history, too, by the way.     134 00:06:10,037 --> 00:06:13,958             If that team                  could have stayed together      135 00:06:13,999 --> 00:06:15,209    and could have stayed healthy,    136 00:06:15,292 --> 00:06:17,837     no one would have beaten them              for a few years.           137 00:06:17,878 --> 00:06:19,672           They had it all.           138 00:06:19,755 --> 00:06:23,134    The thing that Wilt Chamberlain        often gets criticized for      139 00:06:23,217 --> 00:06:25,010  is the thing that players do now              all the time,            140 00:06:25,052 --> 00:06:27,054     which is moving around a lot.    141 00:06:27,096 --> 00:06:28,889          Player empowerment                     has always been           142 00:06:28,973 --> 00:06:31,725            a scary dynamic                  in professional sports.       143 00:06:31,767 --> 00:06:33,394       Let me be very specific.       144 00:06:33,436 --> 00:06:34,979       Black player empowerment       145 00:06:35,062 --> 00:06:39,525       has been a scary dynamic             for professional sports.       146 00:06:39,567 --> 00:06:41,610              The people                       who did it earliest         147 00:06:41,694 --> 00:06:43,779          often are the ones               that are most villainized,      148 00:06:43,863 --> 00:06:45,614    and in Wilt Chamberlain's case,  149 00:06:45,656 --> 00:06:47,700            it's astounding                   that during that time        150 00:06:47,741 --> 00:06:49,994    where speaking up for yourself              as a Black person          151 00:06:50,077 --> 00:06:51,495       could cost you your life,      152 00:06:51,537 --> 00:06:53,372      that he was willing to say      153 00:06:53,414 --> 00:06:56,459        this is what I demand.        154 00:06:56,542 --> 00:07:00,546      Wilt understood people are          treating me like a commodity,    155 00:07:00,629 --> 00:07:02,256     so why don't I act like one?     156 00:07:02,339 --> 00:07:04,633          And you know what?                   I wanna go to L.A.          157 00:07:04,675 --> 00:07:07,178        Very happy to announce        158 00:07:07,261 --> 00:07:10,514         that Wilt Chamberlain                     has signed              159 00:07:10,598 --> 00:07:13,517         a five year contract         160 00:07:13,601 --> 00:07:16,687     with the Los Angeles Lakers.     161 00:07:18,981 --> 00:07:19,940        You would have thought                     the Lakers              162 00:07:20,024 --> 00:07:21,150      had won the lottery, right?     163 00:07:21,233 --> 00:07:22,860            Because you get                     Wilt Chamberlain.          164 00:07:22,943 --> 00:07:25,154     You've got Jerry West, one of       the great players of all time,    165 00:07:25,237 --> 00:07:28,491       Elgin Baylor, one of the           greatest players of all time,    166 00:07:28,532 --> 00:07:31,869       This Lakers team in 1969                     is so fun              167 00:07:31,911 --> 00:07:34,455           because they were               the first super team ever.      168 00:07:34,538 --> 00:07:37,750        I feel very, very happy          that I've been traded to a team  169 00:07:37,833 --> 00:07:39,752            that I believe                 may stand a chance to be--      170 00:07:39,793 --> 00:07:40,920        go down in the records        171 00:07:40,961 --> 00:07:43,088       as one of the best teams                in basketball ever.         172 00:07:43,172 --> 00:07:44,298      Everyone thought the Lakers     173 00:07:44,381 --> 00:07:46,133        were going to walk over                    the league,             174 00:07:46,175 --> 00:07:49,094         and that's not quite                    what happened.            175 00:07:49,178 --> 00:07:52,681        Butch Van Breda Kolff,                     the coach,              176 00:07:52,765 --> 00:07:54,892       got off on the wrong foot                    with Wilt              177 00:07:54,934 --> 00:07:57,019  and never got on the right foot.  178 00:07:57,061 --> 00:07:59,813           There was a total                   personality clash,          179 00:07:59,855 --> 00:08:01,815       and he was asking things                    of me to do             180 00:08:01,899 --> 00:08:05,819     that I didn't feel altogether            that they were right.        181 00:08:05,861 --> 00:08:07,905      The success of great teams      182 00:08:07,947 --> 00:08:12,451     comes from trying to get more         than the sum of your parts.     183 00:08:12,493 --> 00:08:13,702        There's only one ball,        184 00:08:13,786 --> 00:08:15,204         and you need to learn                 to share that ball          185 00:08:15,246 --> 00:08:17,790             in a way that                  makes you more efficient.      186 00:08:17,831 --> 00:08:20,417         Wilt loved to set up                  on the left block,          187 00:08:20,501 --> 00:08:22,586       but Butch Van Breda Kolff      188 00:08:22,628 --> 00:08:24,755       was focusing on spacing,       189 00:08:24,797 --> 00:08:26,632           setting screens,           190 00:08:26,715 --> 00:08:29,927        similar to Bill Russell                 in the high post,          191 00:08:29,969 --> 00:08:34,848        creating driving lanes                for West and Baylor.         192 00:08:34,890 --> 00:08:39,061     But Wilt doesn't want to move            up to the high post.         193 00:08:39,103 --> 00:08:42,273        Part of it is probably                 selfishly motivated         194 00:08:42,314 --> 00:08:45,985     in the sense that he doesn't      want to play away from the ball.  195 00:08:46,068 --> 00:08:47,695            Well, if you're                     Wilt Chamberlain,          196 00:08:47,778 --> 00:08:48,946         you're like, really?         197 00:08:49,029 --> 00:08:51,949        I'm the greatest talent               you've ever coached.         198 00:08:52,032 --> 00:08:53,200         I can score at will,         199 00:08:53,242 --> 00:08:54,535       and you're gonna have me                   set screens?             200 00:08:54,618 --> 00:08:58,330         I can understand Wilt           chafing at that, to be honest.    201 00:08:58,414 --> 00:09:01,083        With Van Breda Kolff's                   style of play,            202 00:09:01,166 --> 00:09:03,460           you're empowering                    Wilt's teammates.          203 00:09:03,502 --> 00:09:06,380    When you play the way they were            in Philadelphia,           204 00:09:06,422 --> 00:09:08,632          you're running more                     through Wilt,            205 00:09:08,716 --> 00:09:09,717         and he has the ball.         206 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:11,927      He's making more decisions.     207 00:09:11,969 --> 00:09:14,471           Wilt wasn't used                   to sharing the ball,         208 00:09:14,555 --> 00:09:15,723          and it didn't work.         209 00:09:15,764 --> 00:09:16,932       It didn't work too well.       210 00:09:16,974 --> 00:09:18,267    Those guys had trouble meshing    211 00:09:18,350 --> 00:09:20,853    on the floor and off the floor.  212 00:09:20,894 --> 00:09:23,981      I probably wasn't affected                as much as Elgin,          213 00:09:24,023 --> 00:09:25,232                because                    he didn't have enough room      214 00:09:25,316 --> 00:09:26,984           to do the things                     he normally did.           215 00:09:27,026 --> 00:09:29,987            It was a chore                    to try to find a way         216 00:09:30,070 --> 00:09:33,532         that they could both            be successful at the same time.  217 00:09:33,616 --> 00:09:36,076    It was an awkward period for me  218 00:09:36,118 --> 00:09:37,911  because I was so close to Elgin.  219 00:09:37,995 --> 00:09:40,748            And then Wilt,                I didn't even know him, okay?    220 00:09:40,789 --> 00:09:46,128              And because                     he was sort of aloof.        221 00:09:46,170 --> 00:09:48,714             He would tell                   some outlandish stories       222 00:09:48,756 --> 00:09:51,425    that, oh, my gosh, I didn't...    223 00:09:51,508 --> 00:09:54,887       He told me he drove from          New York City to San Francisco    224 00:09:54,970 --> 00:09:56,180             in 24 hours.             225 00:09:56,263 --> 00:09:59,892       Elgin and I would kind of            look at each other and...      226 00:09:59,975 --> 00:10:03,228             I don't think                    that's true. [laughs]        227 00:10:03,312 --> 00:10:05,439        [Wilt] I love to drive.       228 00:10:05,481 --> 00:10:08,567       I've gone across country              20 times, always alone.       229 00:10:08,609 --> 00:10:10,444     [Reporter] What do you think          about when you're driving?      230 00:10:10,486 --> 00:10:13,072           [Wilt] Who I am.                   What I'd like to be.         231 00:10:13,113 --> 00:10:16,367         Going fast. Flirting               a little bit with, um...       232 00:10:16,408 --> 00:10:18,118            not with death,                      but, you know,            233 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:21,330      just those things that seem           to be what we like to do       234 00:10:21,413 --> 00:10:22,623    but are a little bit afraid of.  235 00:10:22,706 --> 00:10:24,708    He wasn't afraid to say things.  236 00:10:24,792 --> 00:10:27,044  If something's bothering him, he     didn't give a damn who it was.    237 00:10:27,127 --> 00:10:28,295             He'd say it.             238 00:10:28,379 --> 00:10:30,297      [Wilt] I'm a loud extrovert     239 00:10:30,381 --> 00:10:32,424        who's not afraid to say            something good about myself     240 00:10:32,508 --> 00:10:34,802           or something bad                    about someone else          241 00:10:34,843 --> 00:10:36,804    when the occasion warrants it.    242 00:10:36,845 --> 00:10:39,723            The two of them                 were like banty roosters       243 00:10:39,807 --> 00:10:40,849         going at each other.         244 00:10:40,933 --> 00:10:42,393      There was no respect there.     245 00:10:42,434 --> 00:10:45,896     When you don't have respect,        that's what you're gonna have.    246 00:10:47,773 --> 00:10:49,900      Despite having this clash,      247 00:10:49,983 --> 00:10:51,276        at the end of the year,       248 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:53,904              the Lakers                     are still competitive.        249 00:10:53,987 --> 00:10:55,531    They're still a very good team.  250 00:10:55,572 --> 00:10:58,826      With all that great talent,          they start playing better.      251 00:10:58,867 --> 00:11:01,995    And they reach the NBA finals.    252 00:11:02,037 --> 00:11:03,539             And guess who                    was waiting for them         253 00:11:03,622 --> 00:11:05,791       in the finals of the NBA?      254 00:11:05,874 --> 00:11:08,669        Number six and friends.       255 00:11:08,752 --> 00:11:10,003    If we tried to write the novel,  256 00:11:10,045 --> 00:11:12,047         it might be dismissed             as, oh, don't give me that.     257 00:11:12,131 --> 00:11:14,174      You're not gonna have them         play the Celtics again, right?    258 00:11:14,258 --> 00:11:15,718             Yes, we are.             259 00:11:16,927 --> 00:11:18,512      And the Lakers are favored.     260 00:11:18,554 --> 00:11:19,972              Everyone's                    always been talking about      261 00:11:20,055 --> 00:11:21,724            how the Celtics                   have all the talent.         262 00:11:21,807 --> 00:11:23,350       Well, now you finally do.      263 00:11:23,392 --> 00:11:27,146         This was as valuable                     an NBA finals            264 00:11:27,187 --> 00:11:29,273  as there had been to that point.  265 00:11:32,025 --> 00:11:35,946         The series has these                back and forth zigzags.       266 00:11:48,083 --> 00:11:50,210             I don't think                     it was widely known         267 00:11:50,294 --> 00:11:51,628    that that was Russ's last game,  268 00:11:51,670 --> 00:11:54,298     but certainly those guys knew                on the team.             269 00:11:54,339 --> 00:11:56,842       One of the things I said               before the last game         270 00:11:56,925 --> 00:11:59,595           was that we were                  gonna beat the Lakers.        271 00:12:00,429 --> 00:12:03,348         The teams I played on                could play any style.        272 00:12:03,390 --> 00:12:07,394       And the way we were gonna         beat 'em is we were gonna run.    273 00:12:12,733 --> 00:12:15,986      [Announcer]Wilt Chamberlain              driving on Russell.         274 00:12:16,069 --> 00:12:17,946          18 points for Wilt.         275 00:12:18,030 --> 00:12:20,407    Even though Wilt played well...  276 00:12:20,449 --> 00:12:22,951        [Announcer]Chamberlain                  with the rebound.          277 00:12:22,993 --> 00:12:25,120       He has over 20 rebounds.       278 00:12:25,204 --> 00:12:27,790     The Celtics take a huge lead     279 00:12:27,831 --> 00:12:29,291    going into the fourth quarter.    280 00:12:29,374 --> 00:12:30,375       [Announcer]Fourth period.      281 00:12:30,459 --> 00:12:33,295            But this time,                     he has Jerry West.          282 00:12:34,463 --> 00:12:37,466              Jerry West,                    this incredible player        283 00:12:37,549 --> 00:12:39,218       who couldn't call himself                    champion.              284 00:12:39,301 --> 00:12:41,595    He was the noble loser in those     days, you know, to the Celtics.  285 00:12:41,637 --> 00:12:43,430            He lost to them                 six times in the finals.       286 00:12:43,514 --> 00:12:45,349      Like with Wilt Chamberlain,     287 00:12:45,432 --> 00:12:48,852         it was his misfortune              to play at the same time       288 00:12:48,894 --> 00:12:49,937           that Bill Russell                      and Sam Jones            289 00:12:49,978 --> 00:12:51,522       and all the Celtics did.       290 00:12:51,605 --> 00:12:53,524         [Announcer]They have                 to make up 17 points         291 00:12:53,607 --> 00:12:56,318           and they've gotta               get that ball down quickly.     292 00:12:56,401 --> 00:12:58,445    They're looking for Jerry West.  293 00:12:58,529 --> 00:13:01,323     Howell switches off on West.     294 00:13:01,365 --> 00:13:04,493         And Jerry West starts              this incredible comeback,      295 00:13:04,535 --> 00:13:06,995     draining jumper after jumper.    296 00:13:07,079 --> 00:13:09,164       Jerry West...another one!      297 00:13:09,206 --> 00:13:12,000    And the Celtics sense trouble.    298 00:13:12,084 --> 00:13:15,629        With five minutes left              in the fourth quarter...       299 00:13:15,671 --> 00:13:16,964           Here's Havlicek.           300 00:13:17,047 --> 00:13:19,842          Rebound coming off                and Chamberlain gets it.       301 00:13:19,925 --> 00:13:21,176       Chamberlain hurt his leg.      302 00:13:21,218 --> 00:13:22,636    Chamberlain can't move, Chris.    303 00:13:22,678 --> 00:13:24,346            He's down there                    holding that knee.          304 00:13:24,429 --> 00:13:26,849        [PA Announcer]20 second                official's timeout.         305 00:13:26,890 --> 00:13:28,392             He comes out.            306 00:13:30,143 --> 00:13:33,647  And the lead gets down to seven.  307 00:13:34,439 --> 00:13:36,817           And then to five,                   and then to three.          308 00:13:36,900 --> 00:13:40,445         [Announcer]The Lakers            within one point of the lead.    309 00:13:40,487 --> 00:13:42,781         Wilt is on the bench,        310 00:13:42,823 --> 00:13:46,076        so now you're thinking,               is he coming back in?        311 00:13:47,452 --> 00:13:50,163       We could use him now with          the way the tide has turned.     312 00:13:50,247 --> 00:13:53,208         He goes to his coach,            says I'm ready to go back in,    313 00:13:53,250 --> 00:13:56,086          and the coach says,                  we don't need you.          314 00:14:01,383 --> 00:14:03,468              [Bob Ryan]                     It's a one point game.        315 00:14:03,510 --> 00:14:04,803      The Celtics have the ball.      316 00:14:04,887 --> 00:14:07,014         [Announcer]Havlicek.         317 00:14:07,097 --> 00:14:08,682               Erickson.              318 00:14:08,724 --> 00:14:11,518             Knocked away,                     but Nelson gets it.         319 00:14:13,312 --> 00:14:14,521      He goes and tips the ball.      320 00:14:14,605 --> 00:14:16,648     It goes right to Don Nelson,     321 00:14:16,732 --> 00:14:19,610            and Don Nelson                  nails a lucky jump shot.       322 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:24,531            The Celtics win                 their 11th championship.       323 00:14:24,573 --> 00:14:27,242       That ball must have gone                in the air 15 feet.         324 00:14:27,326 --> 00:14:29,786        I could not believe it.       325 00:14:29,828 --> 00:14:34,917          The disappointment,                bitter disappointment.        326 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:37,711    That was probably my lowest ebb  327 00:14:37,794 --> 00:14:40,923              in my life                   as a professional athlete.      328 00:14:40,964 --> 00:14:43,592            That one game.            329 00:14:45,135 --> 00:14:47,638    And the coach left after that.    330 00:14:48,513 --> 00:14:51,183      Three weeks after the game,     331 00:14:51,266 --> 00:14:54,186         Russell was speaking            at the University of Wisconsin,  332 00:14:54,269 --> 00:14:57,689            and he started                     to criticize Wilt.          333 00:14:57,731 --> 00:15:00,108          [Jackie MacMullan]                He really called Wilt out      334 00:15:00,192 --> 00:15:02,110          and said, you know,                short of a broken back,       335 00:15:02,194 --> 00:15:03,362    you should have been out there.  336 00:15:03,445 --> 00:15:06,740         He felt it took away                 from his final game,         337 00:15:06,782 --> 00:15:09,076           from his legacy.           338 00:15:10,869 --> 00:15:11,620         I have to be honest.         339 00:15:11,703 --> 00:15:12,955            I thought Bill                      was out of line.           340 00:15:12,996 --> 00:15:13,914            Of all people,            341 00:15:13,956 --> 00:15:15,082  there's no one else on the earth  342 00:15:15,123 --> 00:15:16,249     that would have mattered more    343 00:15:16,291 --> 00:15:19,336          to have his respect                     than Russell.            344 00:15:19,378 --> 00:15:21,588             The inference                    that somehow he quit         345 00:15:21,672 --> 00:15:24,007           and that Russell                  was indignant over it,        346 00:15:24,091 --> 00:15:25,592       it bothered Wilt so much,      347 00:15:25,634 --> 00:15:29,763    they didn't speak for decades.    348 00:15:42,442 --> 00:15:47,030        Wilt loved Los Angeles            from a lifestyle perspective.    349 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:51,118      Well, he's the highest paid           player in all of sports.       350 00:15:51,868 --> 00:15:54,204             But he wasn't                   just getting his money        351 00:15:54,287 --> 00:15:55,455          and just, you know,                     hanging out.             352 00:15:55,539 --> 00:15:56,707           He was investing.          353 00:15:56,790 --> 00:16:00,919          Wilt was the first             professional basketball player    354 00:16:01,003 --> 00:16:02,212        that when they retired,       355 00:16:02,295 --> 00:16:04,965        he didn't have to work              another day in his life.       356 00:16:05,549 --> 00:16:06,633           As bad as it was,          357 00:16:06,675 --> 00:16:08,385              we thought,                    when he was coming up,        358 00:16:08,468 --> 00:16:10,387       God turned it all around.      359 00:16:10,429 --> 00:16:11,638  My mother was worried about him,  360 00:16:11,722 --> 00:16:14,224            and he was able                   to take care of her.         361 00:16:15,058 --> 00:16:17,269      [Wilt] Of course, it didn't            take me long to realize       362 00:16:17,352 --> 00:16:20,313       that it's not the amount                of money you have.          363 00:16:20,397 --> 00:16:23,483       It's what you do with it             that brings contentment.       364 00:16:23,567 --> 00:16:27,195     My parents and several of my         aunts and uncles and cousins     365 00:16:27,279 --> 00:16:28,905            actually lived                  in an apartment building       366 00:16:28,989 --> 00:16:29,698         that my uncles owns.         367 00:16:29,781 --> 00:16:31,241    We called it Chamberlain Villa.  368 00:16:31,283 --> 00:16:33,869            28 apartments.            369 00:16:33,952 --> 00:16:35,412       There was a swimming pool      370 00:16:35,454 --> 00:16:37,080  so mom can have a swimming pool.  371 00:16:37,164 --> 00:16:39,708           My dad was loving                  sitting on the patio         372 00:16:39,791 --> 00:16:42,002          watching my mother                    jump in the pool           373 00:16:42,044 --> 00:16:43,628          like a crazy lady.          374 00:16:43,670 --> 00:16:46,339          But then my mother                   was a lot like Dip.         375 00:16:46,381 --> 00:16:49,384          She was a natural.          376 00:16:49,468 --> 00:16:52,179         The adults hung out.         377 00:16:52,220 --> 00:16:53,930          It was really like                   a little community,         378 00:16:53,972 --> 00:16:55,849  a really close little community.  379 00:16:55,891 --> 00:16:59,186          And then we'd be in             the back yard shooting shots.    380 00:16:59,227 --> 00:17:00,520      Kids would lose their mind      381 00:17:00,604 --> 00:17:02,981        if they was around the            neighborhood and see his car.    382 00:17:03,065 --> 00:17:05,192        A Ferrari or a Maserati       383 00:17:05,275 --> 00:17:07,694           or a Rolls-Royce.          384 00:17:09,988 --> 00:17:14,451  He bought that Chamberlain Villa        for my father basically.       385 00:17:14,493 --> 00:17:17,204           Because my father                   was getting older,          386 00:17:17,287 --> 00:17:19,915    and we didn't trust his health.  387 00:17:19,998 --> 00:17:25,962      My dad died, you know, when         we were still in California.     388 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:31,176       My mother didn't do well              after my father passed,       389 00:17:31,259 --> 00:17:32,469    and she came to the East coast,  390 00:17:32,511 --> 00:17:34,137      but she didn't want to live               with none of us.           391 00:17:34,179 --> 00:17:36,973    She wanted to live by herself.    392 00:17:37,015 --> 00:17:40,143             I was at home                 in my house in Santa Monica     393 00:17:40,185 --> 00:17:41,978           when he called me                   from Philadelphia.          394 00:17:42,020 --> 00:17:44,106         His mother was dying.        395 00:17:44,189 --> 00:17:45,774            [monitor beeps]           396 00:17:45,816 --> 00:17:48,902             [Wilt] I lost                  both my mother and father      397 00:17:48,985 --> 00:17:50,737       to the disease of cancer,      398 00:17:50,779 --> 00:17:55,283         the most extraneous,                    indescribable.            399 00:17:55,367 --> 00:17:58,036            Wilt came home.           400 00:17:58,078 --> 00:17:59,621        That was a good thing.        401 00:17:59,704 --> 00:18:01,498          All the other kids                    had been around,           402 00:18:01,581 --> 00:18:04,751           and then he said,                    when I got there,          403 00:18:04,835 --> 00:18:09,381            the others left                    and it was just me.         404 00:18:09,422 --> 00:18:12,759       There was the incredibly                moving thing I read         405 00:18:12,801 --> 00:18:15,137      about the end of her life,      406 00:18:15,178 --> 00:18:19,015    where he got into bed with her    407 00:18:19,057 --> 00:18:21,518      to nurse her till the end.      408 00:18:21,601 --> 00:18:23,353            [monitor beeps]           409 00:18:25,188 --> 00:18:27,816          [monitor flatlines]         410 00:18:29,109 --> 00:18:31,987       And she died in his arms.      411 00:18:37,659 --> 00:18:40,787          When I think about                     my Uncle Dippy,           412 00:18:40,871 --> 00:18:46,042             I think about                    just how warm he was.        413 00:18:46,084 --> 00:18:48,461       He was a hands-on uncle,       414 00:18:48,545 --> 00:18:51,131     almost like a father figure.     415 00:18:51,214 --> 00:18:52,382       Do you have any children?      416 00:18:52,465 --> 00:18:54,342           I'm a single man.          417 00:18:54,384 --> 00:18:55,844             I'm not sure.                  If I have some children--      418 00:18:55,927 --> 00:18:59,181      Yeah, but wouldn't you like                to be a father?           419 00:19:07,230 --> 00:19:09,357              [ding dong]             420 00:19:10,525 --> 00:19:12,652               Hey-hey.               421 00:19:12,736 --> 00:19:14,446          How you doing, cuz?         422 00:19:14,529 --> 00:19:16,406         Good to see you, man.                  Good to see you.           423 00:19:16,489 --> 00:19:17,532      Looking good, looking good.     424 00:19:17,616 --> 00:19:18,658      Welcome back, welcome back.     425 00:19:18,742 --> 00:19:20,744      My full name is Aaron Levi,     426 00:19:20,827 --> 00:19:25,081         and Wilt Chamberlain               was my biological father.      427 00:19:25,123 --> 00:19:28,251    You know, being in his family,              I hate to say it.          428 00:19:28,293 --> 00:19:29,502         We got a lot of stuff        429 00:19:29,586 --> 00:19:32,339           where, like, oh,                   I think I could be...        430 00:19:32,380 --> 00:19:35,091  And it's just, like, no, no, no.  431 00:19:35,175 --> 00:19:35,926       Come on, man, you're not.      432 00:19:35,967 --> 00:19:39,012  Aaron brought more than a story.  433 00:19:39,095 --> 00:19:40,555       He brought documentation.      434 00:19:40,639 --> 00:19:42,641              It's called                   a non-identifying letter,      435 00:19:42,682 --> 00:19:45,894          and the description               of the biological father       436 00:19:45,936 --> 00:19:48,855        was he's a professional                basketball player,          437 00:19:48,939 --> 00:19:53,360        six-foot-ten, and that           he had a connection to Kansas.    438 00:19:53,443 --> 00:19:57,280              I was born                    in San Jose, California.       439 00:19:57,364 --> 00:20:00,075           January 27, 1965.          440 00:20:00,116 --> 00:20:02,410         I knew I was adopted.        441 00:20:02,494 --> 00:20:05,288      I knew our adoptive parents                 were Jewish.             442 00:20:05,330 --> 00:20:07,457       I knew I was half Black,                    half white.             443 00:20:07,499 --> 00:20:10,543      All my brothers and sisters                 were adopted.            444 00:20:10,585 --> 00:20:14,047      I'm a little bit over 6-5.      445 00:20:14,089 --> 00:20:17,509      I definitely felt looked at                   as a kid               446 00:20:17,592 --> 00:20:19,302      because I'm tall and Black.     447 00:20:19,386 --> 00:20:22,847           I can only guess                  how it would have been        448 00:20:22,889 --> 00:20:26,434              for someone                     who looked like Wilt.        449 00:20:29,437 --> 00:20:30,939            It wasn't till                    I got a little older         450 00:20:31,022 --> 00:20:33,358        that I started thinking                 more about, well,          451 00:20:33,441 --> 00:20:34,985               you know,                      where are my parents         452 00:20:35,068 --> 00:20:38,446           and why did they,                  you know, let me go?         453 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:42,117       And it was a long journey      454 00:20:42,158 --> 00:20:44,869       to find my birth mother.       455 00:20:44,953 --> 00:20:47,497      She did confirm immediately     456 00:20:47,539 --> 00:20:49,541       that Wilt was my father.       457 00:20:49,582 --> 00:20:52,585      She met him in a jazz club                in San Francisco.          458 00:20:52,627 --> 00:20:55,380  He was playing for the Warriors.  459 00:20:55,463 --> 00:20:57,090          It was the sixties.         460 00:20:57,173 --> 00:20:59,926             The truth is                   it was a one night stand,      461 00:21:00,010 --> 00:21:02,595      and it was very clear to me     462 00:21:02,679 --> 00:21:04,597             that this was                    a big secret for her,        463 00:21:04,681 --> 00:21:07,600            and that maybe                   only one or two people        464 00:21:07,684 --> 00:21:11,146             even now know                    that she had a child.        465 00:21:12,272 --> 00:21:15,859       It's kind of funny. I see       some of the resemblance, though.  466 00:21:15,942 --> 00:21:17,610                -Yeah.                       -You know what I mean?        467 00:21:17,694 --> 00:21:20,780       The first thing I noticed                about me and Wilt          468 00:21:20,822 --> 00:21:22,198           is the eyebrows.           469 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:25,410        What my mother told me        470 00:21:25,452 --> 00:21:28,788      was that she did reach out                     to Wilt               471 00:21:28,830 --> 00:21:31,833       and said that, you know,                 she was pregnant,          472 00:21:31,916 --> 00:21:35,128        but that she was going             to put me up for adoption.      473 00:21:35,211 --> 00:21:38,840         And according to her,                   he said, okay.            474 00:21:38,882 --> 00:21:41,718  Yeah, this is when--because he's     coming out of high school then.  475 00:21:41,801 --> 00:21:43,553    And then there I am right here.  476 00:21:43,636 --> 00:21:44,679           I like your hair.          477 00:21:44,721 --> 00:21:46,806          Finally do our own                  little thing, right?         478 00:21:46,848 --> 00:21:47,932             Yeah, it's...            479 00:21:48,016 --> 00:21:49,601        My Aunt Barbara told me       480 00:21:49,642 --> 00:21:51,728        that he would have been                  very surprised            481 00:21:51,811 --> 00:21:53,188            that I existed,           482 00:21:53,229 --> 00:21:55,732          because he thought                  that my birth mother         483 00:21:55,815 --> 00:21:57,525       was considering abortion.      484 00:21:57,567 --> 00:21:58,860     But he would have been happy.    485 00:21:58,902 --> 00:22:01,237          -How's Peggy doing?                  -She's doing well.          486 00:22:01,279 --> 00:22:05,700          But because there's          different versions of the story,  487 00:22:05,784 --> 00:22:06,993              I sometimes                 still think about, you know,     488 00:22:07,035 --> 00:22:10,038      what did he actually know?      489 00:22:12,832 --> 00:22:16,252           Once I confirmed                   when I did a DNA test        490 00:22:16,294 --> 00:22:17,545       that Wilt was my father,       491 00:22:17,629 --> 00:22:19,297    it was this very strange moment  492 00:22:19,339 --> 00:22:24,260  because I knew his name probably       at three or four years old.     493 00:22:24,302 --> 00:22:27,347        You know, you could not                not see him on TV.          494 00:22:27,389 --> 00:22:30,100            Reaching high           495 00:22:30,141 --> 00:22:33,603      All along the borderline      496 00:22:38,525 --> 00:22:40,110         I'm Wilt Chamberlain.        497 00:22:41,694 --> 00:22:44,072           His life was epic                    in so many ways.           498 00:22:45,031 --> 00:22:48,118            He's in a movie                with Arnold Schwarzenegger.     499 00:22:48,201 --> 00:22:48,952                 Aah!                 500 00:22:48,993 --> 00:22:51,663         I'm more intimidating                     in my BVDs.             501 00:22:51,704 --> 00:22:55,625          He's stuffed inside              a Volkswagen bug in an ad.      502 00:22:55,667 --> 00:22:57,794       He's on TV all the time.       503 00:22:57,877 --> 00:23:00,046            Hey, it's nice                   to see you guys again.        504 00:23:00,088 --> 00:23:02,340  Oh, it's great to be here, Wilt.  505 00:23:02,382 --> 00:23:05,093          He is spectacular.          506 00:23:05,135 --> 00:23:07,011            It doesn't mean                  he's a perfect person.        507 00:23:07,053 --> 00:23:11,307    I suppose if you're a spectacle              all your life            508 00:23:11,349 --> 00:23:12,684       that it would make sense       509 00:23:12,725 --> 00:23:15,145    that you are also spectacular.    510 00:23:15,228 --> 00:23:19,566       Building his own race car                  was amazing.             511 00:23:21,192 --> 00:23:22,777           He was gambling.           512 00:23:22,861 --> 00:23:24,195         We were playing them                  in this exhibition,         513 00:23:24,237 --> 00:23:27,240        and he said, I gotta be               at a party, you know,        514 00:23:27,282 --> 00:23:29,367      for, you know, the changing               of the showgirls           515 00:23:29,409 --> 00:23:30,577         over at the Stardust.        516 00:23:30,618 --> 00:23:31,744     So he said, go cash these in.    517 00:23:31,786 --> 00:23:34,581               $20,000.               518 00:23:34,622 --> 00:23:35,915       I went and cashed it in.       519 00:23:35,999 --> 00:23:38,334          I was making 15,000                    for the season,           520 00:23:38,376 --> 00:23:41,129        and I gave him $20,000              that I cashed in for him,      521 00:23:41,171 --> 00:23:44,299           and he said, hey,               come with me to the party.      522 00:23:45,258 --> 00:23:47,427            The first time                  I ever met him in person,      523 00:23:47,469 --> 00:23:50,346       come out of a restaurant           in Santa Monica, California,     524 00:23:50,388 --> 00:23:52,724  and there in a white Rolls-Royce  525 00:23:52,765 --> 00:23:55,310             with two dogs                  the size of small horses,      526 00:23:55,393 --> 00:23:59,439       a beautiful blonde woman,              is Wilt Chamberlain.         527 00:23:59,481 --> 00:24:02,859     And he's got the wrap around             tangerine sunglasses.        528 00:24:02,901 --> 00:24:04,569               He's got                     an African walking stick.      529 00:24:04,652 --> 00:24:05,862           He's got a beret.          530 00:24:05,945 --> 00:24:07,697        His feet are propped up            against the steering wheel.     531 00:24:07,780 --> 00:24:09,032               No shoes.              532 00:24:09,115 --> 00:24:11,409     I said, Wilt Chamberlain, I'd        love to have you on the show.    533 00:24:11,451 --> 00:24:14,037        He goes, Roy Firestone,             I'd love to do the show,       534 00:24:14,078 --> 00:24:17,624    but you have to understand, I'm      trying to keep a low profile.    535 00:24:20,835 --> 00:24:22,295           He was a peacock.          536 00:24:22,337 --> 00:24:24,964         Man, he looked good.             He had that big medallion on.    537 00:24:25,006 --> 00:24:29,552     And when he wore those suede             velvet shirts he had,        538 00:24:29,594 --> 00:24:30,929       then he was really cool.       539 00:24:31,012 --> 00:24:33,973      Long fringe leather jacket                   and pants.              540 00:24:34,057 --> 00:24:35,350              Of course,                   they had to be custom made      541 00:24:35,433 --> 00:24:38,269       because who makes clothes               for a seven-footer?         542 00:24:38,311 --> 00:24:41,731       Wilt Chamberlain was the           original gangster of fashion     543 00:24:41,773 --> 00:24:42,774           for NBA players.           544 00:24:42,857 --> 00:24:45,818       [laughs] Well, he thinks                 he dresses hard,           545 00:24:45,860 --> 00:24:47,904       but my mother was person            that liked us to look nice,     546 00:24:47,987 --> 00:24:49,697        so we all dressed well.       547 00:24:49,781 --> 00:24:51,449      So because we dressed well,     548 00:24:51,491 --> 00:24:54,285    he thinks he's in fashion, too,              but he's not.            549 00:24:54,327 --> 00:24:58,748       Keeping him in his place.                   [chuckles]              550 00:25:00,792 --> 00:25:05,129  Nine games into the 1970 season,  551 00:25:05,171 --> 00:25:07,882    Wilt Chamberlain takes a pass,    552 00:25:07,924 --> 00:25:10,927           starts to dribble                   towards the basket          553 00:25:10,969 --> 00:25:13,596            and collapses.            554 00:25:14,847 --> 00:25:17,392         It was the first time        555 00:25:17,475 --> 00:25:22,480     that I saw a distressed look                 on his face.             556 00:25:22,522 --> 00:25:27,026          I got the news that            he was gonna miss a long time.    557 00:25:27,110 --> 00:25:33,032          His patellar tendon            in his right knee was ruptured.  558 00:25:33,116 --> 00:25:34,325         It was the same knee         559 00:25:34,409 --> 00:25:38,413           that he wrenched                    in the '69 finals.          560 00:25:41,749 --> 00:25:44,127    The orthopedic surgeons thought  561 00:25:44,168 --> 00:25:48,047           that he may never                 play basketball again.        562 00:25:48,089 --> 00:25:50,925                [Wilt]                      My body was the one thing      563 00:25:51,009 --> 00:25:53,261         I'd always been able                     to count on.             564 00:25:53,928 --> 00:25:59,142      Now my body had failed me.      565 00:26:06,149 --> 00:26:08,026        Wilt rehabbed his knee        566 00:26:08,109 --> 00:26:10,236    on the beaches at Santa Monica.  567 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:13,823     He went and ran on the sand.     568 00:26:14,824 --> 00:26:17,160            Gene Selznick,                   the king of the beach,        569 00:26:17,201 --> 00:26:20,246          taught him the game               of volleyball for rehab,       570 00:26:20,288 --> 00:26:21,372        because running around                    in the sand,             571 00:26:21,456 --> 00:26:23,124           you get to really                     work your legs.           572 00:26:23,166 --> 00:26:26,961      He remembered me from when          he was on the Globetrotters.     573 00:26:27,045 --> 00:26:29,380         I got into volleyball                 before basketball.          574 00:26:29,422 --> 00:26:30,965             So I started                   playing a lot with Wilt.       575 00:26:31,007 --> 00:26:33,509            And we hung out               and we played cards together.    576 00:26:33,593 --> 00:26:34,969       And they're all cheating.      577 00:26:35,053 --> 00:26:38,014      Wilt cheated at backgammon,             he cheated at cards.         578 00:26:38,097 --> 00:26:40,516      Let's face it. Wilt did not           like to lose at anything.      579 00:26:40,558 --> 00:26:43,269          And then talk about                yelling and screaming.        580 00:26:43,311 --> 00:26:44,854          We were the loudest                     on the beach.            581 00:26:44,896 --> 00:26:46,564          Everybody's going,               what's going on over there?     582 00:26:46,648 --> 00:26:47,857            But he had fun.           583 00:26:48,941 --> 00:26:51,235      I think Wilt just loved it.     584 00:26:51,277 --> 00:26:53,488        You go to the beach and           everyone's in a bathing suit,    585 00:26:53,529 --> 00:26:55,323           so you don't know           if they're rich or they're poor.  586 00:26:55,365 --> 00:26:58,076             And everyone                  opened their arms to Wilt.      587 00:26:58,159 --> 00:26:59,452            They loved him.           588 00:26:59,535 --> 00:27:01,204       [Wilt] I was forced to do      589 00:27:01,245 --> 00:27:03,873         some serious thinking                    about myself             590 00:27:03,956 --> 00:27:08,127           and to take stock              of Wilt Chamberlain the man.     591 00:27:08,211 --> 00:27:11,089          He had a whole new                  subculture of friends        592 00:27:11,130 --> 00:27:12,882    that he really did things with    593 00:27:12,924 --> 00:27:14,217    and liked him not just because    594 00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:16,969      he was the best basketball             player for the Lakers,        595 00:27:17,053 --> 00:27:18,262          but for who he was.         596 00:27:18,304 --> 00:27:20,473            I mean, I think               those dudes down on the beach    597 00:27:20,515 --> 00:27:23,601           knew Wilt better               than any of us as teammates.     598 00:27:23,685 --> 00:27:26,312    People left him alone out there           when he was doing--         599 00:27:26,396 --> 00:27:27,980           and maybe that's                     where he felt...           600 00:27:28,022 --> 00:27:31,776      he felt, um...more normal.      601 00:27:31,818 --> 00:27:34,487          [Wilt] I found out          602 00:27:34,529 --> 00:27:37,824         I really didn't need             being the center of attention    603 00:27:37,907 --> 00:27:39,867             to be happy.             604 00:27:41,786 --> 00:27:46,457      And that led to him loving         outdoor and indoor volleyball,    605 00:27:46,499 --> 00:27:49,377       and that's another phase                  of Wilt's life.           606 00:27:50,211 --> 00:27:53,297       Years later, he didn't go             straight to retirement.       607 00:27:53,381 --> 00:27:55,007           He went straight                     into volleyball.           608 00:27:55,049 --> 00:27:58,010          People would flock             to all these volleyball matches  609 00:27:58,094 --> 00:27:59,595       that he would be part of.      610 00:27:59,637 --> 00:28:02,014  Wilt put volley ball on the map.  611 00:28:02,056 --> 00:28:04,934       You know, you would think           he would have been spoiled      612 00:28:05,017 --> 00:28:06,185           in this or that,                      but he wasn't.            613 00:28:06,269 --> 00:28:08,312          He had good values                    about hard work.           614 00:28:08,354 --> 00:28:09,647    And way back in the seventies,    615 00:28:09,689 --> 00:28:13,025        when he was coming back               from his knee injury,        616 00:28:13,067 --> 00:28:14,986     I'm convinced that the reason    617 00:28:15,069 --> 00:28:16,571           that he came back                     so much quicker           618 00:28:16,612 --> 00:28:20,533      was because he was running          in that soft sand every day.     619 00:28:20,616 --> 00:28:25,288      He put in 10 hours of rehab               almost every day.          620 00:28:25,329 --> 00:28:28,166    Now, even with modern surgery,    621 00:28:28,207 --> 00:28:29,542           it's a good year           622 00:28:29,625 --> 00:28:31,127     to where you could come back                   and play.              623 00:28:31,210 --> 00:28:36,883          Well, he came back              after four and a half months.    624 00:28:36,924 --> 00:28:38,342          Well, we're hoping                   it's strong enough.         625 00:28:38,426 --> 00:28:40,887          You know, it really             feels different, I must say.     626 00:28:40,928 --> 00:28:42,346             The only way                     we can really test it        627 00:28:42,430 --> 00:28:43,556        is to try it, you know.       628 00:28:43,639 --> 00:28:47,018           It's unfortunate                that it can only be proven      629 00:28:47,101 --> 00:28:49,896      by an error, which would be             a very costly error.         630 00:28:51,272 --> 00:28:55,026       This is the guy that quit              and didn't wanna play        631 00:28:55,109 --> 00:28:56,360             and came back                   four and a half months        632 00:28:56,402 --> 00:28:59,572        after fricking surgery                  for the playoffs.          633 00:29:00,364 --> 00:29:03,618           And they make it              all the way to the NBA finals.    634 00:29:04,994 --> 00:29:06,370       [Announcer]NBA basketball      635 00:29:06,454 --> 00:29:08,956        is being brought to you            by Salem filter cigarettes,     636 00:29:08,998 --> 00:29:11,626            with the taste                   that's springtime soft,       637 00:29:11,667 --> 00:29:13,169            menthol fresh.            638 00:29:13,252 --> 00:29:15,421            The 1970 finals           639 00:29:15,505 --> 00:29:19,050            were the Lakers               against the New York Knicks,     640 00:29:19,133 --> 00:29:21,052          led by Willis Reed.         641 00:29:21,135 --> 00:29:24,138    And there are very clear clips             in the 1970 finals          642 00:29:24,180 --> 00:29:27,099    where Wilt looks much stiffer.    643 00:29:27,183 --> 00:29:28,976       Just getting up and down                    the court,              644 00:29:29,060 --> 00:29:31,521    where you can see him laboring.  645 00:29:33,314 --> 00:29:35,775             In the middle                    of a tough series...         646 00:29:39,070 --> 00:29:41,405     Willis Reed injures his hip.     647 00:29:41,489 --> 00:29:43,616       I was there in game five              when Willis went down,        648 00:29:43,658 --> 00:29:46,285       and now the Knicks played             the entire second half        649 00:29:46,369 --> 00:29:48,579         with nobody over 6-6                    of consequence,           650 00:29:48,663 --> 00:29:51,165         and Wilt did nothing                  in the second half.         651 00:29:51,207 --> 00:29:56,379        And they lost the game               and Wilt got criticized       652 00:29:56,420 --> 00:29:59,382          that he didn't have                 that killer instinct.        653 00:30:03,553 --> 00:30:05,346        You know what happened           in game six though, by the way.  654 00:30:05,429 --> 00:30:09,892        After all the ballyhoo,              Wilt went for 45 and 27       655 00:30:09,934 --> 00:30:12,395        and they won the game.        656 00:30:12,478 --> 00:30:14,522            So here it is.                      It's game seven.           657 00:30:14,564 --> 00:30:16,357           We have theater.                      Theater counts.           658 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:18,401          [Announcer]Tonight                its a one game showdown.       659 00:30:18,484 --> 00:30:21,153            New York hoping                that Willis Reed will play.     660 00:30:21,195 --> 00:30:23,197         I think we see Willis                     coming out.             661 00:30:23,281 --> 00:30:25,575       There he comes right now.      662 00:30:25,658 --> 00:30:30,037      Willis Reed literally limps                onto the floor.           663 00:30:30,079 --> 00:30:32,707      This is certainly amazing.      664 00:30:32,748 --> 00:30:34,750       You never heard anything              like that in your life.       665 00:30:34,792 --> 00:30:36,335          [Announcer]Frazier                   then slows it down,         666 00:30:36,419 --> 00:30:37,837      is picked up by Jerry West.     667 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:40,381     Top of the post, Reed, good!     668 00:30:40,464 --> 00:30:41,757     Makes the first two jumpers.     669 00:30:41,799 --> 00:30:44,719     That was the only two baskets              he made all game.          670 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:47,680         The momentum shifts,                and you can't stop it.        671 00:30:47,763 --> 00:30:50,016          [Announcer]Frazier.         672 00:30:50,099 --> 00:30:52,101            And then it was                  the Clyde Frazier game.       673 00:30:52,143 --> 00:30:54,020        36 points, 19 assists.        674 00:30:54,103 --> 00:30:56,480      We have a new NBA champion!     675 00:30:56,564 --> 00:30:59,025      But the story needs to be--     676 00:30:59,066 --> 00:31:00,026           Congratulations.           677 00:31:00,109 --> 00:31:01,485     You offered I think the best     678 00:31:01,569 --> 00:31:03,321         that the human spirit                     can offer.              679 00:31:03,404 --> 00:31:07,241      Willis Reed's almost put on          the sporting Mount Rushmore     680 00:31:07,325 --> 00:31:08,367            for his effort.           681 00:31:08,409 --> 00:31:09,493      It was like a big miracle.      682 00:31:09,577 --> 00:31:10,786      You know what a miracle is?     683 00:31:10,870 --> 00:31:13,247        A miracle is getting on                that freaking court         684 00:31:13,289 --> 00:31:16,459              four months                after patellar tendon surgery,    685 00:31:16,542 --> 00:31:18,085     competing for the NBA title.     686 00:31:18,127 --> 00:31:19,879      That's a freaking miracle.      687 00:31:19,962 --> 00:31:21,339        Winning changes things.       688 00:31:21,422 --> 00:31:24,300      The theater could have been               Wilt Chamberlain,          689 00:31:24,342 --> 00:31:26,385            after rehabbing                    from a knee injury          690 00:31:26,469 --> 00:31:27,887         and winning the game                    for the Lakers.           691 00:31:27,929 --> 00:31:29,639         Because he didn't win             the championship that year,     692 00:31:29,722 --> 00:31:30,514           no one remembers.          693 00:31:30,556 --> 00:31:31,807    You know, you're talking about    694 00:31:31,849 --> 00:31:34,018  Wilt's surgically repaired knee.  695 00:31:34,060 --> 00:31:35,895     I forgot completely about it.    696 00:31:35,978 --> 00:31:37,480    Because at the end of the game,  697 00:31:37,563 --> 00:31:40,608       there goes Goliath again.      698 00:31:43,444 --> 00:31:46,322             I don't think                  it's fair to him at all.       699 00:31:46,405 --> 00:31:48,824       That was one of the most               remarkable recoveries        700 00:31:48,908 --> 00:31:52,703          from an injury ever              in the history of the game.     701 00:31:52,745 --> 00:31:53,454                 Ever.                702 00:31:53,496 --> 00:31:55,539     At least here in Los Angeles,    703 00:31:55,623 --> 00:31:58,834             and the fans                    gave him a big ovation.       704 00:32:01,462 --> 00:32:04,256          [Wilt] It's almost                     as if my injury           705 00:32:04,298 --> 00:32:06,968  freed me of that Superman image.  706 00:32:07,009 --> 00:32:09,220    No one ever roots for Goliath,    707 00:32:09,303 --> 00:32:12,181        but in today's world...       708 00:32:12,223 --> 00:32:14,100         [Announcer]At center,              from the Milwaukee Bucks,      709 00:32:14,183 --> 00:32:16,686         Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.         710 00:32:16,769 --> 00:32:20,606     The fans are not always sure                who Goliath is.           711 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:23,651              [Announcer]                    Jabbar and Chamberlain.       712 00:32:25,403 --> 00:32:28,781      I was never used to seeing             anyone taller than Wilt       713 00:32:28,864 --> 00:32:30,533          until I saw Kareem.         714 00:32:31,784 --> 00:32:34,537           Wilt said, Sonny,                 this is the first time        715 00:32:34,578 --> 00:32:37,415     that I've ever looked around      and said maybe I need some help.  716 00:32:37,456 --> 00:32:41,419          1971, young Kareem              is coming off an MVP season,     717 00:32:41,460 --> 00:32:45,339          and then Milwaukee,              they won the championship.      718 00:32:45,381 --> 00:32:46,882            People probably                 never would have guessed       719 00:32:46,924 --> 00:32:50,511         that Kareem met Wilt                when he was a teenager        720 00:32:50,594 --> 00:32:51,595            at Rucker Park.           721 00:32:51,679 --> 00:32:52,722        You know the expression       722 00:32:52,805 --> 00:32:54,598            "he'd give you                  the shirt off his back?"       723 00:32:54,682 --> 00:32:55,975        Well, he literally did.       724 00:32:56,017 --> 00:32:58,477  Wilt would give him his clothes.  725 00:32:58,519 --> 00:33:00,229         He wasn't old enough                to get into the clubs.        726 00:33:00,271 --> 00:33:01,480           Wilt got him in.           727 00:33:01,522 --> 00:33:04,233        There was a mentorship            relationship that was there.     728 00:33:04,275 --> 00:33:07,820      [Wilt] When he got to UCLA               and then turned pro         729 00:33:07,862 --> 00:33:11,115      and got so heavily into the        Black pride/Black power thing,    730 00:33:11,157 --> 00:33:12,867        he started to snub me.        731 00:33:12,950 --> 00:33:15,828       He seems to think because            I haven't changed my name      732 00:33:15,911 --> 00:33:18,414            and still have                   a lot of white friends        733 00:33:18,456 --> 00:33:20,708     I've abandoned the Black man.    734 00:33:20,791 --> 00:33:23,335    Kareem did not respect the fact  735 00:33:23,377 --> 00:33:25,880             that Wilt was                     a Nixon Republican.         736 00:33:25,963 --> 00:33:28,257            Kareem grew up                 in a more progressive era.      737 00:33:28,340 --> 00:33:29,884               You know,                       they had a rivalry.         738 00:33:29,925 --> 00:33:32,219              [Announcer]                  Right hand 12-footer good!      739 00:33:32,261 --> 00:33:34,430       The new king of scoring.       740 00:33:34,472 --> 00:33:36,682       has ascended his throne.       741 00:33:36,724 --> 00:33:38,601        [Wilt] I could have put                the scoring record          742 00:33:38,684 --> 00:33:40,436         so far out of reach,         743 00:33:40,519 --> 00:33:44,398     Kareem would have had to play        30 years to break the record.    744 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:47,193          I've found big men                 are much more sensitive       745 00:33:47,234 --> 00:33:48,527           than we realize.           746 00:33:48,569 --> 00:33:50,529    And I saw it in my interviews.    747 00:33:50,571 --> 00:33:52,656      And this is the open letter                   to Wilt.               748 00:33:52,698 --> 00:33:54,033        Which I've never read,                     by the way.             749 00:33:54,075 --> 00:33:55,868        So you're gonna read me            something I've never read.      750 00:33:55,910 --> 00:33:58,245        You, Wilt Chamberlain,           complain about the officiating,  751 00:33:58,329 --> 00:33:59,538            your teammates,                     and other things,          752 00:33:59,622 --> 00:34:01,499          and then you quit,                  leaving college early        753 00:34:01,582 --> 00:34:03,584    to tour with the Globetrotters           and make your fortune.        754 00:34:03,667 --> 00:34:05,336              That seemed                   to set a pattern for you.      755 00:34:05,419 --> 00:34:08,380         After any tough test             in which you didn't do well,     756 00:34:08,464 --> 00:34:10,841      you blamed those around you                   and quit.              757 00:34:10,883 --> 00:34:13,677           Playing 15 years                of professional basketball,     758 00:34:13,761 --> 00:34:16,263          14 years in the NBA                     is quitting?             759 00:34:16,347 --> 00:34:21,060       Their competitive rivalry              continued for years,         760 00:34:21,102 --> 00:34:24,605    but during the 1971/72 season,    761 00:34:24,688 --> 00:34:25,940        Wilt faced a crossroads       762 00:34:26,023 --> 00:34:28,275            that we've seen                  a lot of athletes face,       763 00:34:28,359 --> 00:34:30,861      which is the physical gifts               that you once had          764 00:34:30,945 --> 00:34:33,781          are not as dominant                  as they used to be.         765 00:34:33,864 --> 00:34:37,368     I just couldn't play this guy               all by myself.            766 00:34:37,409 --> 00:34:41,664           The hardest thing                  for a superstar to do        767 00:34:41,705 --> 00:34:43,666       is to not be a superstar                      anymore               768 00:34:43,707 --> 00:34:46,377         and to take your game                    down a notch             769 00:34:46,460 --> 00:34:47,670      for the better of the team.     770 00:34:47,711 --> 00:34:49,338    Wilt Chamberlain has to decide    771 00:34:49,421 --> 00:34:51,382       whether or not he is able      772 00:34:51,423 --> 00:34:53,217               to become                     more of a role player,        773 00:34:53,300 --> 00:34:55,511              as opposed                    to being the centerpiece       774 00:34:55,553 --> 00:34:58,639             to ironically                play more like Bill Russell.     775 00:34:58,681 --> 00:35:00,474     The differences with Russell,    776 00:35:00,558 --> 00:35:02,434         he was never the guy              scoring the winning baskets     777 00:35:02,518 --> 00:35:03,686      and getting all the points.     778 00:35:03,769 --> 00:35:06,480     His ego was already in check                in some regards           779 00:35:06,522 --> 00:35:08,232          because of the way                   he played the game.         780 00:35:08,315 --> 00:35:09,567            There's things                   that Bill Russell does        781 00:35:09,650 --> 00:35:11,777         that are incredible,             but he's not a great scorer.     782 00:35:11,819 --> 00:35:13,696        So there are literally                 players on the team         783 00:35:13,737 --> 00:35:15,406    who'd be, like, he needs them.    784 00:35:15,447 --> 00:35:17,575          I need you because             I cannot score the way you can.  785 00:35:17,616 --> 00:35:19,535              Built trust                    amongst his teammates.        786 00:35:19,618 --> 00:35:22,955      That seemed to be something        that Wilt maybe struggled with.  787 00:35:22,997 --> 00:35:24,999             Bill Russell,                 there was no such struggle.     788 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:27,501           When I played for             the Boston Celtics as a rookie    789 00:35:27,543 --> 00:35:29,837          with Bill Russell,                   the trust was there         790 00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:31,964           because that team                     stayed together           791 00:35:32,047 --> 00:35:33,090         for all those years.         792 00:35:33,132 --> 00:35:34,675  They won championships together.  793 00:35:34,717 --> 00:35:38,762     But Wilt, who was so dominant              as an individual,          794 00:35:38,804 --> 00:35:41,140             and with all                    the different coaches,        795 00:35:41,182 --> 00:35:43,767      moving and getting traded,      796 00:35:43,809 --> 00:35:46,228        it took him a long time                  to learn that.            797 00:35:47,730 --> 00:35:51,734    He came to a place in his life    798 00:35:51,775 --> 00:35:54,486         where if this is what               it's gonna take to win,       799 00:35:54,528 --> 00:35:55,654           I'm gonna do it.           800 00:35:55,696 --> 00:35:57,198              [Announcer]                     Screen by Washington.        801 00:35:57,239 --> 00:35:58,949     Shoots a 17-footer. No good.          Tipped by Wilt to himself.      802 00:35:58,991 --> 00:36:00,451            Tight rope act.               Throws the ball to McMillian.    803 00:36:00,492 --> 00:36:01,493      Great play by the big man.      804 00:36:01,577 --> 00:36:02,953      McMillian, bounce to Jerry,     805 00:36:02,995 --> 00:36:04,371           down the middle,                around Maravich, up and in!     806 00:36:04,413 --> 00:36:06,498    They say that Wilt Chamberlain    807 00:36:06,582 --> 00:36:09,001        is now playing sort of           Bill Russell style basketball.    808 00:36:09,043 --> 00:36:10,586         What does this mean?                     How does he--            809 00:36:10,628 --> 00:36:14,131      Well, first you have to say              as well as he can.          810 00:36:14,215 --> 00:36:16,842    One of the reasons they call it          a Russell impression         811 00:36:16,926 --> 00:36:20,679       is because Bill Sharman,        former teammate of Bill Russell,  812 00:36:20,763 --> 00:36:23,057    comes in and coaches the Lakers  813 00:36:23,140 --> 00:36:26,560          On defense, Wilt's                  protecting the paint,        814 00:36:26,644 --> 00:36:27,728            blocking shots.           815 00:36:27,811 --> 00:36:30,522  He would go out to the perimeter            if he needed to.           816 00:36:30,564 --> 00:36:33,442      He decided to play defense                the way he could,          817 00:36:33,484 --> 00:36:35,903             and of course                 he became a great defender.     818 00:36:35,945 --> 00:36:39,823      He is grabbing the rebound           and starting the fast break     819 00:36:39,907 --> 00:36:41,033        and getting Jerry West,       820 00:36:41,116 --> 00:36:44,703         getting Gail Goodrich                   out and going.            821 00:36:44,787 --> 00:36:48,165         On offense, now Wilt                   is playing up top          822 00:36:48,207 --> 00:36:49,500           off of the ball.           823 00:36:49,541 --> 00:36:50,668         He's setting screens,        824 00:36:50,751 --> 00:36:53,921            creating space                     for his teammates.          825 00:36:53,963 --> 00:36:57,675     He was an exceptional passer.    826 00:36:57,758 --> 00:36:59,468           And if we needed                       a big bucket,            827 00:36:59,510 --> 00:37:03,847  I mean, Wilt was the Big Dipper.  828 00:37:03,889 --> 00:37:06,725     He was only taking, you know,           nine shots a game then.       829 00:37:06,767 --> 00:37:10,229       He'd do that in a minute                and a half in 1962.         830 00:37:14,775 --> 00:37:18,654               That year                    we won 33 games in a row.      831 00:37:18,696 --> 00:37:19,947          It was like magic.          832 00:37:19,989 --> 00:37:22,658     To this day, it is the record    833 00:37:22,741 --> 00:37:25,327        among all professional                   sporting teams            834 00:37:25,411 --> 00:37:26,578           in North America.          835 00:37:26,662 --> 00:37:29,456        They had Jim McMillian,                  Happy Hairston,           836 00:37:29,498 --> 00:37:30,958    Gail Goodrich, and Jerry West.    837 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:34,878       They just played together                like a symphony.           838 00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:36,505        [Announcer]Wilt playing             another tremendous game.       839 00:37:36,588 --> 00:37:37,756       Wrap around bounce pass--      840 00:37:37,798 --> 00:37:38,841       And now here's the final       841 00:37:38,924 --> 00:37:40,259            and third stage                     of Wilt's career.          842 00:37:40,342 --> 00:37:42,845     They were all scoring points,          and he's okay with that.       843 00:37:42,928 --> 00:37:46,932      He actually felt, I think,                a lot more happy           844 00:37:46,974 --> 00:37:48,892      to play that kind of game.      845 00:37:48,976 --> 00:37:52,521     I think he's one of the most             misunderstood people         846 00:37:52,604 --> 00:37:54,023         that I've ever seen.         847 00:37:54,106 --> 00:37:56,233         I spent a lot of time                with Wilt personally,        848 00:37:56,275 --> 00:37:59,570    particularly our last two years             in the league.            849 00:37:59,611 --> 00:38:02,448       He was a good guy, okay?                    A good guy.             850 00:38:02,531 --> 00:38:04,908           I remember a time                    in San Francisco.          851 00:38:04,992 --> 00:38:08,454         Wilt, Happy Hairston,                     and myself              852 00:38:08,495 --> 00:38:09,788           pile into a cab.           853 00:38:09,872 --> 00:38:12,958     On the radio, all of a sudden          The Temptations come on.       854 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:14,626           And I looked back                    at both of them,           855 00:38:14,668 --> 00:38:18,630    and I said, hey, have you heard           The Temps new one?          856 00:38:18,672 --> 00:38:22,343               You know,                      Just my imagination        857 00:38:22,426 --> 00:38:23,552            Running away            858 00:38:23,594 --> 00:38:26,138          And they picked up                    in the back seat.          859 00:38:26,221 --> 00:38:28,140       All the way to the arena,      860 00:38:28,182 --> 00:38:30,601             we're singing                    Just My Imagination.         861 00:38:30,684 --> 00:38:35,356        And I became one of his             favorite dinner partners.      862 00:38:35,397 --> 00:38:36,857    He took Chris and I to dinner.    863 00:38:36,940 --> 00:38:39,151             He brings out                 this great bottle of wine.      864 00:38:39,193 --> 00:38:41,487             So he told me                     all about the wine,         865 00:38:41,528 --> 00:38:42,988              the grapes                     and where it came from.       866 00:38:43,030 --> 00:38:46,784         Wilt knew everything            and all things about anything,    867 00:38:46,825 --> 00:38:49,787              and whether                    he was accurate or not        868 00:38:49,828 --> 00:38:51,789              didn't make                    any difference to him.        869 00:38:51,872 --> 00:38:54,750     If I had the savoir faire...     870 00:38:54,792 --> 00:38:56,377             There you go.            871 00:38:58,337 --> 00:38:59,421       What happens to the team,      872 00:38:59,505 --> 00:39:01,256     they win 69 games that year,     873 00:39:01,298 --> 00:39:05,135  and that was the record for wins              at the time,             874 00:39:05,177 --> 00:39:08,555               producing                   the most efficient offense      875 00:39:08,639 --> 00:39:10,391            in NBA history.           876 00:39:10,474 --> 00:39:11,600          Everything clicked.         877 00:39:11,683 --> 00:39:14,228    They defeat Kareem Abdul-Jabbar  878 00:39:14,311 --> 00:39:17,815        and the Milwaukee Bucks          for the Western Division title.  879 00:39:17,856 --> 00:39:21,527       They cap the season with           a dominant NBA championship.     880 00:39:23,529 --> 00:39:24,738              [Announcer]                    The Los Angeles Lakers        881 00:39:24,822 --> 00:39:28,158    have won their first NBA title.  882 00:39:28,200 --> 00:39:30,911              Of course,                   I climbed all over his back     883 00:39:30,953 --> 00:39:34,248             as he drug me                  and everybody else there.      884 00:39:35,624 --> 00:39:38,335              Jerry West                   finally got a championship.     885 00:39:38,377 --> 00:39:40,379        That was a great team.        886 00:39:40,462 --> 00:39:43,048                A team.               887 00:39:43,090 --> 00:39:45,050       Widely considered one of           the great teams of all time.     888 00:39:45,134 --> 00:39:48,429         And Wilt wins the MVP                   of the finals.            889 00:39:53,767 --> 00:39:56,228          When Wilt retired,          890 00:39:56,311 --> 00:40:01,316       he owned over 100 records               in the record book.         891 00:40:01,358 --> 00:40:03,569       No athlete in team sport       892 00:40:03,610 --> 00:40:05,654             has been able                     to accomplish that.         893 00:40:05,737 --> 00:40:08,198      I'm a big fan of the lists.     894 00:40:08,240 --> 00:40:11,368        Like, who are the top?               Who are the number one?       895 00:40:11,452 --> 00:40:13,620      If you had to start a team,              who would you pick?         896 00:40:13,662 --> 00:40:15,372           Because in a life               where you can't figure out      897 00:40:15,456 --> 00:40:16,748          why is my dog sick?         898 00:40:16,832 --> 00:40:18,041       Why is my wife mad at me?      899 00:40:18,125 --> 00:40:19,334        Why are the kids upset?       900 00:40:19,376 --> 00:40:21,003        It's one of the reasons                people love sports          901 00:40:21,086 --> 00:40:22,629       is because we keep score.      902 00:40:22,671 --> 00:40:26,216             Wilt is often                  not in anyone's top five.      903 00:40:26,300 --> 00:40:28,635             Bill Russell                     won 11 championships         904 00:40:28,677 --> 00:40:29,928            in 13 seasons,            905 00:40:29,970 --> 00:40:33,515       and many of those were at       the expense of Wilt Chamberlain.  906 00:40:33,557 --> 00:40:35,976           He had one to do                     and one job only.          907 00:40:36,059 --> 00:40:37,394    I had several that I had to do.  908 00:40:37,436 --> 00:40:40,105        I had to score at times           and rebound and play defense.    909 00:40:40,189 --> 00:40:42,149         I don't think as far               as individual talent goes      910 00:40:42,191 --> 00:40:44,485    that Russell even comes close.    911 00:40:44,568 --> 00:40:48,113    A sad thing about Wilt's legacy  912 00:40:48,197 --> 00:40:49,615        is that he gets defined                    by Russell,             913 00:40:49,698 --> 00:40:50,741          but not vice versa.         914 00:40:50,782 --> 00:40:52,409     Because he didn't win enough.    915 00:40:52,451 --> 00:40:53,494             Fuck winning.            916 00:40:53,535 --> 00:40:54,661          No one's out here.          917 00:40:54,745 --> 00:40:55,913             We gotta put                  three, four people out here     918 00:40:55,996 --> 00:40:56,955              to be able                     to match up with this.        919 00:40:57,039 --> 00:40:58,248     Like, just think about that.     920 00:40:58,290 --> 00:41:00,959       You had to start saying,             hey, well, you can't win.      921 00:41:01,001 --> 00:41:03,086              You had to.                    You had to go to that.        922 00:41:03,170 --> 00:41:04,755           History's written                     by the winners,           923 00:41:04,838 --> 00:41:06,924       and then it becomes about             we wanna tell the story       924 00:41:07,007 --> 00:41:08,926          of why this person                    deserved to win.           925 00:41:08,967 --> 00:41:10,302     Why he was guaranteed to win.    926 00:41:10,344 --> 00:41:12,262              Especially                     if we like that person.       927 00:41:12,304 --> 00:41:14,973       You don't win repeatedly                    by mistake.             928 00:41:15,057 --> 00:41:16,058            You just don't.           929 00:41:16,141 --> 00:41:17,851      There's something about you     930 00:41:17,935 --> 00:41:19,686       that makes that possible.      931 00:41:19,728 --> 00:41:21,480     The legacy of a great player,    932 00:41:21,563 --> 00:41:22,648       they make their own luck.      933 00:41:22,731 --> 00:41:25,817           [Gary Pomerantz]            Russell won the four game sevens  934 00:41:25,901 --> 00:41:27,152     in the playoffs between them     935 00:41:27,194 --> 00:41:29,112      by a total of nine points.      936 00:41:29,154 --> 00:41:32,115           That's very close                 if you think about it.        937 00:41:32,157 --> 00:41:34,743               Sam Jones                   making an off balance shot      938 00:41:34,785 --> 00:41:38,080            doesn't change                how Wilt Chamberlain played.     939 00:41:38,163 --> 00:41:41,875  Don Nelson hits the crazy bounce      off the back of the backboard    940 00:41:41,917 --> 00:41:42,834            and up and in,            941 00:41:42,918 --> 00:41:44,086       What if that shot misses?      942 00:41:44,127 --> 00:41:46,755          If the ball bounces                 a few different ways,        943 00:41:46,838 --> 00:41:49,800       Russell could easily have          seven or eight championships     944 00:41:49,841 --> 00:41:51,802            and Chamberlain                 could have four or five,       945 00:41:51,885 --> 00:41:55,847           and Wilt's legacy              would be completely changed.     946 00:41:55,931 --> 00:41:57,432       But does that make sense?      947 00:41:57,516 --> 00:42:01,019             And the need                for these simplified narratives  948 00:42:01,103 --> 00:42:03,063        reflect something in us       949 00:42:03,105 --> 00:42:07,526          even maybe more so              than the athlete themselves.     950 00:42:09,486 --> 00:42:12,406        Wilt lives at the soul                 of the game today.          951 00:42:13,657 --> 00:42:15,909           Don't the younger                    generations know           952 00:42:15,951 --> 00:42:18,870       about the mighty Dipper?       953 00:42:18,954 --> 00:42:21,290       The way he saved the NBA              when it needed saving?        954 00:42:21,373 --> 00:42:24,209     The way that he symbolically             blew apart the quota         955 00:42:24,293 --> 00:42:28,255      that limited opportunities               for Black players?          956 00:42:30,382 --> 00:42:33,719             The one thing                that Wilt wasn't prepared for    957 00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:35,929           is all this thing                that is very common now:       958 00:42:36,013 --> 00:42:37,472             legacy talk.             959 00:42:37,514 --> 00:42:39,891       How can you write a book       960 00:42:39,975 --> 00:42:42,394      and not say all the things           that make you what you are      961 00:42:42,436 --> 00:42:46,148      to what actually helped you             construct your views?        962 00:42:46,189 --> 00:42:52,029        He couldn't just allow                 his legend to rest.         963 00:42:52,070 --> 00:42:53,905             He was always                     stoking the embers.         964 00:42:53,989 --> 00:42:57,409        Wilt called me one day            and said, I have a book deal.    965 00:42:57,492 --> 00:43:00,954         This editor wants me                 to say that I, like,         966 00:43:01,038 --> 00:43:03,624    that I slept with 20,000 women.  967 00:43:03,707 --> 00:43:05,125     I said, what, are you crazy?     968 00:43:05,208 --> 00:43:07,502           I thought it was                     a joke at first.           969 00:43:07,544 --> 00:43:09,338       And I said, don't do it.       970 00:43:09,421 --> 00:43:12,924        You don't need to prove               that women like you.         971 00:43:13,008 --> 00:43:16,887      20,000 liaisons with women.     972 00:43:16,970 --> 00:43:20,432         Wilt did always like              to put up numbers. [laughs]     973 00:43:21,433 --> 00:43:23,894           That averages out                  to 1.2 women per day         974 00:43:23,977 --> 00:43:25,228          from the age of 15.         975 00:43:25,270 --> 00:43:28,106         20,000? Come on, man.        976 00:43:28,190 --> 00:43:30,651     But I know about 30 in Rome.     977 00:43:30,692 --> 00:43:31,735               [laughs]               978 00:43:31,777 --> 00:43:34,780           I said, come on.                 You know it isn't 20,000.      979 00:43:34,821 --> 00:43:35,906         He just winked at me.        980 00:43:35,989 --> 00:43:38,075        He goes, what's a zero                  between friends?           981 00:43:38,116 --> 00:43:41,870       It has been treated more              as a punchline, a joke.       982 00:43:41,912 --> 00:43:44,498          These 20,000 names          983 00:43:44,539 --> 00:43:47,709        are the women who slept              with Wilt Chamberlain.        984 00:43:47,793 --> 00:43:50,170           [audience laughs]          985 00:43:51,129 --> 00:43:52,297      When the reviews came out,      986 00:43:52,339 --> 00:43:54,883              everything                    was all about the 20,000.      987 00:43:55,967 --> 00:43:58,345      I said you got six sisters.     988 00:43:58,387 --> 00:44:01,598         You cannot be talking                   that dumb talk.           989 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:04,559          He was devastated.          990 00:44:04,643 --> 00:44:06,812              Why anyway?             991 00:44:06,853 --> 00:44:09,398       He said I don't know why                     I did it.              992 00:44:12,734 --> 00:44:16,822         In a way in his mind,            there's constantly a dialogue    993 00:44:16,905 --> 00:44:18,657        with the external world       994 00:44:18,699 --> 00:44:20,534           about who he is.           995 00:44:20,617 --> 00:44:23,078          I mean, everything                  he writes in his book        996 00:44:23,161 --> 00:44:28,208            is in response               to a real or imagined critique    997 00:44:28,291 --> 00:44:32,713              or pressure                        or view of him.           998 00:44:32,796 --> 00:44:34,423    When you're always in response,  999 00:44:34,506 --> 00:44:39,010      there's certain things that        you don't know how to evaluate.  1000 00:44:39,094 --> 00:44:43,014         If you can't evaluate           by how do I feel about things,    1001 00:44:43,056 --> 00:44:44,766        what do I really want,        1002 00:44:44,850 --> 00:44:46,226        then you go to numbers,       1003 00:44:46,268 --> 00:44:50,439      and you say, okay, if it's          higher than this, it's good.     1004 00:44:51,982 --> 00:44:56,445       [Wilt] I used the 20,000              as a figure of speech.        1005 00:44:56,528 --> 00:44:58,989       I called my relationships                  "encounters"             1006 00:44:59,030 --> 00:45:01,032    because that's what they were,    1007 00:45:01,116 --> 00:45:04,536             not conquests                  the way some people say.       1008 00:45:04,619 --> 00:45:10,125    I'm sorry if I did an injustice          to my women friends.         1009 00:45:10,208 --> 00:45:13,253        Coming up, our program               with Wilt Chamberlain.        1010 00:45:13,336 --> 00:45:15,088          We taped this show                     literally days            1011 00:45:15,130 --> 00:45:17,132           before the story                    about Magic Johnson         1012 00:45:17,174 --> 00:45:19,092  contracting the HIV virus broke.  1013 00:45:19,134 --> 00:45:20,427            The tone of it                  would have been different      1014 00:45:20,510 --> 00:45:22,596             had we known                  about Magic's tragic story.     1015 00:45:22,679 --> 00:45:25,599       And Wilt's on a book tour               at the time in 1991         1016 00:45:25,640 --> 00:45:29,227     that Magic Johnson announces              he's HIV positive.          1017 00:45:29,311 --> 00:45:32,355       So suddenly Wilt is seen                  as this symbol            1018 00:45:32,397 --> 00:45:36,443      of the over-sexed athlete.      1019 00:45:37,068 --> 00:45:38,320         Do you think that now        1020 00:45:38,403 --> 00:45:40,906          people are seizing                on the tone of the book,       1021 00:45:40,989 --> 00:45:43,074       women's group especially,                to single you out          1022 00:45:43,116 --> 00:45:44,993             as an example                     of everything wrong         1023 00:45:45,076 --> 00:45:47,162        with the way men treat                and feel about women?        1024 00:45:47,204 --> 00:45:49,456             Well, I think                  that because of the times      1025 00:45:49,539 --> 00:45:52,042          and because of AIDS                  being so prevalent,         1026 00:45:52,083 --> 00:45:54,377      they just think that maybe            I had the wrong attitude.      1027 00:45:54,419 --> 00:45:57,547     I'm not proud of what my life             was all about then,         1028 00:45:57,631 --> 00:46:00,926          but it was my life              and it was of mutual consent.    1029 00:46:00,967 --> 00:46:03,428  With AIDs being as bad as it is,  1030 00:46:03,470 --> 00:46:04,805    have you been tested for AIDS?    1031 00:46:04,846 --> 00:46:06,097             Yeah, I have,            1032 00:46:06,139 --> 00:46:07,516           not that I think                  it's anyone's business.       1033 00:46:07,557 --> 00:46:09,601        I think it's hilarious               that you won't announce       1034 00:46:09,684 --> 00:46:11,269            whether or not                  you've had AIDS testing.       1035 00:46:11,353 --> 00:46:14,731       You all say in your book           that you've had 20,000 women.    1036 00:46:14,773 --> 00:46:16,149  You have to say whether or not--  1037 00:46:16,191 --> 00:46:17,192       It is people's business.       1038 00:46:17,234 --> 00:46:19,486       Children look up to you.       1039 00:46:21,947 --> 00:46:24,908           It did haunt him.          1040 00:46:24,950 --> 00:46:26,326     He remained upset about that.    1041 00:46:26,368 --> 00:46:30,664              It just put                   this overwhelming shadow       1042 00:46:30,747 --> 00:46:34,668       on what was a tremendous                basketball legacy.          1043 00:46:34,709 --> 00:46:36,920     It's one of the first things                 that comes up            1044 00:46:37,003 --> 00:46:38,171      when people talk about him.     1045 00:46:38,255 --> 00:46:40,715        People that don't even                 follow basketball.          1046 00:46:40,757 --> 00:46:42,259             It's too bad.            1047 00:46:42,300 --> 00:46:44,344    There's more to him than that.    1048 00:46:44,386 --> 00:46:48,056         Wilt, people would be               almost shocked to learn       1049 00:46:48,098 --> 00:46:50,058     that it's been about 20 years    1050 00:46:50,141 --> 00:46:51,935           since you've seen                  Bill Russell, right?         1051 00:46:51,977 --> 00:46:53,061                 Yeah.                1052 00:46:53,103 --> 00:46:55,230         It wasn't beneficial                 to either one of them        1053 00:46:55,313 --> 00:46:58,692      to have all this animosity            between the two of them.       1054 00:46:58,733 --> 00:47:01,027        And then Shaq tells me        1055 00:47:01,111 --> 00:47:03,405            it was his idea                  to have this commercial       1056 00:47:03,488 --> 00:47:06,116          about his entrance                into the Big Man's Club.       1057 00:47:06,199 --> 00:47:08,952          [knock knock knock]                       Password.              1058 00:47:08,994 --> 00:47:11,079          Don't fake the funk                   on a nasty dunk.           1059 00:47:11,162 --> 00:47:12,205                 I.D.                 1060 00:47:12,289 --> 00:47:15,083        It's a great commercial               because it has Shaq,         1061 00:47:15,125 --> 00:47:19,004           Wilt Chamberlain,               Bill Walton, Bill Russell.      1062 00:47:20,213 --> 00:47:22,924          -That's not enough.                     -And Kareem.             1063 00:47:23,592 --> 00:47:25,176      And from what I understand,     1064 00:47:25,260 --> 00:47:28,305        it was Wilt Chamberlain            that was the big enough man     1065 00:47:28,346 --> 00:47:30,181          to extend his hand                      to everyone,             1066 00:47:30,265 --> 00:47:31,808        including Bill Russell,       1067 00:47:31,850 --> 00:47:33,768          and break the ice.          1068 00:47:34,853 --> 00:47:37,606        Wilt and I could talk,        1069 00:47:37,689 --> 00:47:41,067      and neither one was asking             the other for anything        1070 00:47:41,109 --> 00:47:43,111          except friendship.          1071 00:47:44,237 --> 00:47:47,908      And friendship that is not              this way or this way.        1072 00:47:47,949 --> 00:47:49,159            It's this way.            1073 00:47:49,242 --> 00:47:54,205         If you keep examining            all the narratives about Wilt    1074 00:47:54,289 --> 00:47:56,625         and discarding these                 and discarding those         1075 00:47:56,666 --> 00:47:59,544          and finally getting                 to that core of Wilt,        1076 00:47:59,586 --> 00:48:02,672    you're gonna discover kindness    1077 00:48:02,714 --> 00:48:04,758           and sensitivity.           1078 00:48:04,799 --> 00:48:09,137            Wilt's teammate                in his first three seasons      1079 00:48:09,179 --> 00:48:10,513           was Paul Arizin.           1080 00:48:10,555 --> 00:48:14,059         Even though they had              very different lifestyles,      1081 00:48:14,100 --> 00:48:16,353    Wilt really admired my father.    1082 00:48:16,394 --> 00:48:19,189    Now you advance decades later,    1083 00:48:19,272 --> 00:48:22,359           and Paul Arizin's                 granddaughter Stephanie       1084 00:48:22,400 --> 00:48:24,736    has an inoperable brain tumor.    1085 00:48:24,778 --> 00:48:29,491     The doctor says your daughter        has 12 to 18 months to live,     1086 00:48:29,532 --> 00:48:32,827    and there's nothing we can do.    1087 00:48:32,869 --> 00:48:35,246      Maybe it was the next day,      1088 00:48:35,330 --> 00:48:37,374            Stephanie said                  I just got off the phone       1089 00:48:37,457 --> 00:48:40,001     from a half hour conversation           with Wilt Chamberlain.        1090 00:48:40,085 --> 00:48:42,003       Did grandfather call him                   and tell him?            1091 00:48:42,045 --> 00:48:43,546         I said, I don't know.        1092 00:48:43,588 --> 00:48:44,839         I didn't do anything.        1093 00:48:44,881 --> 00:48:46,341          I wouldn't know how              to get in touch with Wilt.      1094 00:48:46,383 --> 00:48:48,843        And I get a phone call                    at my house.             1095 00:48:48,927 --> 00:48:50,053       [deep voice] Hello, Mike?      1096 00:48:50,136 --> 00:48:53,598          This is the Dipper.                     Remember me?             1097 00:48:53,640 --> 00:48:58,853         He said, do you mind                     if I call her            1098 00:48:58,937 --> 00:49:00,689          on a regular basis?         1099 00:49:00,730 --> 00:49:03,108              We had such                    a lovely conversation.        1100 00:49:03,191 --> 00:49:05,276               [exhales]              1101 00:49:05,360 --> 00:49:06,903        From that point onward,       1102 00:49:06,987 --> 00:49:10,657        she always had reserved              6:00 to 7:00 on Fridays       1103 00:49:10,699 --> 00:49:12,158     her and Wilt were gonna talk,    1104 00:49:12,200 --> 00:49:14,202        and he would call her.        1105 00:49:14,244 --> 00:49:16,871         She called him Wilty,        1106 00:49:16,955 --> 00:49:19,207           making her smile,          1107 00:49:19,290 --> 00:49:20,542         and we were not sure         1108 00:49:20,583 --> 00:49:23,962    if we would ever see her smile                 ever again.             1109 00:49:24,045 --> 00:49:26,881           After each call,                     he would call me           1110 00:49:26,965 --> 00:49:28,633      just to see how am I doing.     1111 00:49:28,675 --> 00:49:30,468  There was nothing in it for him.  1112 00:49:30,510 --> 00:49:33,888         Paul Arizin and Wilt                    are both named            1113 00:49:33,930 --> 00:49:37,267         to the NBA's All Time                Top 50 Players list,         1114 00:49:37,308 --> 00:49:40,186  and they go to the All Star Game             for a ceremony.           1115 00:49:40,228 --> 00:49:43,898            As we rolled up                  to the door to get in,        1116 00:49:43,982 --> 00:49:45,442            out comes Wilt.           1117 00:49:45,525 --> 00:49:47,652              I got her.                         She's with me.            1118 00:49:47,694 --> 00:49:50,530         The popular fad among           my daughter and her girlfriends  1119 00:49:50,572 --> 00:49:51,656      was collecting autographs.      1120 00:49:51,740 --> 00:49:53,908         She wanted to collect                   the autographs            1121 00:49:53,992 --> 00:49:54,951          of all the players.         1122 00:49:55,035 --> 00:49:57,662    Wilt asked if he could lead her            player to player.          1123 00:49:57,746 --> 00:50:01,332    He took her up to every player.  1124 00:50:01,374 --> 00:50:05,170     He was with her every second.    1125 00:50:05,253 --> 00:50:07,589          And Stephanie says,                    who's that guy?           1126 00:50:07,630 --> 00:50:09,591  And I said, that's Bill Russell.  1127 00:50:09,674 --> 00:50:11,634       Can we get his autograph?      1128 00:50:11,718 --> 00:50:14,387              And I said,                      he's kind of famous         1129 00:50:14,429 --> 00:50:17,390      for not signing autographs                  for anybody.             1130 00:50:17,474 --> 00:50:19,392          Wilt says, hold on.         1131 00:50:19,476 --> 00:50:23,938       Russ, this is Stephanie.                  Sign her book.            1132 00:50:24,022 --> 00:50:26,900        Happy to. Bill Russell.       1133 00:50:33,281 --> 00:50:36,409         Stephanie Arizin died                    months later.            1134 00:50:36,493 --> 00:50:40,371          Wilt sent a massive                  floral arrangement.         1135 00:50:40,455 --> 00:50:42,248         There was a telegram         1136 00:50:42,290 --> 00:50:44,626           that accompanied                  the flower arrangement.       1137 00:50:44,667 --> 00:50:46,920        "To the Arizin family,        1138 00:50:47,003 --> 00:50:49,422          I am here for you."         1139 00:50:49,506 --> 00:50:51,341            [clears throat]           1140 00:50:51,424 --> 00:50:54,010          "I am here for you,                      all of you.             1141 00:50:54,052 --> 00:50:56,638        "I lost a friend today        1142 00:50:56,721 --> 00:51:00,642       "who was full of strength          and loved life passionately.     1143 00:51:00,725 --> 00:51:04,437      "From Stephanie, I realized     1144 00:51:04,479 --> 00:51:07,065    "you're never too old to learn    1145 00:51:07,107 --> 00:51:09,526    "and never too young to teach.    1146 00:51:09,609 --> 00:51:13,613        Love and peace, Dippy."       1147 00:51:14,948 --> 00:51:20,161          That's how I choose             to remember Wilt Chamberlain.    1148 00:51:22,122 --> 00:51:24,749        He made such an effort.       1149 00:51:24,833 --> 00:51:28,378         I had a relationship,            and a lot of it was by phone,    1150 00:51:28,461 --> 00:51:31,673         for almost 20 years.         1151 00:51:31,756 --> 00:51:33,091      Friend after friend told me     1152 00:51:33,174 --> 00:51:38,138       about Wilt's one hour and          two hour long conversations.     1153 00:51:38,179 --> 00:51:39,722         It was 213-something.        1154 00:51:39,764 --> 00:51:41,432        I have it written down                     in my book.             1155 00:51:41,516 --> 00:51:42,600      I haven't scratched it out.     1156 00:51:42,642 --> 00:51:43,852       He'd call late at 11:00.       1157 00:51:43,935 --> 00:51:45,979        We'd talk like an hour               just about everything.        1158 00:51:46,020 --> 00:51:47,564         Sometimes I was doing                   something else.           1159 00:51:47,647 --> 00:51:50,191        I'd just hold the phone              out here, let him talk.       1160 00:51:53,778 --> 00:51:55,655          If I could go back,         1161 00:51:55,697 --> 00:51:58,199           I wish I'd spent                    more time with him.         1162 00:51:59,200 --> 00:52:00,493           I think that Wilt          1163 00:52:00,535 --> 00:52:04,122     was just about always lonely.    1164 00:52:07,834 --> 00:52:11,546             I wish I had                    done the search earlier       1165 00:52:11,588 --> 00:52:14,382             and at least                    been able to meet him.        1166 00:52:16,384 --> 00:52:18,136      I really did wait too long.     1167 00:52:18,178 --> 00:52:21,097           What scares you?           1168 00:52:21,139 --> 00:52:23,933         Probably not old age,        1169 00:52:23,975 --> 00:52:26,269          but not being able                      to do things             1170 00:52:26,311 --> 00:52:27,562              that I now                      am capable of doing.         1171 00:52:27,645 --> 00:52:31,065    I remember him saying one time,  1172 00:52:31,107 --> 00:52:34,444         you know, us big dogs                don't last too long.         1173 00:52:34,527 --> 00:52:37,197     He told me I'm gonna stop by     1174 00:52:37,238 --> 00:52:38,615    when I come from the doctor's.    1175 00:52:38,698 --> 00:52:43,661     I had a purple lavender tree          with these lavender things,     1176 00:52:43,703 --> 00:52:45,914          and he would always                     pull one off.            1177 00:52:45,997 --> 00:52:49,959         And he didn't do it.              He hurried up and sat down.     1178 00:52:50,001 --> 00:52:51,211            I said to him,                    you want me to stay?         1179 00:52:51,294 --> 00:52:52,378    Because he wasn't feeling good.  1180 00:52:52,462 --> 00:52:54,172        No, I'm okay. I'm fine.       1181 00:52:54,214 --> 00:52:56,466    He didn't share a lot of stuff    1182 00:52:56,549 --> 00:52:58,676            that he thought                      might upset us.           1183 00:52:58,718 --> 00:53:02,263          He wouldn't want us             to be burdened down with him.    1184 00:53:06,559 --> 00:53:07,936              [Reporter]                      Police and paramedics        1185 00:53:08,019 --> 00:53:10,855     rushed to the Bel Air home of     Wilt Chamberlain this afternoon,  1186 00:53:10,897 --> 00:53:13,775         responding to reports                of a cardiac arrest.         1187 00:53:13,858 --> 00:53:16,277            The 63 year old                basketball great's attorney     1188 00:53:16,319 --> 00:53:17,737     was the first to release news    1189 00:53:17,779 --> 00:53:20,198      that Chamberlain had died.      1190 00:53:20,990 --> 00:53:23,785          It was the gardener                  who found his body.         1191 00:53:23,826 --> 00:53:27,330         He called out to Wilt                and he went upstairs         1192 00:53:27,413 --> 00:53:32,418    and saw Wilt motionless in bed.  1193 00:53:34,921 --> 00:53:38,132               [Cherry]                        The roof was open.          1194 00:53:38,967 --> 00:53:42,595          Wilt Chamberlain's                  last moments on earth        1195 00:53:42,637 --> 00:53:46,224      were looking at the stars.      1196 00:53:50,979 --> 00:53:54,732               As he did                 when he was 10 or 11 years old    1197 00:53:54,774 --> 00:53:56,484           in Philadelphia.           1198 00:53:58,528 --> 00:54:00,905                [Wilt]                      People always have tried       1199 00:54:00,947 --> 00:54:04,117     to make me feel like a freak,    1200 00:54:04,158 --> 00:54:06,703        but I'm just a person.        1201 00:54:06,744 --> 00:54:09,414     I lived with that loser label    1202 00:54:09,455 --> 00:54:13,251              stuck on me                   like some big ugly scar.       1203 00:54:13,334 --> 00:54:16,838          People, just people         1204 00:54:16,879 --> 00:54:20,466  are the only ones that hurt you.  1205 00:54:20,508 --> 00:54:24,762       Wilt, from the standpoint                  of the world,            1206 00:54:24,846 --> 00:54:26,889    was one of the toughest people               on the planet.            1207 00:54:26,973 --> 00:54:30,560          But the reality is             he was like a little sweet man    1208 00:54:30,601 --> 00:54:34,522      inside of this giant body.      1209 00:54:34,564 --> 00:54:37,066        Things happened to him        1210 00:54:37,150 --> 00:54:40,987          that he could never             rid himself of these things.     1211 00:54:41,029 --> 00:54:43,489    And everybody's got something,    1212 00:54:43,531 --> 00:54:46,826      and his is such a big life      1213 00:54:46,909 --> 00:54:49,996           that he just had                the biggest version of it.      1214 00:54:51,956 --> 00:54:54,125        [Announcer] At halftime             out at Allen Fieldhouse,       1215 00:54:54,167 --> 00:54:57,003             Kansas State                    trailing Kansas 32-31.        1216 00:54:57,086 --> 00:54:59,047         And Wilt Chamberlain             is having his jersey retired     1217 00:54:59,130 --> 00:55:01,215             in a ceremony                   just getting underway.        1218 00:55:01,299 --> 00:55:02,717       Let's go out to Tim Ryan.      1219 00:55:02,800 --> 00:55:03,843         Thank you, Michelle.         1220 00:55:03,926 --> 00:55:05,970          It's been 23 years                 since Wilt Chamberlain        1221 00:55:06,012 --> 00:55:07,305      has been here in Lawrence.      1222 00:55:07,388 --> 00:55:09,891     A lot of people have wondered          why he hasn't been back.       1223 00:55:09,932 --> 00:55:12,060        I think it was because                      Wilt felt              1224 00:55:12,101 --> 00:55:14,562          that he'd let down                    the entire state.          1225 00:55:14,604 --> 00:55:17,231            Not the school,                the entire state of Kansas      1226 00:55:17,315 --> 00:55:22,862            when they lost                that painful triple overtime.    1227 00:55:24,072 --> 00:55:26,824               Not until                    the year before his death      1228 00:55:26,866 --> 00:55:29,452       did Wilt agree to attend       1229 00:55:29,494 --> 00:55:31,496         to retire his number.        1230 00:55:31,537 --> 00:55:33,664     And he spoke to a journalist,    1231 00:55:33,706 --> 00:55:36,834       and said that I'm afraid               that they'll boo me.         1232 00:55:36,918 --> 00:55:41,422        One of the true legends            in the history of the game,     1233 00:55:41,464 --> 00:55:44,300    welcome back Wilt Chamberlain.    1234 00:55:44,342 --> 00:55:48,096              [cheering]              1235 00:55:50,306 --> 00:55:54,519      [Firestone] He walks out on      that court and received the love  1236 00:55:54,602 --> 00:55:56,562    and he's overcome with emotion.  1237 00:56:03,111 --> 00:56:04,904      It meant the world to Wilt,     1238 00:56:04,987 --> 00:56:07,657       because deep down I think      1239 00:56:07,698 --> 00:56:10,368             the one thing                    that eluded this guy         1240 00:56:10,451 --> 00:56:11,744               was love.              1241 00:56:11,786 --> 00:56:15,748        Wilt was always admired                 and held in awe,           1242 00:56:15,790 --> 00:56:18,126            but not loved.            1243 00:56:18,167 --> 00:56:20,378          But what he should                 have taken to his grave       1244 00:56:20,461 --> 00:56:24,298     is the knowledge that people        thought he was a damn good guy.  1245 00:56:24,382 --> 00:56:27,093      A little over 40 years ago,     1246 00:56:27,135 --> 00:56:31,931       I lost what I thought was          the toughest battle in sports    1247 00:56:32,014 --> 00:56:35,184             in losing to                 the North Carolina Tar Heels     1248 00:56:35,226 --> 00:56:37,687             by one point                     in a triple overtime.        1249 00:56:37,770 --> 00:56:39,313      It was a devastating thing                     for me                1250 00:56:39,397 --> 00:56:43,025    because I felt as though I let        the University of Kansas down    1251 00:56:43,067 --> 00:56:44,777        and my teammates down.        1252 00:56:44,861 --> 00:56:47,363    But when I come back here today  1253 00:56:47,447 --> 00:56:49,073      and realize how many people     1254 00:56:49,115 --> 00:56:50,491             have shown me                    so much appreciation         1255 00:56:50,575 --> 00:56:51,993          and love and warmth         1256 00:56:52,034 --> 00:56:54,036  from the University of Kansas...  1257 00:56:54,078 --> 00:56:57,915         [cheers and applause]        1258 00:56:57,957 --> 00:57:01,335         All right, all right.        1259 00:57:01,419 --> 00:57:03,129      I've learned over the years     1260 00:57:03,171 --> 00:57:05,882      that you must learn to take          the bitter with the sweet,      1261 00:57:05,923 --> 00:57:08,509         and how sweet this is                     right here.             1262 00:57:08,551 --> 00:57:11,262         [cheers and applause]