This Wilt Chamberlain, oh boy, he was a big fella. Big and strong, like an ox! Some folks say he was 7 foot 2 inches. Can you believe that? Taller than anyone I ever seen. And weight, they say around 275, maybe even 280 pounds. That’s a lot of man right there. He was built like a brick outhouse, I tell ya.
Back in my day, we didn’t see many folks that tall. He played basketball, you know. They say he started playing in 1959, went on till 1973. A long time. And he was good, real good. They say he could just reach up and drop that ball in the basket, easy as pie. Nobody could stop him. He was just too tall!
When he was playing, most of the other players, they was only, oh, maybe 6 foot 5 inches on average. He was a whole lot taller than them. Like a giant among regular folks. He wore number five, I heard. Played for some team called the Overbrook Hilltoppers. Sounds like a mouthful, don’t it?
- He was 7 feet 2 inches tall.
- Weight was around 275-280 pounds.
- Played basketball from 1959 to 1973.
- Wore number five.
I heard this story about this other fella, Schwarzenegger, a big strong movie star man. He said Wilt lifted him up with just one arm! Just like that! That’s how strong Wilt was. Stronger than anyone I ever met. And fast, too. They say he was a good runner, even with all that weight on him.
He could jump real high, too. They say he could jump, oh, 46, 48 inches straight up. That’s higher than my kitchen table! And he could run the 440 yards in 49 seconds. That is really fast. He could run 880 yards in 1 minute 58.3 seconds. I can’t even walk that fast, let alone run! He sure was somethin’ else. Also, this Wilt fella could put the shot over 53 feet! My oh my, that is far. I can barely throw a rock across the yard, and he is puttin’ a shot that far. It ain’t right I tell ya. Oh and one last thing. He could long jump 22 feet. That’s longer than my whole livin’ room! I swear this fella was somethin’ special.
Now, I don’t know much about this basketball game, but it sure sounds like Wilt was the best one there was. This height and weight, that is what made him so special. You just don’t see many folks that big and that strong, and that fast. He must have been somethin’ to watch. All that height and weight, put to good use.
In my day, we didn’t have all these fancy sports on the television. We just had each other and the work that needed done. But I reckon if we did, I would have enjoyed watching this Wilt Chamberlain play. He sure sounds like he was one of a kind. A real giant of a man. They don’t make ’em like that anymore.
You know, my grandson, he’s getting tall. Not as tall as Wilt, mind you, but he’s growing like a weed. Maybe he’ll be a basketball player someday. He’d need to put on some weight, though. He’s skinny as a rail. But he’s got time. He ain’t near as big as Wilt Chamberlain yet. Not his height and not his weight.
It’s just amazing to think about someone that big and that strong. Seven feet tall! And all that weight! It’s just hard to imagine. But I guess that’s what made Wilt Chamberlain so special. He was just a big, strong, tall fella, and he was good at what he did. Real good.
I reckon that’s all I know about Wilt Chamberlain. Just a big, strong man. Played basketball. Tall as a tree. Heavy as a horse. Fast as a rabbit. And could jump high as a, well, higher than anything I ever seen! He sure was something. They don’t make them like they used to, I tell you what. All that height and weight, made him a real legend, I suppose.
