NBA stars reflect on Wilt Chamberlain's 'mythical' legacy

REIGNING MVP SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER is on the verge of breaking an obscure NBA record.

Few were probably aware that the longest streak of scoring at least 20 points in league history was 126 games until recently, thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander, whose metronome-like scoring proficiency and consistency made that a relevant number. He can tie the record with another 20-point performance in Monday night’s Western Conference rivalry when he and the Oklahoma City Thunder face the Denver Nuggets (7:30 p.m. ET, Peacock).

But it probably wouldn’t take many guesses to figure out who owns the current record.

When it comes to NBA records, Wilt Chamberlain is always a pretty good guess.

More than half a century after he retired, Chamberlain’s name remains on dozens of pages in the NBA record book. Several of those records will probably belong to Chamberlain permanently, including his 100-point game, of which there is famously no video footage.

Several of the game’s modern stars have accumulated incredible numbers that have been accomplished only by Chamberlain. “The Big Dipper” is almost synonymous with spectacular statistics, but generations later, many of the modern stars who put up “only-Wilt” kind of production don’t know much else about the Hall of Fame big man who died in 1999 at 63.

“Not much besides he was pretty insanely dominant,” Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN recently. “Based on the stats, did whatever he wanted and was like … “

Gilgeous-Alexander paused mid-sentence, searching for the proper words to put the legend of Wilt in perspective.

“Honestly, it feels almost like a mythical creature,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s not real.”

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WHILE GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER is on the verge of bumping Chamberlain’s name from the top of one record, his numbers during his streak still pale in comparison to the Hall of Famer’s. Over his past 125 games, the Thunder star has racked up 4,057 points, 582 rebounds and 803 assists. Chamberlain can’t match the latter number, assisting on just 306 baskets during his 126-game streak. But he pulled down an unfathomable 3,230 rebounds and scored 6,193 points — an average of 49.2 per game. Gilgeous-Alexander has had five games with at least 49 points during the streak (Chamberlain had 66, including his fabled 100-point game).

Chamberlain led the NBA in total points during his first seven seasons in the league, and eventually became the first player in NBA history to break the 30,000-point barrier. He retired after the 1972-73 season with 31,419 career points, a record broken 11 years later by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Six other players have since passed Chamberlain on the all-time scoring list, most recently Kevin Durant earlier this season.

“I mean, I know a lot about Wilt,” said Durant, who recalled being awed and fascinated as a middle schooler reading about Chamberlain. “I know a lot about his career just from studying. I mean, I can remember in the seventh grade seeing Wilt’s stats and it just stood out to me. I couldn’t believe a guy would put up 50 points a game with 25 rebounds. So, I always was a fan of Wilt even as a kid, which is crazy, just because of the numbers.

“Even though you don’t see many highlights, the numbers just popped out so much. And then, you don’t believe it’s real until you start seeing other players’ numbers and you start seeing in comparison to him. It’s just like, I can’t believe this guy actually was a real person. … Bigger than life in his time — one of one.”

Nikola Jokic is familiar with the comparisons. As he began racking up MVP awards and unbelievable stat lines, he often saw Chamberlain’s name when media members and the Denver Nuggets’ public relations staff put those numbers into historical context. This season, Jokic could join Chamberlain as the only centers to lead the NBA in assists.

So to better understand the man he was often compared to, the Serbian center did his own research. He looked up Chamberlain’s highlights on YouTube.

“Of course I did,” said Jokic, who broke Chamberlain’s records for triple-doubles by a center, although Chamberlain would have had countless more if blocks were an official stat during his career. “But I didn’t really focus and study his game, let’s say like that. Yeah, just to see how he looked, how he moved. Just to see, to have in my mind.”

Jokic saw one of the most unique big men to step foot on an NBA floor. Chamberlain was listed at 7-foot-1, 275 pounds and was a track and field star at Overbrook High and Kansas University, competing in sprints, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus and setting a Big Eight indoor record in the high jump.

“He was definitely athletic. He was definitely athletic,” Jokic said. “I think he can definitely play still in this era. [Watching Chamberlain’s highlights] was just to see how he’s faster, bigger, and stronger than everybody else and still a talent. So, I think he could still play in this era.”

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JOEL EMBIID IS one of the rare NBA players who can say he has broken one of Chamberlain’s scoring records. Two years ago, the Philadelphia 76ers‘ 7-footer put up 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs, breaking Chamberlain’s longstanding franchise record of 68. As the latest dominant big man in the franchise’s long lineage, Embiid has heard plenty of tales of Chamberlain’s feats from someone who witnessed them.

“I actually know quite a little bit because of Sonny Hill,” Embiid said about the 89-year-old man known in Philadelphia as “The Mayor of Basketball,” who serves as an executive advisor for the Sixers. “That was his guy, so he’s always talking about Wilt. Since I got to Philly, he’s always telling me a bunch of stories. I know quite a bit, but obviously, the most you know is all the stats and all the records.”

Hill, a former broadcaster for CBS and Sixers games who still hosts a Sunday morning radio show in Philadelphia, attends every Sixers home game and routinely strikes up conversations with Embiid and other players.

It annoys Hill that modern stars aren’t more familiar with Chamberlain, his friend since they were growing up in Philadelphia, where Chamberlain started his NBA career with the Warriors before they moved to California. He returned to Philadelphia with the 76ers after 2½ seasons in the Bay.

“Would Wilt not be the Babe Ruth of basketball?” Hill asked, more than a hint of exasperation in his voice.

It’s a rhetorical question. Hill is disappointed that, in his estimation, Chamberlain doesn’t get the same kind of reverence from modern NBA players as Ruth does from major leaguers.

“He’s a mythical character who dominated his sport like no other,” Hill said.

“This was a fledgling sport when Wilt came along,” Hill added. “When Wilt was in high school, at Overbrook High School, he was on the ‘Ed Sullivan Show.’ … At that point, he was then the player that was most identifiable from a basketball point of view to take the game not only to the level in America but across the world. So, as he ascended into the game, he laid the foundation for where the game is today for popularity.”

The NBA’s global expansion happened decades after Chamberlain retired. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had little knowledge of Chamberlain growing up in Greece, but he has heard his name plenty en route to winning two MVPs and a title.

“Whenever you look at a stat, he’s always up there,” Antetokounmpo said. “Not just up there, but way, way up there. You kind of ask yourself, was he like really, really that dominant?”

Most of what Antetokounmpo knows about Chamberlain he learned from watching “Bill Russell: Legend,” the Netflix documentary about the all-time great Boston Celtics center who was Chamberlain’s primary rival.

“They were going back and forth, and you saw how dominant he was and what Bill was saying. How he was trying to limit him as much as possible, but it was almost impossible,” Antetokounmpo said. “Now, we are talking about Bill Russell saying that — one of the best defenders ever to play his game. So, you understand kind of how dominant he was.”

Asked how Chamberlain would fare in this era, Hill scoffed, then quoted his friend from some of their conversations late in Chamberlain’s life.

“Wilt said this — if he were playing today, he would own the franchise,” Hill said.

Durant’s scouting report, gleaned from watching hours of Chamberlain’s highlights over the years, is almost as effusive.

“Athletic freak,” Durant said. “I mean, 7 feet [tall], running like that, long arms, being able to just almost dunk without jumping, but still can jump high. Could do everything, man. Big hands. So Wilt was definitely a force to be reckoned with, somebody that I think could definitely translate to any era.

“I wish I could live in that time just to see how opponents thought of him, how teams guarded him and just his aura, in general. I would love to see that in real time.”

Chamberlain will have plenty of significant record scoring streaks even if Gilgeous-Alexander claims the 20-point run. Chamberlain still holds the record for most consecutive 30-point games (65), 40-point games (14) and 50-point games (seven). Legendary scorers such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and James Harden have taken aim at those runs over the years; none have come close to breaking the records. Chamberlain is the only player to score at least 60 in consecutive games — and had four-, three- and a couple of two-game streaks of at least 60 points.

Chamberlain’s rebounding stats seem even more ridiculous than his scoring feats. He holds the NBA records for rebounds in a game (55), season (2,149) and career (23,924). Those records will likely never be broken, and it’s almost a certainty that Chamberlain’s record for average minutes in a season (48.5) and career (45.8) will never be approached.

“He’s got all the records,” said Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic, who scored at least 40 points in the first three games this season, the longest such season-opening streak besides Chamberlain’s five-game run to start the 1961-62 campaign and seven-game stretch to open the following season.

“Any time you hear somebody broke a record, it’s, ‘Wilt Chamberlain had it, too.'”

ESPN’s Matt Williams contributed statistical research for this story.