He Makes Strong Case as to How Wilt Enjoyed Life

Bob Ryan in the Boston Globe on Wilt Chamberlain: “If you never saw him play, there’s not much I can say, other than you owe it to yourself to seek out some video.

“You think Shaq is strong? You think Shaq is unstoppable? Let’s put it this way: If Wilt was a battleship, Shaq is a rowboat.

” . . . We didn’t merely lose a unique basketball force when we lost Wilt Chamberlain. We lost a fascinating American. When it came to getting the most out of his life, Wilt never settled for the fadeaway. He took it to the hoop every chance he got.”

*

Trivia time: What NBA record does Chamberlain hold, regarding free throws?

*

Magic trick: At a California card show in 1993, Chamberlain told a visitor he was a magician and asked: “Want to see me turn $20 into $100 before your eyes?”

The visitor nodded, so Chamberlain whipped out a $20 bill, signed the front of it and handed it to a dealer. It immediately went on sale for $100.

*

Frugal: Joe Falls in the Detroit News: “Once after a game, [Wilt] called room service and ordered four meals. The hotel charged him $1 extra for each meal and added $4 to his bill.

“He called and complained and said it was only one meal--just for him--and he would pay only $1. Guess who won.”

*

The destroyer: In what might have been his final newspaper interview, in May, Chamberlain told the Philadelphia Daily News about his joining the NBA:

“There was this fear I would completely annihilate the game. Me, a black man. Look magazine ran a cover that said, ‘Can Basketball Survive Wilt Chamberlain?’

“I was going to destroy the game, and they had to do something about that. Michael Jordan doesn’t understand how fortunate he was that he came along in an era in which most people were willing to accept his greatness.”

*

Inevitable: Darrall Imhoff, recalling opposing Chamberlain when he scored 100 points:

“I spent 12 years in his armpits, and I always carried that game on my shoulders. After I got my third foul, I said to one of the officials, Willy Smith, ‘Why don’t you just give him 100 points and we’ll go home?’ Well, we did.”

*

Now, children: Art Spander in the Oakland Tribune: “Remember when he signed to box Muhammad Ali? The bout never came to pass, but my pick would have been Chamberlain.

“I saw him lift up two NBA players at the same time, one in each hand, in a successful attempt to break up an on-court fight.”

Not even close: Chamberlain and Bill Russell had to be amused by the 1996 Sports Illustrated cover that asked if Dennis Rodman was “The Best Rebounder Ever?” Rodman averaged 13.2 rebounds. Chamberlain averaged 22.9, Russell 22.4.

*

Trivia answer: Most free throws, none made, in a game, 10, against Detroit on Nov. 4, 1960.

*

And finally: Chamberlain, in his book “A View From Above:” “My greatest feat: In my third season in the NBA, I missed only seven minutes the entire season.

“I went 51 straight games without missing a minute, then came out for three minutes. In one other game, I sat for four minutes. Think Patrick Ewing or David Robinson could ever match that?”