Wilt Chamberlain: 24 Inch Vertical

[eliteballer]

Blocking Kareem's hook or dunking from the FT line doesn't say a lot about his vert because of how LONG he was. They didn't call him "the stilt" for nothing and he had probably one of the biggest wingspans in nba history.

[Marchesk]

Marchesk, can you post the link of the video to which you are referring? I've seen the ones on youtube where Wilt is allegedly at the top of the backboard, however, they are taken at a camera angle that almost invariably exaggerates how high a player is. The angle is from the opposite side of the court, and looking down at a significant angle at the game action. If that's the footage you are describing, then unfortunately those angles are almost certainly distorted.

Here's a still from that video when he blocks the shot. The ball has a purple circle around it. The top red line runs from the back of the rim across his body. The bottom line runs from the tip of his shoes across a couple other players. He's up there. I can't be sure where the ball is in relation to the top of the backboard, but it does seem clear that Wilt's left shoulder is rim level.

[julizaver]

Here's a still from that video when he blocks the shot. The ball has a purple circle around it. The top red line runs from the back of the rim across his body. The bottom line runs from the tip of his shoes across a couple other players. He's up there. I can't be sure where the ball is in relation to the top of the backboard, but it does seem clear that Wilt's left shoulder is rim level.

The second red line is not upon his shoes. It is upon the socks - it should be around a one foot lower. Anyway it was still at least 30 inch jump. And there is photo where Wilt is jumping at a stadion near the horizontal bar for high jumping. There he is in the air around 36-37 inches (estimated by me given his height) from the pitch. What we don't know is if he is in the apex of his jump.
And this is the best clip about Wilt's leaping ability in the Wilt Chamberlain Archive chanel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF8yJ1J1W7Q

PS. Last week I was watching a documentary about Russell and there was footage of him playing where he was probably at his last season and going to the hoop afer Havlicek lay up. There was another player next to him and with his head near the rim we could see what a leaper he was.

[dunksby]

I'm disappointed that CavsFTW has not come up with a figure yet, I'd put it somewhere around 35-38 inches from the footage and reports.

[LAZERUSS]

The second red line is not upon his shoes. It is upon the socks - it should be around a one foot lower. Anyway it was still at least 30 inch jump. And there is photo where Wilt is jumping at a stadion near the horizontal bar for high jumping. There he is in the air around 36-37 inches (estimated by me given his height) from the pitch. What we don't know is if he is in the apex of his jump.
And this is the best clip about Wilt's leaping ability in the Wilt Chamberlain Archive chanel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF8yJ1J1W7Q

PS. Last week I was watching a documentary about Russell and there was footage of him playing where he was probably at his last season and going to the hoop afer Havlicek lay up. There was another player next to him and with his head near the rim we could see what a leaper he was.

There were also accounts at the time, of Wilt dunking the ball on a 12 foot rim. Considering that the ball is nearly a foot in diameter, that would have required a vertical of about 40-42".

Incidently, and as you would know better than anyone, Wilt likely blocked well over 1000 shots in his career. And Cavsfan could probably tell us exactly how many blocks that exist on video, but I suspect that it was no more than 5% (if that.) Given that we have at least 3-4 in which his fingertips are well over 12', one can only wonder how many more incredible blocks he had in his career...particularly early in his career.

[ralph_i_el]

Watch the hour long Wilt highlight video that Laz always pushes, then watch Andre Drummond's 3 minutes of highlights from last year.

If you can tell me you still think Wilt is a freak athlete that would dominate today, I'll know you're retarded.

In that Wilt video there's a few minutes of him shooting 8-10ft jumpers, and his defenders have their hands down on every play

He's not a stiff by any means, especially for his height. Its just that there are numerous guys that weigh more, and are CLEARLY quicker.

[stanlove1111]

Here's a still from that video when he blocks the shot. The ball has a purple circle around it. The top red line runs from the back of the rim across his body. The bottom line runs from the tip of his shoes across a couple other players. He's up there. I can't be sure where the ball is in relation to the top of the backboard, but it does seem clear that Wilt's left shoulder is rim level.

I don't know why people keep showing this picture trying to prove something. Its impossible to tell how high he got up here.

[CavaliersFTW]

Watch the hour long Wilt highlight video that Laz always pushes, then watch Andre Drummond's 3 minutes of highlights from last year.

If you can tell me you still think Wilt is a freak athlete that would dominate today, I'll know you're retarded.

In that Wilt video there's a few minutes of him shooting 8-10ft jumpers, and his defenders have their hands down on every play

He's not a stiff by any means, especially for his height. Its just that there are numerous guys that weigh more, and are CLEARLY quicker.

Drummond played how many games last season? We only have 29 games worth of Wilts career tops and that's meshing at least 11 or 12 completely non-NBA games worth of footage of him as a teenager in HS and college. We don't have anymore highlights of Wilt than one could pull from 29 random games worth of any player. Also, you think like 99% of people who comment on that video are retarded. Most who watch it are blown away at his apparent size strength and athleticism. If you aren't, perhaps you should figure out what you are failing to understand that so many others can see.

[ralph_i_el]

Drummond played how many games last season? We only have 29 games worth of Wilts career tops and that's meshing at least 11 or 12 completely non-NBA games worth of footage of him as a teenager in HS and college. We don't have anymore highlights of Wilt than one could pull from 29 random games worth of any player. Also, you think like 99% of people who comment on that video are retarded. Most who watch it are blown away at his apparent size strength and athleticism. If you aren't, perhaps you should figure out what you are failing to understand that so many others can see.

In one breath you sing this dudes praises, and in the next you deflect criticism by bringing up how little of him we've seen. How can you be so sure of his greatness then?

And yes, most people who comment on YouTube videos ARE retarded. That's commonly known.

I was not blown away at all. Uncontested jumpers and shots at the rim. A few nice blocks. I'm not impressed.

I don't believe half the stories of his ridiculous strength. Take Anthony Davis. Longer (proven), quicker (just watch the tape) with a much better jumper (actual ability to shoot past 12 ft). Drop him into Wilts NBA and he is your new GOAT. From the level of competition in that video, it looks like Shaq could have scored every single time down the court and averaged 75ppg. The amount of lax defense in the video is actually pretty hilarious. Maybe the defenders just gave up ?

[CavaliersFTW]

In one breath you sing this dudes praises, and in the next you deflect criticism by bringing up how little of him we've seen. How can you be so sure of his greatness then?

And yes, most people who comment on YouTube videos ARE retarded. That's commonly known.

I was not blown away at all. Uncontested jumpers and shots at the rim. A few nice blocks. I'm not impressed.

I don't believe half the stories of his ridiculous strength. Take Anthony Davis. Longer (proven), quicker (just watch the tape) with a much better jumper (actual ability to shoot past 12 ft). Drop him into Wilts NBA and he is your new GOAT. From the level of competition in that video, it looks like Shaq could have scored every single time down the court and averaged 75ppg. The amount of lax defense in the video is actually pretty hilarious. Maybe the defenders just gave up ?

So I looked up Drummonds top 10 plays last year.

Confirmed you are deulsional.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAEc5cT8r_0



Not a single post-up. Mostly transition points. He'll steal the ball, then dunk. Wilt will catch your shot in mid-air run the fast-break himself and initiate a give and go alley-oop. No display of superior athleticism on Drummonds part, none. And he has inferior size to Wilt, he's Bob Laniers size not Wilt's size.

Let me break it down for you.

Ingredient number 1: Wilt's size/length/physical stature is special... on size ALONE he is virtually an unmatched physical specimen in the history of the sport. The guy could palm a 16lb bowling ball, had a 7-8 inch wingspan, 300lbs, 9-7 reach, ffs this stacked deck of traits aren't shared by any player in the NBA today, none. Shaq came closest, he was heavier (...fatter), but not quite as long/tall. No, Anthony Davis is not longer. Quicker, by virtue of what, being 235lbs to Wilt's 300? Being 6-9 and a 1/4 to Wilt's 7-1 and 1/16? Wilt's a damn Giant. Davis is Bill Russell's size.

Ingredient number 2: Wilt's athleticism ...okay so the dude was a literal giant. ...And a track athlete!? And a world class volley ball player? Highly coordinated and one of the strongest people on the planet? With a resting heart rate of 37 and owns every stamina record in the NBA by a longshot? His size alone was freak status. His combo of athleticism and size is GOAT status.

Ingredient number 3: Wilt's mind, competitiveness, and skill. A guy who is hyper competitive at everything to the degree that he wants to not only chase records but shatter them beyond sensical reach. And smart enough to make you look stupid off deft passing skill and up and unders under the rim that would be impossible to see coming even if they weren't coming from a GOAT status athlete's bag of tricks. Wilt didn't just need to score in transition off lobs or rebounds like say, Drummond. Wilt could methodically defeate you via post-up. He had a shot to go baseline, middle, or fadeaway. On top of having the vision to see over everyone and read the defense to always find the open man and pass out of doubles and triples.

You didn't watch the Wilt video if you think Drummonds top 10 plays ...of his entire season mind you ... are better than what can be found throughout Wilt's 29 game sample size. I mean, Drummond doesn't even post up ONCE. Wilt catches NINE shots in mid air in my mix, in a 29 game equivilant sample size... he's like a create-a-character

[ralph_i_el]

So I looked up Drummonds top 10 plays last year.

Confirmed you are deulsional.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAEc5cT8r_0



Not a single post-up. Mostly transition points. He'll steal the ball, then dunk. Wilt will catch your shot in mid-air run the fast-break himself and initiate a give and go alley-oop. No display of superior athleticism on Drummonds part, none. And he has inferior size to Wilt, he's Bob Laniers size not Wilt's size.

Let me break it down for you.

Ingredient number 1: Wilt's size/length/physical stature is special... on size ALONE he is virtually an unmatched physical specimen in the history of the sport. The guy could palm a 16lb bowling ball, had a 7-8 inch wingspan, 300lbs, 9-7 reach, ffs this stacked deck of traits aren't shared by any player in the NBA today, none. Shaq came closest, he was heavier (...fatter), but not quite as long/tall. No, Anthony Davis is not longer. Quicker, by virtue of what, being 235lbs to Wilt's 300? Being 6-9 and a 1/4 to Wilt's 7-1 and 1/16? Wilt's a damn Giant. Davis is Bill Russell's size.

Ingredient number 2: Wilt's athleticism ...okay so the dude was a literal giant. ...And a track athlete!? And a world class volley ball player? Highly coordinated and one of the strongest people on the planet? With a resting heart rate of 37 and owns every stamina record in the NBA by a longshot? His size alone was freak status. His combo of athleticism and size is GOAT status.

Ingredient number 3: Wilt's mind, competitiveness, and skill. A guy who is hyper competitive at everything to the degree that he wants to not only chase records but shatter them beyond sensical reach. And smart enough to make you look stupid off deft passing skill and up and unders under the rim that would be impossible to see coming even if they weren't coming from a GOAT status athlete's bag of tricks. Wilt didn't just need to score in transition off lobs or rebounds like say, Drummond. Wilt could methodically defeate you via post-up. He had a shot to go baseline, middle, or fadeaway. On top of having the vision to see over everyone and read the defense to always find the open man and pass out of doubles and triples.

You didn't watch the Wilt video if you think Drummonds top 10 plays ...of his entire season mind you ... are better than what can be found throughout Wilt's 29 game sample size. I mean, Drummond doesn't even post up ONCE

Firstly, I did watch your wilt video and I was amazed at how slow his moves were and how bullshit the D was.

Secondly, idk what top 10 Drummond play video you watched. I watch one with him bouncing right by dudes in the post for explosive dunks.

Wilt may have weighed 300 after a bunch of years in the league, but Drummond weighs 280 as a kid and is clearly quicker.

And the Davis comparison was obviously meant to be between skinny young wilt and skinny young Davis. Davis' shoulders tell me he could get up to around 250 and still be quick as hell.

Wilt was big and athletic for his size. He played in a bullshit era. I'm sorry if you're one of his bastard children and I'm hurting your feelings.

NBA stamina records? Wtf are you talking about. Chase budinger is a world class volleyball player. So was robin Lopez iirc.

Drummond would break Wilt at his age.

In ten years you'll still be on the internet talking about Wilt, but by then he'll be 350lbs, as fast as Lebron, and have killed a whole pack of lions with only his dick. And you'll still never have watched him live you might as well start writing fanfics about him.

[CavaliersFTW]

Firstly, I did watch your wilt video and I was amazed at how slow his moves were and how bullshit the D was.

Secondly, idk what top 10 Drummond play video you watched. I watch one with him bouncing right by dudes in the post for explosive dunks.

Wilt may have weighed 300 after a bunch of years in the league, but Drummond weighs 280 as a kid and is clearly quicker.

And the Davis comparison was obviously meant to be between skinny young wilt and skinny young Davis. Davis' shoulders tell me he could get up to around 250 and still be quick as hell.

Wilt was big and athletic for his size. He played in a bullshit era. I'm sorry if you're one of his bastard children and I'm hurting your feelings.

NBA stamina records? Wtf are you talking about. Chase budinger is a world class volleyball player. So was robin Lopez iirc.

Drummond would break Wilt at his age.

In ten years you'll still be on the internet talking about Wilt, but by then he'll be 350lbs, as fast as Lebron, and have killed a whole pack of lions with only his dick. And you'll still never have watched him live you might as well start writing fanfics about him.

What basketball fans had to say after watching that video:

Wow this is absolutely amazing. I really never saw more than a few highlights of Wilt. After watching this I am now convinced he is the GOAT. This is nothing to take away from Jordan but Wilt could do it all. Lead the league in assists? As a center? Seriously? Amazing.

This is insane. Always knew he was a freak athlete, but I had no idea his game was such a finesse game. Moved like Dr. J under the hoop and had a nasty fadeaway. Really wish I could see him go up against the modern day freaks like a prime Shaq or Dwight.

Anyone know why he wasn't able to win more than two rings? He seems completely unstoppable.

Best post in the history of the Internet. Cant thank you enough.

Wilt was basically a Greek god amongst mortals.

After watching this I think Chamberlain is the GOAT.

WOW! Thank you so much for sitting down and spending hours doing the research, cutting together scenes, picking appropriate music....my god, the research & structuring of the video alone must have been 200 hours of your time. You're the first person I'm awarding reddit gold to.

After watching this, I really feel like I have a sense of what Wilt was like, and that most of the stuff they say about him is probably true. Looking at this footage looks like watching a grown man playing against 14-year-old teens.

Wilt vs other centers isn't really fair, because the other centers are big, fairly athletic guys who work out and play ball well, but Wilt had the type of natural athletic ability that comes along maybe every 100 years. I mean there's all kinds of stuff that has to happen, on a genetic level, for a human body to get that large and work that well.

His 20.000 women claim? Could see it being(close to) true just based off of how extreme he is in every other way -- so why wouldn't he also be extreme in that respect? Didn't he have a room in his house with nothing but leather sofas and a roof that opened so you could **** under the stars? Do you really think that in a pre-AIDS era, he wouldn't **** 4 bitches in one night all at once? Dude was just an extreme human being in every way and it's incomprehensible to any "regular" human.

And yes he would have done well in any era. In the stone age he would have done well at slaying sabretooth tigers with spears he made himself. In roman times he'd be undefeated for 20 years in the gladiator arena. He's just that type of rare breed of human.

Watched the whole thing twice.

I'm going to revise my pantheon of NBA greats.

1.Wilt Chamberlain -stats don't tell the whole story. One could also take into account different eras, pace, rules. But in any time, any arena, against anyone, he will almost always be the most dominant player on the court. Even against Prime Shaq/Prime Kareem/Prime Hakeem and even more so against the elite guards, especially on the defensive end. The tape reaffirms this long held belief of mine.

2.Kareem Abdul Jabbar - because of his consistency, productivity and longevity. Old Man River just kept plugging along. He was Duncan before Duncan, with an unguardable hook shot from either hand.

3.Michael Jordan - basketball is a show. And Air Jordan was the ultimate entertainer. Don't blink or you might miss something.

4.Magic Johnson - he was the best at getting his team to play. If Jordan was the ultimate soloist, Magic was the ultimate conductor, guiding his team to be at their very best. Most charismatic and natural leader in NBA history. Players will follow him anywhere.

5.Lebron James - premature? Maybe. But I've watched him from middle school to now. A basketball savant with a once in a generation athletic body. Strives to do the right play always whether shooting or passing the ball. If magic was the best leader, Lebron was his apprentice. The padawan to Magic's obi wan.

Next 5 in no order as of yet: Bill Russell, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon.

What really shocks me is how incredibly fast this dude was. He sprints from one side of the court to the other in no time at all.

That footage around 7:45 mark doesn't even look real.

It's disgusting that people can still downplay wilt so much... Look at the videos and you can see the people defending him are playing the best defence possible, he is just hitting unblockable shots again and again.

Also why do no players nowdays try the jump finger-roll over defenders? It seems hard/impossible to defend without fouling

7'8" wingspan with that kind of strength, stamina, and agility is insane.

I see a lot of Wilt in Drummond albeit at a lower level. Drummond is pretty agile, but I think he lacks the finesse around the basket and is a little out of shape compared to Wilt. Thanks OP for this window into the past.

The way he runs the break is amazing, looks like a guard running down the court

efficient, athletic, intelligent, BEAST.

amazing work btw, changed what me and everyone else thought about wilt (that he was great due to the era and the opposition).

he would've dominated the league in any given era.

Him taking off down the court at 7:40 is insane.

You can see how the guy scored 100 lol

Good work! Finally all makes sense. Gotta apologize to my old man now.

First off, this is really awesome man. Secondly holy shit, Wilt was ridiculous. A 9'7 STANDING REACH (in modern shoes)?! with that athleticism?! nobody's stopping that

Some of the stuff Wilt did in this video made my jaw drop. Like his amazing recovery time when jumping for blocks - simply mind-boggling. Thanks for this eye-opening video. I used to think Wilt was just a giant among short, unathletic opposition, but this video actually significantly changes my impression of Wilt.

After watching that video, I will never again entertain the notion of writing off Wilt's achievements as being a result of his era. He probably would have averaged 10 blocks a game even today.

Honestly it makes me wonder how the hell the Celtics dominated him in the playoffs.

Does this make anyone else question the GOAT discussion? Like this guy would dominate in any era easily. Honestly not sure if Jordan should be the consensus pick considering that this man, Wilt Chamberlain, existed.

I have been saying for years if there was a all time fantasy draft Wilt goes #1 easily. His impact on the court on both offense and defense is just absurd. No offense to jordan but he just has no chance of impacting the game the way a 7'2 center that is this strong and this fast and has post moves can.

This is ****ing amazing. Thank you

Wow seeing him run track/high jump is just absurd. He's 7'2 and looks more coordinated than guys 5'5

Those blocks/goaltends look like he really CAN touch the top of the backboard, his arms are like preying mantis arms just so long

That fadeaway jumper is ****ing smooth

He even had behind the back passes in the post

The way he grabs the ball with one hand and throws it in it's like he's holding a sock and throwing it into a wastebasket

Among many many others...

So what were you saying about Andre Drummond again?

That's interesting.. nobody else sees it.

You mad?

[ralph_i_el]

What basketball fans had to say after watching that video:





















Among many many others...

So what were you saying about Andre Drummond again?

That's interesting.. nobody else sees it.

You mad?

90% of the video is him scoring on centers a full head shorter than him that look like they all weigh 215lbs. Or shooting jumpers that aren't even contested.

Today's players wouldn't be afraid to send him to the line either.

I'm currently RE-watching the hour long "scouting tool" dudes are literally standing still with their hands down while he goes right by them for dunks. Am I supposed to be impressed? This just in, every team today has multiple big bodies that would be hacking the shit out of him if he was as good as you say.

Nobody is saying that Wilt wouldn't be a great player in any era. This mythologizing has gone way to far though. The same shit is happening with MJ now.

If Dwight got to post up a skinny Kris Humphries every game he'd look like a Greek god too

[CavaliersFTW]

90% of the video is him scoring on centers a full head shorter than him that look like they all weigh 215lbs. Or shooting jumpers that aren't even contested.

Today's players wouldn't be afraid to send him to the line either.

I'm currently RE-watching the hour long "scouting tool" dudes are literally standing still with their hands down while he goes right by them for dunks. Am I supposed to be impressed? This just in, every team today has multiple big bodies that would be hacking the shit out of him if he was as good as you say.

Nobody is saying that Wilt wouldn't be a great player in any era. This mythologizing has gone way to far though. The same shit is happening with MJ now.

If Dwight got to post up a skinny Kris Humphries every game he'd look like a Greek god too

The sad thing is you probably have no clue who Wilt is posting up against in the footage - nor how tall or heavy they actually were in real life and how it would compare to today's players. Also you are totally ignoring Wilt's own transition/2-person/offensive rebound game. You've failed to bring it up every time. That's like all today's centers know how to do, and Wilt looks a hell of a lot more dominant than they do at their own game. Him posting up in iso plays and CREATING his own driving baseline, middle, or fade away shots from scratch in a half court set is icing on the cake, half of today's bigs aren't even capable of post-up play. When the double, triple, and interior zones happened is when he passed to the open man, you want to see footage of him getting collapsed on then watch his passing clips again and pay the **** attention, the double and triple teams are there. If you want to see a mix of him getting double and triple teamed than you'll get one eventually when I incorporate "all-known" passing highlights. He was smart enough to hit the open man. He shot the ball when they played him one on one, or sometimes through doubles if the open man wasn't a solid option. Plain and simple fundamental basketball.

And Wilt makes everyone look undersized. He dwarfs Kareem and Artis Gilmore in all that footage. Two guys who would list 7 foot 4 today and are taller than anyone in the league. Dwarfed. Who the **** is supposed to look big next to Wilt? You have impossibly high expectations of his competition if you expect them to look significant next to him. Half of is competition are bona fide freak athletes themselves. Today's players would look just as useless and small.

[ralph_i_el]

The sad thing is you probably have no clue who Wilt is posting up against in the footage - nor how tall or heavy they actually were in real life and how it would compare to today's players. Also you are totally ignoring Wilt's own transition/2-person/offensive rebound game. You've failed to bring it up every time. That's like all today's centers know how to do, and Wilt looks a hell of a lot more dominant than they do at their own game. Him posting up in iso plays and CREATING his own driving baseline, middle, or fade away shots from scratch in a half court set is icing on the cake, half of today's bigs aren't even capable of post-up play. When the double, triple, and interior zones happened is when he passed to the open man, you want to see footage of him getting collapsed on then watch his passing clips again and pay the **** attention, the double and triple teams are there. If you want to see a mix of him getting double and triple teamed than you'll get one eventually when I incorporate "all-known" passing highlights. He was smart enough to hit the open man.

And Wilt makes everyone look undersized. He dwarfs Kareem and Artis Gilmore in all that footage. Two guys who would list 7 foot 4 today and are taller than anyone in the league. Dwarfed. Who the **** is supposed to look big next to Wilt? You have impossibly high expectations of his competition if you expect them to look significant next to him. Half of is competition are bona fide freak athletes themselves. Today's players would look just as useless and small.

Why would I know who Wilt is posting up? Im not 60 years old. I watch modern basketball and I watch a ****ing lot of it. I can estimate how big someone is by looking at them. I'm going through his playoff opponents on bball ref trying to find ANYONE he played against listed at 240 or over. So far I found 2 in his first 8 seasons.

How would Demarcus Cousins fare if only a handful of guys in the league weighed 240? Right now the wizards have three guys listed at 260 or above, and 2 are legit post players.

Stick Nene in that era and he averages 35 a game.