The first player in NBA history to score more than 30,000 points in total during his career was Wilt Chamberlain.
(1936–1999)
Wilt Chamberlain: Who Was He?
Before joining the Philadelphia Warriors, Wilt Chamberlain, nicknamed “Wilt the Stilt” due to his 7’1″ height, was a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Throughout his career, he averaged 30.1 points per game and holds multiple records, including the most points scored in a single game (100) and the most points scored in a season (4,029). In 1978, Chamberlain received his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1999, he passed away in Bel-Air, California.
Childhood and Schooling
Wilton On August 21, 1936, Norman Chamberlain was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the first NBA player to score more than 30,000 points in a career, Chamberlain was considered one of the all-time greats in basketball.
Chamberlain excelled as a player at Philadelphia’s Overbrook High School. Over his three years as a varsity player, he scored over 2,200 points for the school. At that time, Chamberlain was physically dominant over other players due to his height of 6’11”. Eventually, he grew to a startling 7’1″ maximum height. His height gave rise to several of his nicknames. The moniker “Wilt the Stilt,” or “the Stilt,” came from a local sportswriter covering high school competitions, and he detested it.
However, Chamberlain didn’t mind being referred to by pals as “The Big Dipper,” or just “Dipper,” because he had to stoop his head to fit through doorframes.
Several elite college basketball teams were vying for Chamberlain when it came time to enroll in college. He made the decision to enroll at the University of Kansas, where he played his collegiate basketball career beginning in 1956 with the Jayhawks and guiding the squad to the 1957 NCAA Finals. North Carolina won the game against the Jayhawks, but Chamberlain was awarded the title of “Most Outstanding Player” of the competition. The next season, he made the all-America and all-conference teams due to his continued excellence.
Career in Basketball
Due to NBA regulations, Chamberlain had to wait a year after graduating from college in 1958 before turning pro. Before being signed by the Philadelphia Warriors, he opted to play with the Harlem Globetrotters for the remainder of the next season. Chamberlain scored 43 points in his debut professional game against the Knicks in New York City in 1959. Several prominent trophies, such as NBA Rookie of the Year and NBA Most Valuable Player, were hiss after an outstanding rookie campaign. Chamberlain and Bill Russell, the star defensive player for the Celtics, started a rivalry during this season as well. Despite their intense rivalry on the court, the two became friends off the court.
But the season that made Chamberlain most renowned was 1962. He broke the league record for most points scored in a single game that March when he became the first player in the NBA to score 100 points in a game (a mark he still holds today). At the end of the season, Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game and had amassed over 4,000 points, making history as the first NBA player to do so. During his prime, Chamberlain was chosen for the All-NBA first team three times in a row (1960, 1961, and 1962).