It's a given at this point that Wilt Chamberlain is one of the best big men to ever play the game. However, where does he actually fit into the GOAT conversation? After all, he has the accolades, the stats, and the dominance to back up his case.
Nevertheless, he doesn't seem to command the same attention that Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James do.
Here, we decipher where he ranks among the players who are widely debated as the GOAT and see where he fits.
Accolades
Chamberlain is definitely no slouch when it comes to the accolades department. He is a Hall of Famer, 13-time All-Star, seven-time league scoring champion, 11-time rebound champion, one-time assist champion, two-time NBA champion, 10-time All-NBA selection, two-time All-Defensive team selection, one-time All-Star Game MVP, 1972 Finals MVP, four-time MVP, and 1959-60 Rookie of the Year.
Therefore, it goes without question that he is overly stacked with individual awards.
Records
With 72 records (68 of which he holds by himself), Chamberlain literally dominates the NBA record book. He doesn't only barely break the records, too, as he's ranked Nos. 1, 2 and 3 on several instances.
Among these records are several that are considered virtually unbreakable such as averaging 22.9 rebounds for a career, 50.4 points per game in a season, scoring 100 points in one game, grabbing 55 rebounds in just one night, scoring 65 or more points 15 times, and 50 or more points on 118 occasions. He also holds 16 scoring records, the most rebounds in a career with 23,924, and this is not even including blocks yet—as blocks were counted before he retired—the list might just be even longer.
It's hard to believe that there will ever be another player who can dominate as many statistical categories as the Big Dipper did.
Popularity Contest
There's no denying that Wilt Chamberlain was a legendary talent. However, the GOAT debate is more than just winning accolades and breaking records as there is a certain element of it being a popularity contest as well.
In terms of lasting impact on the league, Chamberlain had his patented finger roll that was a marvel to watch. Wilt's finger roll could be put in the same category as Jordan’s Fadeaway, Kareem’s Skyhook, Olajuwon’s Dream Shake, Shaq’s Drop Step, Iverson’s Killer Crossover, or Duncan’s Bank Shot. Without question, he was iconic in his own right.
Be that as it may, Chamberlain comes up a little short in the overall popularity contest relative to his peers. Generally speaking, big men don't command the same attention that they used to. In the early days of the NBA, centers were regarded as the golden boys due to their unquestioned dominance on the hardwood floor as height meant might. However, the likes of Russell, Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal, and Olajuwon have become overshadowed by names such as Jordan, Bryant, and James.
It looks like as if there's a certain element to a guard or forward that is simply more entertaining to watch now compared to centers. While this may not be solely attributed to the position's entertainment value, the recency bias may also come into effect as there hasn't been a dominant big man in contemporary history.
Verdict
Wilt Chamberlain was an absolute beast. He had all the accolades and records of which some can only dream. Those who do manage to get a little close to his records can only barely scratch the surface or beat it by a small margin.
Nevertheless, the GOAT debate takes into consideration the popularity of the player as well wherein that's the department that Chamberlain falls short. The verdict for the GOAT has a certain appeal wherein the vast majority of the fans need to be almost unanimous in the decision of who wears the crown. For the most part of history, Jordan has always been the unquestioned GOAT as he fits the bill in all three departments.
More recently, James has been getting some traction to his name too as he has been building his own case over the past few years. This puts Chamberlain at a disadvantage for his case as the GOAT.
Moreover, it doesn't help that the center position is also crowded with competition as Kareem, Shaq, Olajuwon, Russell, Malone, Robinson, and Ewing are in the running for the honorable title as well. Furthermore, there's a notion that Abdul-Jabbar also tops most lists of best centers of all time, meaning that Chamberlain doesn't even hold the favor in his own position.
Nevertheless, Chamberlain was a once-in-a-generation talent that deserves his own case in the GOAT debate due to the insane accolades and records. Even if he isn't the GOAT, he definitely deserves to be mentioned upon when its debated.
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