In the 75-year-long history of the NBA, there have been different types of players. However, Wilt Chamberlain was in a category of his own. He was a physical specimen the NBA had never experienced before. Standing tall at 7ft 1inch and weighing close to 300 pounds, Wilt is the only player whose all-time numbers and record-breaking stats can claim to compete against Shaquille O’Neal in the most dominant player ever category. That being said, Shaq recently shared a video on his Instagram story that talked about how Chamberlain almost had an NFL career.
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Despite the enormous physique, Chamberlain’s athletic abilities were unmatched. He could run fast and was agile in his movements, unlike the other big men in his era. The Lakers legend once benched an unimaginable 500 pounds on the set of the movie – ‘Conan the Destroyer’. The movie set had both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Andre the Giant as cast members, and they often worked out together. What’s even more astonishing is the fact that Chamberlain was 48 years old when the movie was made.
Shaquille O’Neal shares Wilt Chamberlain’s NFL story
NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal is often seen sharing anything and everything that amuses him on the Internet on his Instagram stories. Recently, he took to the social media site to share a story about the late great Wilt Chamberlain and his possible career in the NFL. The reel posted by ‘thecodytucker’, talked about how the Kansas City Chiefs had invited him to a workout back in the day. Here is what he said:
“At one point the Kansas City Chiefs head coach Hank Stram was like – he should be a tight-end in the NFL. So he invited him, Wilt Chamberlain to try out for the Kansas City Chiefs. They had him rum a 40 yard dash. He took his shoes off, still in slacks, ran a 4.6. This is a guy who is 7ft 1inch, and damn near 300 pounds. Instead, he goes to the NBA and has one of the greatest careers in the history of basketball.”
Shaq shares a Wilt story pic.twitter.com/8P5MSOH98Y
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) August 29, 2023
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It is crazy to even think about a 7ft 1inch player being so athletic that he could try out for the NFL. But Wilt was no ordinary man. If he had shown interest in the sport, we may not have gotten those ridiculous stats on the NBA court. But we surely would have seen another NFL legend emerge.
With speed and a vertical jump that only a few have been able to achieve, Wilt just dominated the league back in the day. His peers had no idea how to stop him. The man averaged 30.1 points and 22.9 rebounds a game for the 13 years he played in the league. Despite doing it all by himself, he still managed to involve his teammates and win two championships in the process.
Shaq regrets not passing up Wilt in scoring
There is a definite case for Shaq being the most dominant player to ever play in the league. With his enormous size, he would posterize defenders on the court. And when brute force did not work, he possessed the elite footwork to shake them off. Shaq finished his career as eighth in the All-time regular season scoring list. However, the big man regrets not passing up Wilt Chamberlain on the list.
According to Shaq, the only reason he doesn’t have 100% confidence while accepting the most dominant player title is because he was behind Wilt in the All-time scoring list. Chamberlain, who finished with 31, 419 points in his career, currently sits seventh on the list. The Big Diesel comes in at eighth, 2,823 points behind his 7-feet counterpart.
