Wilt Chamberlain took a jab at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s $3 million earnings while talking about his coaching gig in the ABA.
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Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had quite the contentious relationship with one another. While the latter entered the NBA in 1969, he had already developed a bond with the Sixers legend as a mere 13 year old who would happen to meet Wilt at Rucker Park. from that day in 1962 and onwards, Kareem was under his wing.
For 7+ years, the two enjoyed a great friendship. While they differed in their political stances and the way they went about their life, both 7-footers held a close bond. They would even face off against one another in the 1971 and 1972 Western Conference Finals, with Wilt losing the former and winning the latter.
As time went on and Wilt Chamberlain moved on from the NBA to the ABA and eventually into retirement, he would start to take shots at Jabbar. Everything from him saying he wasn’t living up to his potential to saying he should’ve retired 5 years before he actually had.
This soured their relationship and Kareem eventually hit the 2x champ with a scathing open letter in his autobiography.
Also read: Wilt Chamberlain’s $600,000 coaching gig saw the Lakers sue him instead
Wilt Chamberlain’s shot towards Kareem in 1990.
After losing in the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks yet again in 1973, Wilt Chamberlain looked for a change in scenery. He turned his attention towards the ABA, a league that was looking to compete with and eventually merge with the NBA. He signed a $600,000 deal with the San Diego Conquistadors to be their player/coach.
During this time, he would get sued by the Lakers as they owned his rights for that option year of his. He would also no-show for a lot of the practices and games, leaving coaching responsibilities for assistant coach, Stan Albeck. The excuses used to cover up where Wilt was were on the lines of ‘he’s busy’ or ‘he’s sick’.
Nearly 2 decades later, when LA Times reached out to him, Wilt Chamberlain immediately took up the opportunity of an interview to take shots at his long time rival, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, saying, “I would’ve gotten back to you sooner but some of us have to work for a living. I don’t make $3 million like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.”
The $3 million he’s referring to here is the money the Lakers gave him per year towards the final stint of his career in 1988. Even after all those years and at age 53, Wilt held a grudge against the 5x champion.
