Some legends are almost impossible to believe. Wilt Chamberlain once claimed in his autobiography that he slept with 20,000 women. A lot of people questioned it, but the Lakers legend never backed down from the claim. He said it wasn’t about bragging, it was just part of his lifestyle at the time. Well, Shaquille O’Neal is the latest to question it.
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This wouldn’t be the first legend about Chamberlain that has been mythologized. Scoring 100 points in a single game, averaging 50 for a season. Those numbers almost sound made up. Then there are the tales about his strength, speed, and off-court lifestyle just add to the legend. At times, Wilt feels more like a tall tale than just an NBA legend.
But it’s the 20,000 women fact that Shaq cannot get over. The Diesel addressed this myth on the latest edition of his Big Podcast.
“First of all…he didn’t have no cell phone. How the f**k you meet 20 women a day?” asked the four-time NBA Champion. More importantly, Shaq stated that if Wilt had a more exact number, it would be more believable, but he feels like Wilt rounded up.
“If he would have said 7,000, or 19,400. He went straight to 20,000. Ain’t nobody busting 7 times a day. Hell no. No way, and you know it.” The Diesel’s tin-foil hat theory had no proof, other than Chamberlain’s legend being just that. A legend.
The thing about questioning any stories about Wilt is that it just feels like something you’re not supposed to do. Did he score 100 points? Did he sleep with 20,000 women? Who knows, but why take away such a fun story?
Wilt clarified his statement in one of the last interviews of his life
Wilt Chamberlain isn’t just one of the NBA’s most iconic figures. He was also a man, someone who had desires just like every other man. In one of his final interviews before passing in 1999, he clarified his 20,000 women statement from his autobiography.
“I can understand them not believing it. But the point of using the number was to show that sex was a great part of my life, as basketball was a great part of my life. That’s the reason why I was single.”
When hearing it from that perspective, it makes more sense, but it also tells you a lot about the man. Was he sad because he was single? Was sex the only way he could connect with someone when he wasn’t on the basketball court? Pulling the curtain back like this shows the human side of Wilt.
Regardless of the truth, Chamberlain is still spoken about in NBA circles to this day. That’s what it means to be a legend. Whether they were true or not, we still speak about Wilt’s greatness.
