Today, in 2023, there is nothing that can stay private for long. Want to drop off the grid? One camera around the world, and you’re caught. but not in the 1950s. Wilt Chamberlain took complete advantage of the fact that there was nothing called the internet.
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He was only 16 but was built like an android from the Terminator franchise. 7 feet tall, with a wingspan that could make you feel like he could fly. All of this, only for him to drop 50 points on you while wearing Converse.
Otto Porter Jr.’s lookalike was so bored at high school that he drove to a neighboring town and played for them under a fake alias. He chose the most John Doe of the names, going with George Marcus. Two first names, yet in 1954, nobody was suspicious.
Why not, because why would a teenager lie about his name? The AAU had regulations about potential picks playing pro basketball before getting drafted, and this was Chamberlain’s way of skating under the radar. Imagine what Bronny James Jr. would have to do in today’s world to go unnoticed in a Starbucks!
Also Read: Wilt Chamberlain 70 Point Game Stats: Remembering 7ft 1” Big Dipper’s Historical Numbers
How good was a teenage Wilt Chamberlain?
According to the score sheets from his former teams, Chamberlain was scoring 44 points a game in the regular season and 74 points in the postseason. not in totality, no, he was scoring that as an average! 70, 74, and 78 points were his three totals in the postseason. Did we say he was 16 at the time?
He pulled off this “con” with not one but two separate teams. And for the second team, they made him out too. They were brazenly putting his real name on their score sheets, and somehow, during his background check, this was treated with blind eyes.
Kansas University got him for 3 years, and they were mesmerized by the dazzling displays of his talent.
Why did The Big Dipper resort to hiding his identity?
Dodgy rules—that’s all. The governing body was strict about having their players not be associated with any pro players or teams. But since Wilt was from Philadelphia, he wasn’t held to the same strict rules as the rest of the body.
George Marcus was a funny name to choose, but Wilt Chamberlain brought magic to the name. He played for a few unknown teams that weren’t very good, but he was.
Chamberlain was a scary prospect—who else would strike fear in the heart of a grown man and then go home to study for an exam the next day?
