The Big Dipper

Wilt Chamberlain was before my time, but I've seen enough of him since. His interview with Howard Stern was riveting and his post interview talk with Greg Karmel was hysterical. He had super human agility for such a big man, he was to basketball what Muhammad Ali was to boxing.

How would he do in today's NBA. IMHO he would destroy, to quote Woody Allen, "I pity the fool that tries to dunk on him".

Even though I was a young lad I still remember Wilt's Miller Light commercial. He's at a bar and says that he drinks Miller Light because he doesn't like to get filled up. The bartender comes over and asks him if he would like another - shorty. The bartender was Ted Kassidy, Lerch of The Addams Family.

After he retired from basketball, Wilt played professional volleyball for a few years. He always kept himself in top shape, his early death shocked me. His nemesis, Bill Russell was grief stricken.

If Wilt were 22 today, the team that drafted him would be on the cusp of a dynasty. I've sent a notice to Will Murray to reupload Stern interview with The Stilt.

One item is wrong for this clip. Wilt backed out of fighting Muhammad Ali, he didn't want to get hit in the stomach.

After Wilt retired, the NBA went into decline. Fighting was accepted in hockey, extremely violent in basketball. Kermit Washington broke Rudi Tomjanovic's jaw with a sucker punch - Rudi would go on to coach the Houston Rockets to two NBA Titles while Jordan dabbled with baseball.

Basketball was considered a thug sport when David Stern (RIP) came in as Larry O'Brien's deputy Commish. At the time it was lower on the attendance scale than hockey. O'Brien spent nine years as Commissioner before Stern took over in 1984.