Would Wilt still have been effective if he had returned in 1978-79 or 1979-80?

[PhiEaglesfan712]

When Wilt played his final season at age 36 in 1972-73, he was far from his peak form of 1961-62, but was still one of the best players in the NBA. A court ruling kept Wilt from playing in 1973-74. This New York Times article from December 1978 shows that Wilt wanted to return to the NBA at age 42: https://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/15/archives/chamberlain-at-42-eyes-nba-return-ill-come-back-within-the-hour.html

A year later, the Cleveland Cavaliers made a pursuit of Wilt: https://www.si.com/nba/cavaliers/nba-amico/wilt-chamberlain-contract-cleveland

If Wilt had played during the 1978-79 and/or 1979-80 seasons, would he have still been as effective as he was in 1972-73?

[70sFan]

I doubt it, 5 years of inactivity would do a lot of damage on him. We've seen Jordan coming back just 3 years after his retirement in 1998 and he wasn't close to his prime self. Wilt was bigger, so lost quickness wouldn't be so huge for him, but I'm not sure if his knees would have been able to stay healthy.

He would be a good roleplayer maybe, but starting with 43+mpg is a big no.

[coastalmarker99]

Kiki Vandeweghe was on record as attending a summer league game in the '80s, in which the 7-3 (or 7-4) two-time DPOY Mark Eaton played in. According to Kiki, Chamberlain stopped by, and at some point, a player nicknamed Helicopter dunked on Wilt and posterized him which resulted in everyone watching around the court going crazy.

Afterwards, a deeply enraged Chamberlain gives the ball back to Kiki, tells him to bring the ball down, waive everyone off, and give it to him. He does exactly that and Wilt proceeds to furiously dunk, starting from about 6 feet out, over a helpless Mark Eaton and Helicopter.


They both had tried to block the shot but both instead got knocked down to the floor.


Finally, there is a dead silence around the court. Wilt doesn't say anything, just walks to the bench, picks up his towel, and leaves the building. Nothing more needs to be said, the game ends, and everyone watching the game goes bananas.

Wilt was in his 50's at the time of this story.

Of all his memories of Wilt Chamberlain, the one that stood out for Larry Brown happened long after Chamberlain's professional career was over.

On a summer day in the early 1980s at the Men's Gym on the UCLA campus, Chamberlain showed up to take part in one of the high-octane pickup games that the arena constantly attracted. Brown was the coach of the Bruins back then, and Chamberlain often drove to UCLA from his home in Bel Air, Calif.

"Magic Johnson used to run the games," Brown recalled Tuesday after hearing that Chamberlain, his friend, had died at the age of 63, "and he called a couple of cheap fouls and a goaltending call on Wilt.

"So Wilt said: 'There will be no more layups in this gym,' and he blocked every shot after that. That's the truth, I saw it. He didn't let one (of Johnson's) shots get to the rim." Chamberlain would have been in his mid-40s at the time, a decade removed from one of the greatest careers any basketball player ever produced. But the advancing years meant little to Chamberlain in terms of physical conditioning.

In fact, Chamberlain was receiving legitimate offers to play in the NBA at 50 years old with the Nets Lakers and Clippers

[coastalmarker99]

When Elvin Hayes came into the NBA in 1968, he played against both Wilt and Bill Russell. During games, Wilt would actually give him tips on how to be more effective, while Russell tried to con him into "going easy" on an old man.

In 1982, when he was 45 and Philadelphia 76er owner Harold Katz was hot after him, the Houston Chronicle's George White asked Elvin Hayes if Chamberlain could still play. "Some things about Wilt, you never forgot," Hayes said. "He was such an awesome physical specimen.

To go up under Wilt Chamberlain, to be down there and look up at him when he's towering up over you waiting to dunk, was a terrifying picture.

To see him poised up there, knowing he was about to sweep down with that big jam . . . that must be the most frightening sight in sports.

The ball goes shooting through the net and you better have your body covered up because he could really hurt someone. I was scared.

Everyone was scared when he got that look in his eye, that don't-try-to-stop-this look that he got when he really wanted it. . . . "I think Russell realized there was no way he could have stopped Wilt if he had been fully intent on making it a two-man game.

No one who ever put on a uniform could have done it. When I played him, I kept this foremost in my mind: Above all, don't make him mad. Don't embarrass him. You wanted to keep him quiet as long as possible.

"Heisler, Mark (1999-10-13). "Larger Than Life". The Los Angeles Times.

[coastalmarker99]

We do know that a 36-year-old Wilt blocked 446 shots in 1972-73 (5.44 a game), his 14th and final season in the league.

28-year-old Mark Eaton blocked 456 shots in 1984-85 (5.56 a game) his third season in the league, the most since blocks were an official statistic.

So Wilt at 36 years old in his last season in the league blocked 10 fewer shots than the record for most blocks in a regular season since they officially started recording them in '73-74.


Also here are Wilt's averages in the 1973 PLAYOFFS 10.4 PTS 22.5 REBS 3.5 ASTS 6.9 BLKS FG% 55.2


You can make a really good case that Wilt was capable of playing another 10 years after 1973 if he wanted to.


As he still would have been an elite rebounder plus shot blocker while also being incredibly efficient.

[coastalmarker99]

An NBA player told Matt Weiner of NBA TV that the best player he ever played against was a 50 yr old Wilt Chamberlain at the famous pickup games at UCLA

Read on Twitter

The answer to this question is hell yes.

Wilt still would have been a beast even at that age.

Watch on YouTube

;t=3140s

At the 50-minute mark of this video there is an interview with Wilt in 1978 when he was 42 and look how good physically he looks.

Here is another video of a 42-year-old Wilt dunking.

Watch on YouTube

[countryboy667]

Nice to see (IMO) the GREATEST PLAYER TO EVER PLAY THE GAME and quite probably the greatest pure athlete in ANY sport in living memory finally get some respect here.

[70sFan]

https://youtu.be/le7yDMsJheM

For fun - old Wilt dunking the ball in game as a Globetrotter.

[Mazter]

Being strong and play a pick up game is totally different from playing a 82-game NBA schedule with all the travelling and practicing involved. Too many signs that he probably would be a benchplayer at best. He was already dropping his workload in his last 3 seasons and playing superstar minutes after 40 has been proven too much for all who tried. Making a comeback after 5 years is already really pushing it.

[Cavsfansince84]

I think he would have done ok at 20-25mpg. As in still very effective rebounder, defensive player and post passer. I doubt he would have put much effort into scoring except for dunks.

[penbeast0]

Again, would he have been MVP level Wilt is a different question than could he be an effective NBA player. Playing the style he played in LAL where he didn't look for anything offensively except in spurts but focused on defense and rebounding, I don't see where he couldn't have come back at 42 and been an effective NBA starting center if not a star. With his strength, Steven Adams level? His knees shouldn't be too much of a problem if he doesn't reinjure them since he was playing pro beach volleyball at that age so he was still apparently able to move and jump fluidly.

[capfan33]

He could play well for a few games, but over the course of a season it's very difficult to imagine that he wouldn't get injured/gassed at some point. For most of these guys, they can still do it in short spurts as they get older, they just can't do it consistently.

[picko]

I know that there are a few fun anecdotes about Wilt being effective long after he retired but it has very little relevance to an NBA regular season. We have 75-years of experience that tells us basketball is not a kind game for older athletes. All the running and jumping, stopping and starting, is brutal on older knees and ligaments.

In all likelihood he'd be effective for a few games and then he'd suffer from the wear and tear that comes with being an older athlete. He'd start missing games or his minutes would be stripped back and we'd be reminded that yep we're looking at a guy that hasn't played professional sport in a long time.

[falcolombardi]

We do know that a 36-year-old Wilt blocked 446 shots in 1972-73 (5.44 a game), his 14th and final season in the league.

28-year-old Mark Eaton blocked 456 shots in 1984-85 (5.56 a game) his third season in the league, the most since blocks were an official statistic.

So Wilt at 36 years old in his last season in the league blocked 10 fewer shots than the record for most blocks in a regular season since they officially started recording them in '73-74.


Also here are Wilt's averages in the 1973 PLAYOFFS 10.4 PTS 22.5 REBS 3.5 ASTS 6.9 BLKS FG% 55.2


You can make a really good case that Wilt was capable of playing another 10 years after 1973 if he wanted to.


As he still would have been an elite rebounder plus shot blocker while also being incredibly efficient.

Source for the blocks thingh?

[Dr Positivity]

Don't see him having any offense left. He could possibly be like a Mark Eaton and Tree Rollins type guy.

[Mazter]

Again, would he have been MVP level Wilt is a different question than could he be an effective NBA player. Playing the style he played in LAL where he didn't look for anything offensively except in spurts but focused on defense and rebounding, I don't see where he couldn't have come back at 42 and been an effective NBA starting center if not a star. With his strength, Steven Adams level? His knees shouldn't be too much of a problem if he doesn't reinjure them since he was playing pro beach volleyball at that age so he was still apparently able to move and jump fluidly.

History has learned that 50's/60's/70's players show decline:
After 1,000 games played (Wilt had 1,205)
After 40,000 minutes played (Wilt had 55,418)
After their 12th season (Wilt would be in his 15th)
Coming back following a year of inactivity (Wilt had 5)
After age 35 (Wilt would have been 42)

2-3 of those might have still been overcomable, but all 5 of them by a wide margin...

The oldest "stars" to receive recognition in some way:
Oldest All NBA - 38
Oldest All Defensive - 39
Oldest to receive MVP votes - 39
Oldest to receive DPOY votes - 39
Oldest voted All Star starter - 39
Oldest to reveice All NBA votes - 39
Oldest All Star - 41 (picked by his own coach)

There is a clear cut off at 39, this includes a lot of stars who made it to their 40's.

And it was not like Wilt wasn't already declining and had his stardom running on fumes at 36.
He could get a starting role, but more based on reputation and/or contract and promises. I doubt it would be effective. Being a star is really stretching everything.

[countryboy667]

Again, would he have been MVP level Wilt is a different question than could he be an effective NBA player. Playing the style he played in LAL where he didn't look for anything offensively except in spurts but focused on defense and rebounding, I don't see where he couldn't have come back at 42 and been an effective NBA starting center if not a star. With his strength, Steven Adams level? His knees shouldn't be too much of a problem if he doesn't reinjure them since he was playing pro beach volleyball at that age so he was still apparently able to move and jump fluidly.

History has learned that 50's/60's/70's players show decline:
After 1,000 games played (Wilt had 1,205)
After 40,000 minutes played (Wilt had 55,418)
After their 12th season (Wilt would be in his 15th)
Coming back following a year of inactivity (Wilt had 5)
After age 35 (Wilt would have been 42)

2-3 of those might have still been overcomable, but all 5 of them by a wide margin...

The oldest "stars" to receive recognition in some way:
Oldest All NBA - 38
Oldest All Defensive - 39
Oldest to receive MVP votes - 39
Oldest to receive DPOY votes - 39
Oldest voted All Star starter - 39
Oldest to reveice All NBA votes - 39
Oldest All Star - 41 (picked by his own coach)

There is a clear cut off at 39, this includes a lot of stars who made it to their 40's.

And it was not like Wilt wasn't already declining and had his stardom running on fumes at 36.
He could get a starting role, but more based on reputation and/or contract and promises. I doubt it would be effective. Being a star is really stretching everything.

I would agree with you if Wilt was your standard great athlete. But Wilt was NOT your standard great athlete. He was at a level waaaay above anyone else I have ever seen in that regard.

The only other athlete I can think of who remotely compares is Ted Williams. At age 41, he batted .316 with 29 HR and 72 RBI with a slugging percentage of .645 in 113 games. This was in the "dead ball" era. He chose to retire...playing at that level at age 41, it's not ridiculous to think he might have played at somewhere around that level for at least a few more years.

Some players in the history of a sport stand out a tier above even the other truly great stars of their sport. Wilt IMO was one of those. If Wilt had concentrated as he did in his late career on defense and rebounding and picked his spots on offense as the team needed, IMO there's no reason he couldn't have played at an all-star level for several more years. While injury is as you said an issue, stamina was not--I think it is false to say he couldn't have still played a high percentage of the NBA regular season. Remember, this is a guy who once averaged more than 48 minutes a game.

[RCM88x]

Probably effective but actually good? I don't think so. The league changed a ton between 73 and 79 it would have been very hard for him to adjust no matter what shape he was in.

[70sFan]

Probably effective but actually good? I don't think so. The league changed a ton between 73 and 79 it would have been very hard for him to adjust no matter what shape he was in.

How much did it change though? No major rules difference, the only big thing that happened duirng that time is of course the merger in 1976.

[Mazter]

I would agree with you if Wilt was your standard great athlete. But Wilt was NOT your standard great athlete. He was at a level waaaay above anyone else I have ever seen in that regard.

The only other athlete I can think of who remotely compares is Ted Williams. At age 41, he batted .316 with 29 HR and 72 RBI with a slugging percentage of .645 in 113 games. This was in the "dead ball" era. He chose to retire...playing at that level at age 41, it's not ridiculous to think he might have played at somewhere around that level for at least a few more years.

Some players in the history of a sport stand out a tier above even the other truly great stars of their sport. Wilt IMO was one of those. If Wilt had concentrated as he did in his late career on defense and rebounding and picked his spots on offense as the team needed, IMO there's no reason he couldn't have played at an all-star level for several more years. While injury is as you said an issue, stamina was not--I think it is false to say he couldn't have still played a high percentage of the NBA regular season. Remember, this is a guy who once averaged more than 48 minutes a game.

Hmm yeah, father time doesn't seem to care whether your a great athlete or not. For all the things LeBron is doing now I also think once he hits 39 it's pretty much going south for him rapidly too. And it's not just physically but also mentally. The motivation and drive to push yourself to the max every day also declines with age.

And I think Wilt's biggest problem is that he once averaged 48 minutes, or 46 for his whole career. Look it at this way, buy 2 identical cars or trucks. Drive one 2,000 miles a month off road and the other 1,000 miles a month only on highways. The second will last you longer. I believe Wilt playing about 3,000 minutes for 19 straight seasons would stand a bigger chance in 78/79 than the Wilt in this given comeback situation.