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We’ve talked before about Wilt Chamberlain’s stunning athleticism. He had a 50” vertical, was a champion high jumper, could sprint with Jim Brown and even competed in gymnastics at 7-1.
And after his basketball career, he became a professional volleyball player.
Early in his career, he was quite lean but as he began (unusually for his era) to lift weights he grew much, much larger.
Near the end of his career, he was listed at 310 and was still extraordinarily fast. Take this video for instance, where Gail Goodrich lost the ball to Milwaukee’s Bobby Dandridge.
Dandridge, seven inches shorter than Chamberlain, was roughly even with the big man when he took off with the ball. Chamberlain got ahead of him and was waiting for him when he shot the ball.
It’s pretty amazing play for a guy that size, but consider this too: although this video is not dated, it is between 1970 and 1974. We know this since Oscar Robertson (#1 for the Bucks) was traded to Milwaukee in 1970. That means that Chamberlain was between 33 and 37 when he did this.