Michael Jordan is unlikely to be often impressed by stars, but his first conversation with one of the greatest basketball players of all time was a memorable one.
The old one The Chicago Bulls shooting guard, six times NBA champion, has won it all. From being crowned NBA Finals MVP six times, to winning Olympic gold with Team USA.
He finally ended his brilliant career in 2003, after two seasons with the Washington Wizards, and many dubbed him the GOAT.
But some still consider Wilt Chamberlain the greatest.
Chamberlain remains the only player to score 100 points in an NBA game, when he made history for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 victory over the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.
He even recorded 50.4 points per game during the 1961/62 season – a remarkable feat all things considered.
Chamberlain’s legacy on the game was enormous. He was the unstoppable force in basketball and “the most impressive offensive force the game has ever known,” according to the NBA Official Website.
Actually, Michael Jordan I was impressed with Chamberlain when they first met.
“I had the chance to meet Wilt Chamberlain for the first time, which I thought was a privilege for me considering I finished second to him in many individual, career and scoring statistics,” Jordan said.
“It was very nice to visit him. He came up to me and congratulated me on my career.”
He added: “I’m a basketball fan, and I honor and respect the people who gave me the opportunity to excel in this game, to make a living from this game. It was a privilege for me to watch a lot of those guys play.”
The statistics surrounding Chamberlain’s career are simply remarkable.
He was the only NBA player to score 4,000 points in a season and set NBA single-game records for most points (100), most consecutive field goals (18) and most rebounds (55).
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He retired as the all-time leader in career points with 31,419, later surpassed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Dirk Nowitzki.
In his biography, however, Chamberlain named Meadowlark Lemon as his all-time greatest.
Lemon, who played for the Harlem Globetrotters, was “the most sensational, incredible basketball player” he had ever seen.
