Wilt, 1962 by Gary M Pomerantz - Book Review
Recapturing Wilt Chamberlain's 100-Point Game
Mar 1, 2009
One hundred points in a single basketball game. Wilt Chamberlain's feat in Hershey Stadium for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962 remains basketball's Holy Grail. In 2006, Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant came close, scoring 81 points against the Toronto Raptors.
While Kobe Bryant's deeds were headlined and televised, there was no television crew in Hershey to capture the Warriors-Knicks clash. Not even a single New York sportswriter witnessed Chamberlain scoring 100 points. The achievement was relegated to the back pages of most newspapers.
Wilt, 1962 - Recreating a Lost World
Gary Pomerantz's Wilt, 1962 recreates this lost world. The book vividly paints the match as it unfolded, taking in the memories of the players, the referee, spectators and journalists who covered the match. The book is not only about what Chamberlain did, but also describes the characters and motivations of his teammates, and the hapless Knicks. There is also the story of the boy who sneaked in with a group of friends to watch the match, and ran out of the stadium clutching the ball using which Chamberlain reached 100 points.
Pomerantz embarked on the book after Chamberlain's death in 1999, and so Wilt's own voice and memories are missing. But he filled in the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle, and created a visual picture with over 250 interviews and meticulous attention to detail
Wilt Chamberlain the Individual
A fiercely individualistic man, supremely confident that he is the best, comes alive in the book. Chamberlain is aloof, but also sensitive to the importance of not treading on other players’ toes. Chamberlain is envied but not despised by his teammates, and the book describes how the rest of the team played second fiddle and fed his quest for 100 points.
The book depicts the various facets of Chamberlain - the loner, the hard bargainer, the teller of tall tales, the generous, the compassionate.
Wilt Chamberlain and Civil Rights
Wilt, 1962 weaves in the origins of the NBA and the men who dominated the early days. Racial barriers and the civil rights movement also enter the narrative. The individualistic side of Chamberlain ensured that he largely kept away from the civil rights movement. But he was aware of racism and its implications, and Pomerantz gives examples of how Chamberlain did his bit quietly for the African-American cause.
Wilt, 1962 celebrates an athlete who nonchalantly bent a game to his will, and continues to dominate the NBA record books. NBA.com has a list of the 72 records that are still held by Chamberlain.
