Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once received the grossest gift from Wilt Chamberlain. Some smelly, sweaty suits.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain established themselves as two of the best big men in basketball history during their time on the court. Despite the fact that the centers ultimately established a competition, their relationship was not always hostile. Take, for example, a well-intended yet revolting present.
Abdul-Jabbar admired Wilt the Stilt as a young center and sometimes crossed paths with him. The veteran not only took Kareem out to supper, but he also gifted him several outfits. However, there was a catch to the gift.
On and off the court, Wilt Chamberlain was a larger-than-life presence.
Wilt Chamberlain was, without a doubt, a huge celebrity. His celebrity, on the other hand, wasn’t confined to dunking a basketball.
Having all that, Wilt is unquestionably regarded as a basketball legend. From high school through the pros, he crushed the competition and utilized his 7-foot-1 frame to accomplish just about whatever he wanted on the floor. The center averaged 30.1 points and 22.9 rebounds per game and won two NBA championships. He notably scored 100 points in a single game.
However, Chamberlain’s on-court achievements were just one facet of his character. The huge guy proved to be a fantastic all-around athlete, capable of sprinting, catching football passes, and playing volleyball all at the same time. There were other claims of superhuman exploits, like as battling a mountain lion with his bare hands, although it’s unclear whether or not they are really false stories.
Aside from athletics, Wilt had a bit of a character. The wealthy businessman was renowned for enjoying the high life, replete with a Bel-Air home and a fleet of expensive automobiles. He has reportedly claimed to have slept with 20,000 women, despite the fact that there is no way to verify that figure.
Giving a well-intentioned, albeit offensive, gift to a young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Wilt Chamberlain (R) congratulates Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (L) of the Los Angeles Lakers for breaking his all-time scoring record. Contributor | Bettmann
While Chamberlain had an arrogant demeanor, he also had a sensitive side. Take his encounters with a young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for example.
Kareem initially met Wilt as a high school senior, according to a Sports Illustrated article from 1980. The two spent an evening together, which made a lasting impact on the youngster, as you would expect.
He had the Bentley, racehorses, and every gorgeous lady in Manhattan, and he brings me to his pad, where I saw the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. My eyes are as wide as apples, and my mouth is hanging open, and I’m 17 years old….
According to Sports Illustrated, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Abdul-Jabbar mentioned a present he got from Chamberlain in the HBO documentary Kareem: Minority of One. This encounter, on the other hand, sticks memorable for a less pleasant reason.
“Wilt wore some stunning outfits. I brought them home with me. I put them on; the outfits didn’t fit, but they were lovely and came from Wilt. According to the Los Angeles Times, Abdul-Jabbar said, “I wanted to preserve them.” “However, he had partied in them and sweated through them, and they didn’t smell very pleasant. We had to throw them away because my mother said, ‘We can’t keep them.’
While the exact date of the gift is unknown, it’s reasonable to presume it occurred around the same time as the first meal. Kareem hadn’t established himself as a star yet if he wasn’t purchasing his own clothes; his mother’s presence also indicates that the big guy hadn’t gone for college yet.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finally amassed the funds to purchase his own outfits.
Adul-Jabbar didn’t seem too keen about tossing Wilt’s clothes away, even if they were old and dirty. But, in the end, everything worked out, at least in terms of finances.
While much of Kareem’s pay records have been lost to time — Basketball-Reference, for example, only has four seasons’ worth of data, totalling a little more than $8.5 million — it’s fair to assume that the center made a lot of money during his career. Abdul-Jabbar might have demanded top pay for the majority of his NBA career, given his longevity and overall.
Celebrity Net Worth estimates the Lakers legend’s net worth to be about $20 million these days. That’s more than enough for him to purchase his own suits or, at the very least, cover the cost of dry cleaning.
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