Wilt Chamberlain Was Fined $750 In 1965 After He Vented About Being Sad And Lonely And Wanting A 'Normal Life'

• By 1965, Wilt Chamberlain was one of the biggest superstars in the NBA, an MVP and a 6-time All-Star

• Wilt Chamberlain wrote in an article about being sad and wanting a normal life despite being an NBA superstar

• This led to a $750 fine from the NBA as Wilt's comments were deemed 'detrimental to the league'

Wilt Chamberlain has an argument to be the GOAT individual basketball player, his statistical dominance is absurd. But when he was 29 years old, despite being an MVP and a perennial All-Star, Chamberlain wrote about being sad because he was hounded for his failures. And simply talking about it ended up costing him money. 

“Sometimes I feel like a guy not exactly living — but being chased through life, you know?" Chamberlain wrote in 'My Life In A Bush League,' an article series for Sports Illustrated. 

“‘Hey boy,’ they’d say in their condescending way. 'What are you, a basketball player or something like that?’ Or what’s worse, they’d say, ‘Hey you, stand right over here for a minute. I want to have my picture taken with you. Man, the folks back home won’t believe this.’ And I’m supposed to stand there and smile like I’m some big, wooly pet.

“There are days when it all makes me pretty sad and lonely. I stand on the balcony of my New York apartment and look down at all the normal cats and their girlfriends, maybe just walking hand in hand along the edge of Central Park and, you know, just sort of living. I wonder how it would be for me.'”

This led to a $750 fine from the NBA, as his comments were deemed 'detrimental to the best interest of the league.' That was the largest fine levied by the NBA in its history when it happened in 1965, as Robert Cherry revealed in a biography about Wilt Chamberlain called 'Wilt: Larger Than Life.' 

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Wilt Chamberlain Couldn't Match Up With Bill Russell When It Mattered

Wilt Chamberlain would go on to win two NBA championships and a Finals MVP, but it paled in comparison to his direct rival, Bill Russell, who won a whopping 11 NBA titles. Wilt's sadness is understandable, as this narrative undermined a lot of his greatness. 

Wilt Chamberlain will always be remembered as one of the most dominant players of all time. Scoring 100 points in one game, averaging 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds for a season, these accomplishments cannot be erased. 

But his inability to match up with Bill Russell will always haunt his legacy, Russell's Celtics won seven out of eight playoff series against Chamberlain's teams and beat them twice in the NBA Finals too. 

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