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Wilt: Just Like Any Other 7-Foot Black Millionaire Who Lives Next Door
The Laker superstar discusses his private life, politics, and fellow players as he reviews his extraordinary basketball career
310 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 3, 2020
Kind of amazing read. Chamberlain's audacious embellishments and petty re-litigations are innumerable. That any of his self-proclaimed achievements or grievances possibly exist in truth is testament to the breadth of his curiosity and ability.
There are tinges of Patrick Bateman, references to Clay Davis before Davis was ever conceived, merciless draggings (see his comments on Rick Barry and Jerry West), infinite sexual conquests, presidential anecdotes, free throw vulnerabilities, rivalries (he sees you, Bill Russell), etc.
Is it true? Is it embellished? Did he really jump from one hotel balcony to another with a Harlem Globetrotter teammate, get the teammate drunk and then psyche said drunk teammate into going back to their room so he could "cop" the new female friend? Did he really drink three Russian officials under the table at a Globetrotter banquet in the late 50s?
That any of it could've happened is good enough. At least we know he scored 100 points in a game and won a pair of NBA titles. Wilt did exist, I saw Conan the Destroyer.
There are tinges of Patrick Bateman, references to Clay Davis before Davis was ever conceived, merciless draggings (see his comments on Rick Barry and Jerry West), infinite sexual conquests, presidential anecdotes, free throw vulnerabilities, rivalries (he sees you, Bill Russell), etc.
Is it true? Is it embellished? Did he really jump from one hotel balcony to another with a Harlem Globetrotter teammate, get the teammate drunk and then psyche said drunk teammate into going back to their room so he could "cop" the new female friend? Did he really drink three Russian officials under the table at a Globetrotter banquet in the late 50s?
That any of it could've happened is good enough. At least we know he scored 100 points in a game and won a pair of NBA titles. Wilt did exist, I saw Conan the Destroyer.
January 10, 2016
Even a young impressionable 14 year old can see that it was really tough to fit that ego into these pages.
January 5, 2018
You have to take this book with a grain of salt and realize the current state of culture in America during the time it was written. Wilt was arguably one of the greatest athletes of all time, and he's confidently aware of it within his co-written autobiography. His stories of adolescence, college selection, and facing discrimination drew me in to the book in a way that I have never experienced. It does become a bit exhausting to read his referenced games and stats as he lays them out, but if you can see past that, there are some incredible lessons and shared points of view that added so much depth to my respect for Wilt not only as a player, but as an individual.
April 14, 2019
For basketball geeks, mostly. But also an interesting biography for unintended reasons: Chamberlain has a near-pathological candor, and so the reader learns all kinds of things, good and bad, about players from his era, about his personal life, his (surprisingly) heterodox politics, etc. A fast, easy, diverting read.
December 22, 2017
Awesome!
Inspiring!!
Talk about living a life to the fullest!!! woooo weeeee!!
best b ball player of all time
never married
had ton o women woooo weee
hysterical stories of globe trotters and getting revenge on people who messed with him as a kid
Inspiring!!
Talk about living a life to the fullest!!! woooo weeeee!!
best b ball player of all time
never married
had ton o women woooo weee
hysterical stories of globe trotters and getting revenge on people who messed with him as a kid
October 20, 2020
Wilt is an engaging character, and his personality oozes through the book. As a basketball fan, I know of Wilt's legend, but I didn't know the specifics. This book left me feeling much more sympathetic to him, which was probably his goal.
February 24, 2025
What a fun memoir. Chamberlain is a hoot. This one is full of tall tales and also serves as a time capsule of basketball in the 70's. Really fun and surprisingly progressive for its time. Sometimes it reads as whiny, but that's just the Wilt experience.
April 6, 2020
Interesting book about Wilt. A little too much “why I’m better than X” but still an good book. B
January 26, 2026
No lie this was one of the worst most boring books I’ve ever read. Seems that Wilt was insecure or something
June 28, 2013
If you needed a reason to hate Wilt Chamberlain, then read this book. It was published after his final season in the NBA as a Los Angeles Laker in 1973 and was signed by the ABA's San Diego franchise as a player-coach.
This autobiography is as self serving as they come. Basically, it's 400 pages of railing against Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Jerry West, every coach he ever had and the media. He had vendettas against all of them and he rarely goes 10 pages without taking a direct or back-handed swipe at any one of them. Whatever happened in Chamberlain's career was either his doing or completely not his fault. As you can imagine, all of the losses and heartbreak against the Celtics and in the playoffs was the fault of an inept coach, his teammates or dumb luck. Meanwhile, he's quick to point out his own stats and even goes above and beyond comparing his stats to a teammate or opponent (unless his stats were overshadowed ... then they suddenly weren't referenced).
He was recruited to play professional soccer, football and boxing. He could've competed in the Olympics as a trackster. No matter what he does HE'S SUPER AWESOME AT IT.
No telling how much of this book is complete bullshit. But it's sorta hard to put it down.
This autobiography is as self serving as they come. Basically, it's 400 pages of railing against Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Jerry West, every coach he ever had and the media. He had vendettas against all of them and he rarely goes 10 pages without taking a direct or back-handed swipe at any one of them. Whatever happened in Chamberlain's career was either his doing or completely not his fault. As you can imagine, all of the losses and heartbreak against the Celtics and in the playoffs was the fault of an inept coach, his teammates or dumb luck. Meanwhile, he's quick to point out his own stats and even goes above and beyond comparing his stats to a teammate or opponent (unless his stats were overshadowed ... then they suddenly weren't referenced).
He was recruited to play professional soccer, football and boxing. He could've competed in the Olympics as a trackster. No matter what he does HE'S SUPER AWESOME AT IT.
No telling how much of this book is complete bullshit. But it's sorta hard to put it down.
January 25, 2016
Wilt: Just Like Any Other 7 Foot Black Millionaire Who Lives Next Door by Wilt Chamberlain (Macmillan Publishing 1973) (Biography). Wilt Chamberlain was the second best center in pro basketball during the 1960's behind Bill Russell. His peers and the sportswriters of the day always said he had a chip on his shoulder for that reason. I remember him as the guy who told the biggest lie I've ever heard: that he had slept with over 10,000 different women. I do not need to know anything further to pre-judge the veracity of his autobiography. My rating: 3/10, finished 1974.
November 1, 2007
Awesome, first review on this book!
Okay, I wanted to give it five stars simply because of the title and the part about, well, you know. But I couldn't do it. This book is fun and all, but c'mon. Maybe it's just me, but having every other sentence start with the word "I" gets a little old. Then again, this review isn't much better on that front. But then again once more, no one is paying me for this.
Okay, I wanted to give it five stars simply because of the title and the part about, well, you know. But I couldn't do it. This book is fun and all, but c'mon. Maybe it's just me, but having every other sentence start with the word "I" gets a little old. Then again, this review isn't much better on that front. But then again once more, no one is paying me for this.
December 14, 2008
This was the book that Wilt claimed to have bedded 20,000 women. I quess he really was .....Tall in the Saddle.....
February 16, 2010
Wilt was unique. I remember seeing him at the old Convention Center when he played with the Philly Warriors. He dominated a game like nobody else ever has. A true larger-than-life figure!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews