What was Wilt Chamberlain's cause of death? Exploring details of the NBA legend’s passing
Wilt Chamberlain’s sudden death in 1999 sent a shockwave across the NBA community. Arguably the most dominant player in NBA history died at the age of 63. The specific details of his cause of death are still unclear.
On October 12, 1999, Chamberlain was found by paramedics at his house in Los Angeles. Reportedly, Wilt Chamberlain had been dealing with heart problems for a long time. He had been previously admitted to the hospital for irregular heartbeat-related issues.
A spokesperson from the Los Angeles Fire Department claimed that the NBA legend died of a heart attack in his mansion. Sy Goldberg, who was also Chamberlain's attorney, confirmed that the NBA legend died of heart failure.
Prior to his death, Chamberlain had reportedly lost around 50 pounds. The two-time NBA champion was also dealing with hip issues. He was also dealing with tooth extraction pain a week before his death.
However, it is still not clear whether his other ailments contributed to his heart failure.
Wilt Chamberlain was a two-time NBA champion, a 1972 NBA finals MVP and a four-time league MVP. He was a seven-time scoring leader, an 11-time rebounding leader and an assists leader in 1968. He is the only player in NBA history to have scored 100 points.
What NBA legends said about Wilt Chamberlain’s death
Wilt Chamberlain made a name for himself in the NBA and commanded greatest respect from his fellow NBA players. In his prime, Chamberlain and the Boston Celtics legends both were frequently juxtaposed for their career achievements and style of play.
The competition between Russell and Chamberlain was so fierce that, when the Philadelphia 76ers made Chamberlain the highest-paid player in the league, Russell asked the Celtics to give me a dollar more than what Wilt was being paid.
However, in the midst of fierce competition, a never-ending friendship developed between two NBA legends. After the sudden demise of his old friend, Russell was deeply hurt.
"I feel unspeakably injured. I've lost a dear and exceptional friend and an important part of my life. Our relationship was intensely personal,” said Russell after Chamberlain’s sudden demise.
He also added that their rivalry was the greatest in the league’s history and that Chamberlain was the greatest offensive player in NBA history.
“Wilt was one of the greatest ever, and we will never see another one like him,” said LA Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Chamberlain played 14 seasons in the league and averaged 30.1 ppg in 1,045 games. He also had a career average of 22.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists. In his 14-year career, Wilt was never fouled out of a game.
Last year, Showtime released a docuseries unveiling the retelling of the story of Chamberlain. The docuseries included archived and never-before-seen footage and interviews of the NBA legend.