Wilt, 1962 : The Night of 100 Points and the Dawn of a New Era

From Publishers Weekly On March 2, 1962, in a drafty, half-full, 8,000-seat arena in Hershey, Pa., Wilt Chamberlain (aka the Big Dipper) scored a stunning 100 points in a single game against the New York Knicks-a watershed moment for the fledgling NBA. Drawing on interviews he conducted with various team members, fans, journalists and referees, Pomerantz (Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn) recreates this historic night in startling detail, bringing everyone from Chamberlain, to the Knicks' defensive player Darrall Imhoff, to the caustic journalist Jack Kiser to vivid life. For Pomerantz, Chamberlain and Imhoff "symbolized pro basketball's accelerating generational shift writ large: the agile black athlete, swift and strong, moving freely against a white opponent who, though young, earnest, and determined, seemed... a handsome blond shrine to a bygone era when all of the players were white." Pomerantz explores the racial tension of the era through Chamberlain's experiences, fluidly transitioning from the action on the court to moments in the player's life and then back again. In one instance, he's finger-rolling a ball into the basket, and in the next, he's at Big Wilt's Smalls Paradise, the Harlem nightclub he part-owned, talking about how many good African-Americans were left out of the league due to its racial quotas. Throughout this surprisingly touching narrative, Pomerantz does a remarkable job of making Chamberlain, the world he inhabited and that mythic night shine all over again. 8-page b&w photo insert. Copyright 漏 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From The game in which Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks, on March 2, 1962, belongs on the short list of modern sports' defining moments. Robert Allen Cherry discusses the event in his fine biography, Wilt: Larger than Life (2004); but Pomerantz looks in more detail at the accomplishment and places it in its rightful context. He notes, for example, that Chamberlain's 100 points is 51 percent better than David Thompson's 1978 second-place total of 73. And the 100-point game was merely consistent with Chamberlain's unconscious 1961-62 season averages of 50 points, 25.7 rebounds per game. The 100-point game also announced a fundamental change in the style in which basketball would henceforth be played and in the racial makeup of the men who could and would play it. While Pomerantz writes a suspenseful narrative of the game, he also delivers an engaging, full-bodied portrait of one of the great athletes of our time. An excellent companion to Cherry's biography but also a sports book that can stand on its own. Alan Moores Copyright 漏 American Library Association. All rights reserved History,Sports,General,United States,Biography & Autobiography,20th Century,Sports & Recreation,Cultural Heritage,Basketball - United States - History,Chamberlain; Wilt,Basketball

on The Night Of March 2, 1962, In Hershey, Pennsylvania, Right Up The Street From The Chocolate Factory, Wilt Chamberlain, A Young And Striking Athlete Celebrated As The Big Dipper, Scored One Hundred Points In A Game Against The New York Knickerbockers.

as Historic And Revolutionary As The Achievement Was, It Remains Shrouded In Myth. The Game Was Not Televised; No New York Sportswriters Showed Up; And A Fourteen-year-old Local Boy Ran Onto The Court When Chamberlain Scored His Hundredth Point, Shook His Hand, And Then Ran Off With The Basketball. In Telling The Story Of This Remarkable Night, Author Gary M. Pomerantz Brings To Life A Lost World Of American Sports.

in 1962, The National Basketball Association, Stepchild To The College Game, Was Searching For Its Identity. Its Teams Were Mostly White, The Number Of Black Players Limited By An Unspoken Quota. Games Were Played In Drafty, Half-filled Arenas, And The Players Traveled On Buses And Trains, Telling Tall Tales, Playing Cards, And Sometimes Reading Joyce. Into This Scene Stepped The Unprecedented Wilt Chamberlain: Strong And Quick-witted, Voluble And Enigmatic, A Seven-footer Who Played With A Colossal Will And A Dancer’s Grace. That Strength, Will, Grace, And Mystery Were Never More In Focus Than On March 2, 1962. Pomerantz Tracked Down Knicks And Philadelphia Warriors, Fans, Journalists, Team Officials, Other Nba Stars Of The Era, And Basketball Historians, Conducting More Than 250 Interviews In All, To Recreate In Painstaking Detail The Game That Announced The Dipper’s Greatness. He Brings Us To Hershey, Pennsylvania, A Sweet-seeming Model Of The Gentle, Homogeneous Small-town America That Was Fastbecoming Anachronistic. We See The Fans And Players, Alternately Fascinated And Confused By Wilt, Drawn Anxiously Into The Spectacle. Pomerantz Portrays The Other Legendary Figures In This Story: The Warriors’ Elegant Coach Frank Mcguire; The Beloved, If Rumpled, Team Owner Eddie Gottlieb; And The Irreverent P.a. Announcer Dave “the Zink” Zinkoff, Who Handed Out Free Salamis Courtside.

at The Heart Of The Book Is The Self-made Chamberlain, A Romantic Cosmopolitan Who Owned A Nightclub In Harlem And Shrugged Off Segregation With A Bebop Cool But Harbored Every Slight Deep In His Psyche. March 2, 1962, Presented The Awesome Sight Of Wilt Chamberlain Imposing Himself On A World That Would Diminish Him. wilt, 1962 Is Not Only The Dramatic Story Of A Singular Basketball Game But A Meditation On Small Towns, Midcentury America, And One Of The Most Intriguing Figures In The Pantheon Of Sports Heroes.

also Available As A Random House Audiobook

kirkus Reviews

a Lively Study Of The Life And Times Of Basketball Legend Wilt Chamberlain, The Twentieth Century's Greatest Pure Athlete, Focusing On An Extraordinary Night. Then 25 Years Old, Chamberlain Had Already Made A Name For Himself In The Nba, Racking Up Significant Victories For The Philadelphia Warriors And A Significant Record As The League's Leading Scorer. As Pomerantz (where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn, 1996) Writes, Chamberlain Was Still In The Process Of Becoming Himself, Though What A Process: He Could Run The 440 In 49 Seconds, Broad Jump 23 Feet, And Lift 625 Pounds, And He Was Quickly Emerging As The Most Striking Symbol Of Basketball's New Age Of Self-expression And Egotism-a Development Slightly Ahead Of The Overall Popular Culture. On March 2, 1962, The Warriors Met The New York Knickerbockers In Hershey, Pa. Chamberlain Was 237 Points Short Of A Record Of 4,000 Points For The 1961-62 Season, While No Other Nba Player Had Ever Scored Even 3,000 Points, And The Well-oiled Knicks Machine Was But A Minor Obstacle. Chamberlain Never Heard The Adage There's No I In Team. His Teammates Resented Him, And In Turn He Didn't Seek Friendship From Them, Only The Basketball. Yet On That Night Even They Were Inclined To Give Him His Due As He Churned Up His 100 Points In A White-hot Game That Closed 169-147. (when Chamberlain Hit The Magic Number, A Boy Came Up To Him, Shook His Hand And Ran Off With The Game Ball. (after Chamberlain's Death In 1999, Pomerantz Writes, The Borrower Sold The Ball For $551,000.) But Few Outside Hershey Paid Attention To The Victory, Which, Pomerantz Writes In A Nice Turn, Became A Sunken Galleon, Resting On The Ocean Floor. Race May Have Hadsomething To Do With It-but, In Those Quieter Times, The Media Hadn't Yet Saturated Our Lives, And People Found Other Things To Expound On Than Sports. A Sports Book Worth Talking About, And A Moving Portrait Of A Great Athlete And His Era. Author Tour

On the night of March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, right up the street from the chocolate factory, Wilt Chamberlain, a young and striking athlete celebrated as the Big Dipper, scored one hundred points in a game against the New York Knickerbockers.As historic and revolutionary as the achievement was, it remains shrouded in myth. The game was not televised; no New York sportswriters showed up; and a fourteen-year-old local boy ran onto the court when Chamberlain scored his hundredth point, shook his hand, and then ran off with the basketball. In telling the story of this remarkable night, author Gary M. Pomerantz brings to life a lost world of American sports.In 1962, the National Basketball Association, stepchild to the college game, was searching for its identity. Its teams were mostly white, the number of black players limited by an unspoken quota. Games were played in drafty, half-filled arenas, and the players traveled on buses and trains, telling tall tales, playing cards, and sometimes reading Joyce. Into this scene stepped the unprecedented Wilt Chamberlain: strong and quick-witted, voluble and enigmatic, a seven-footer who played with a colossal will and a dancer’s grace. That strength, will, grace, and mystery were never more in focus than on March 2, 1962. Pomerantz tracked down Knicks and Philadelphia Warriors, fans, journalists, team officials, other NBA stars of the era, and basketball historians, conducting more than 250 interviews in all, to recreate in painstaking detail the game that announced the Dipper’s greatness. He brings us to Hershey, Pennsylvania, a sweet-seeming model of the gentle, homogeneous small-town America that was fast becoming anachronistic. We see the fans and players, alternately fascinated and confused by Wilt, drawn anxiously into the spectacle. Pomerantz portrays the other legendary figures in this story: the Warriors’ elegant coach Frank McGuire; the beloved, if rumpled, team owner Eddie Gottlieb; and the irreverent p.a. announcer Dave “the Zink” Zinkoff, who handed out free salamis courtside.At the heart of the book is the self-made Chamberlain, a romantic cosmopolitan who owned a nightclub in Harlem and shrugged off segregation with a bebop cool but harbored every slight deep in his psyche. March 2, 1962, presented the awesome sight of Wilt Chamberlain imposing himself on a world that would diminish him. Wilt, 1962 is not only the dramatic story of a singular basketball game but a meditation on small towns, midcentury America, and one of the most intriguing figures in the pantheon of sports heroes. Also available as a Random House AudioBook On the night of March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, right up the street from the chocolate factory, Wilt Chamberlain, a young and striking athlete celebrated as the Big Dipper, scored one hundred points in a game against the New York Knickerbockers. As historic and revolutionary as the achievement was, it remains shrouded in myth. The game was not televised; no New York sportswriters showed up; and a fourteen-year-old local boy ran onto the court when Chamberlain scored his hundredth point, shook his hand, and then ran off with the basketball. In telling the story of this remarkable night, author Gary M. Pomerantz brings to life a lost world of American sports. In 1962, the National Basketball Association, stepchild to the college game, was searching for its identity. Its teams were mostly white, the number of black players limited by an unspoken quota. Games were played in drafty, half-filled arenas, and the players traveled on buses and trains, telling tall tales, playing cards, and sometimes reading Joyce. Into this scene stepped the unprecedented Wilt strong and quick-witted, voluble and enigmatic, a seven-footer who played with a colossal will and a dancers grace. That strength, will, grace, and mystery were never more in focus than on March 2, 1962. Pomerantz tracked down Knicks and Philadelphia Warriors, fans, journalists, team officials, other NBA stars of the era, and basketball historians, conducting more than 250 interviews in all, to recreate in painstaking detail the game that announced the Dippers greatness. He brings us to Hershey, Pennsylvania, a sweet-seeming model of the gentle, homogeneous small-town America that was fast becoming anachronistic. We see the fans and players, alternately fascinated and confused by Wilt, drawn anxiously into the spectacle. Pomerantz portrays the other legendary figures in this the Warriors elegant coach Frank McGuire; the beloved, if rumpled, team owner Eddie Gottlieb; and the irreverent p.a. announcer Dave the Zink Zinkoff, who handed out free salamis courtside. At the heart of the book is the self-made Chamberlain, a romantic cosmopolitan who owned a nightclub in Harlem and shrugged off segregation with a bebop cool but harbored every slight deep in his psyche. March 2, 1962, presented the awesome sight of Wilt Chamberlain imposing himself on a world that would diminish him. Wilt, 1962 is not only the dramatic story of a singular basketball game but a meditation on small towns, midcentury America, and one of the most intriguing figures in the pantheon of sports heroes. Also available as a Random House AudioBook On March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, young and striking athlete Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game against the New York Knickerbockers. As historic and revolutionary as the achievement was, it remains shrouded in myth. The game was not televised; no New York sportswriters showed up. In telling the story, author Gary M. Pomerantz brings to life a lost world of American sports, tracking down players, fans, journalists, and basketball historians, conducting more than 250 interviews, to recreate the game in painstaking detail. In 1962, the NBA, stepchild to the college game, was searching for its identity. Its teams were mostly white, the number of black players limited by an unspoken quota. Games were played in half-filled arenas, and the players traveled on buses and trains. Into this scene stepped the unprecedented Chamberlain: strong and quick-witted, a seven-footer who played with a colossal will and a dancer's grace.--From publisher description A portrait of Wilt Chamberlain and his achievement of scoring one hundred points in a single game examines the meaning of the event in terms of professional basketball, American sports, and a nation on the verge of change