{"id":320,"date":"2026-05-23T07:36:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T07:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320"},"modified":"2026-05-23T07:36:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T07:36:17","slug":"loverro-wembanyama-brings-reality-to-legend-of-chamberlain-to-todays-nba-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320","title":{"rendered":"LOVERRO: Wembanyama brings reality to legend of Chamberlain to today\u2019s NBA fans"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

OPINION:<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot to like about Victor Wembanyama.<\/p>\n

He has become must-watch as part of a product that is often unwatchable.<\/p>\n

In a league infected by immaturity, he has shown himself to be mature beyond his 22 years.<\/p>\n

Read more WHO chief says Ebola outbreak in Congo is \u2018spreading rapidly\u2019 and upgrades risk assessment<\/a><\/p>\n

He has exhibited tremendous respect for the game, despite the lack of respect all around him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn modern basketball, we see lots of brands of basketball that don\u2019t offer much variety in dangers they propose to the opponents, \u201cWembanyama said earlier this season. \u201cLots of isolation ball and sometimes kind of forced basketball. We try to propose a brand of basketball that can be described as more old school sometimes \u2026 it\u2019s tactically more correct basketball, in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s what I like most of all \u2014 with performances like the one he had in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, scoring 41 points, pulling down 21 rebounds, with three assists and two blocks in the San Antonio Spurs 122-115 win \u2014 he is resurrecting a legend.<\/p>\n

Wembanyama is turning Paul Bunyan from fable to fact. He is transforming Hercules from a God to a mortal.<\/p>\n

He is bringing reality to the NBA career of Wilt Chamberlain for generations of basketball fans who dismissed the numbers as cartoonish from an era of so-called plumbers and cab drivers. (Chamberlain played against 14 Hall of Fame centers in his career).<\/p>\n

The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama has had some jaw-dropping performances over his brief career \u2014 40 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks against the Washington Wizards in 2024, among them \u2014 which has led to the comparisons to Chamberlain, the 7-foot-1 giant who made the NBA change the rules of the game and who held 72 league records when he retired in 1973, at the age of 36.<\/p>\n

Shaquille O\u2019Neal? Please. At 7-foot-1, O\u2019Neal averaged just 10.9 rebounds per game. He finished 16th overall in career boards and never \u2014 not once \u2014 led the league in rebounding.<\/p>\n

No, the template, at least for the numbers Wembanyama is putting up, is Chamberlain, who died of congestive heart failure at the age of 63 in 1999.<\/p>\n

Read more Poland offers to build permanent U.S. troop bases to \u2018clarify\u2019 deployment situation<\/a><\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports ran a story following Wembanyama\u2019s 12 blocks in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves wondering if he truly set a new record for blocks in a playoff game, making the case that there is evidence that Chamberlain bested that number many times, but those remarkable games happened before the NBA kept official records of blocks, which started in the 1973-1974 season.<\/p>\n

Chamberlain blocked 16 shots against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of the 1969 Western Division series. There were other newspaper reports documenting similar performances. But they aren\u2019t official.<\/p>\n

Now, though, generations of fans who are tired of the mythical tales of Chamberlain are being forced to recognize the legitimacy of those stories, because they are watching another giant who is putting up numbers that dwarf the plumbers and cab drivers of this era. And perhaps consider that their Michael Jordan and LeBron James debate about the greatest is missing the most important figure. Because if you believe, like many, that when all is said and done, Wembanyama may wind up in that conversation, then Chamberlain is there as well \u2014 except he did it better.<\/p>\n

Chamberlain was not the smooth ballhandler that Wembanyama is, and certainly was not putting up game-winning three-point shots. But there is no telling what Chamberlain was capable of. While filming \u201cConan the Destroyer,\u201d Arnold Schwarzenegger called him the most naturally powerful man he ever met. He was a track star at the University of Kansas, including throwing the shot put.<\/p>\n

In a game that Wembanyama would have found more \u201cethical\u201d than what he encounters in today\u2019s NBA, Chamberlain led the league in scoring seven times; rebounding 11 times, including his final season. He led the league in total assists one season just to prove he could. He finished his career averaging 30.1 points a game \u2014 50.4 points in one season. He averaged 22.9 rebounds per game over his career.<\/p>\n

And that career? It could have been much more. Chamberlain didn\u2019t enter the NBA until he was 23 years old. Freshmen weren\u2019t allowed to play varsity those days, and Chamberlain spent his sophomore and junior seasons setting Kansas basketball records. He left school and played for the Harlem Globetrotters for a year. Then he entered the NBA with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959.<\/p>\n

There is little doubt that Chamberlain, had he entered the league out of Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, would have had three additional dominant seasons on his NBA resume. He played professionally in a regional league under an assumed name while in high school.<\/p>\n

Then, of course, there was the 100-point game.<\/p>\n

It all seemed mythical for generations of fans, unable to wrap their heads around it. Victor Wembanyama is forcing them to consider the truth of Wilt Chamberlain.<\/p>\n

Read more FDA staff blindsided by move allowing more e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches onto U.S. market<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 Catch Thom Loverro on \u201cThe Kevin Sheehan Show\u201d podcast.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Victor Wembanyama is bringing reality to the NBA career of Wilt Chamberlain for generations of basketball fans who dismissed the numbers as cartoonish from an era of so-called plumbers and cab drivers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,275],"tags":[277,276,279,278],"class_list":["post-320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","category-sports-columns","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-san-antonio-spurs","tag-victor-wembanyama","tag-wilt-chamberlain"],"yoast_head":"\nLOVERRO: Wembanyama brings reality to legend of Chamberlain to today\u2019s NBA fans - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LOVERRO: Wembanyama brings reality to legend of Chamberlain to today\u2019s NBA fans - Home Buyer Relocation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Victor Wembanyama is bringing reality to the NBA career of Wilt Chamberlain for generations of basketball fans who dismissed the numbers as cartoonish from an era of so-called plumbers and cab drivers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Home Buyer Relocation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-23T07:36:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a\"},\"headline\":\"LOVERRO: Wembanyama brings reality to legend of Chamberlain to today\u2019s NBA fans\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-23T07:36:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320\"},\"wordCount\":874,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/247cc280acca45b74e57845ff3f14133.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Oklahoma City Thunder\",\"San Antonio Spurs\",\"Victor Wembanyama\",\"Wilt Chamberlain\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Opinion\",\"Sports Columns\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320\",\"name\":\"LOVERRO: Wembanyama brings reality to legend of Chamberlain to today\u2019s NBA fans - Home Buyer Relocation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/247cc280acca45b74e57845ff3f14133.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-23T07:36:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/247cc280acca45b74e57845ff3f14133.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/247cc280acca45b74e57845ff3f14133.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":700},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=320#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"LOVERRO: Wembanyama brings reality to legend of Chamberlain to today\u2019s NBA fans\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Home Buyer Relocation\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"LOVERRO: Wembanyama brings reality to legend of Chamberlain to today\u2019s NBA fans - Home Buyer Relocation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"LOVERRO: Wembanyama brings reality to legend of Chamberlain to today\u2019s NBA fans - Home Buyer Relocation","og_description":"Victor Wembanyama is bringing reality to the NBA career of Wilt Chamberlain for generations of basketball fans who dismissed the numbers as cartoonish from an era of so-called plumbers and cab drivers.","og_url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320","og_site_name":"Home Buyer Relocation","article_published_time":"2026-05-23T07:36:17+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a"},"headline":"LOVERRO: Wembanyama brings reality to legend of Chamberlain to today\u2019s NBA fans","datePublished":"2026-05-23T07:36:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320"},"wordCount":874,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/247cc280acca45b74e57845ff3f14133.jpg","keywords":["Oklahoma City Thunder","San Antonio Spurs","Victor Wembanyama","Wilt Chamberlain"],"articleSection":["Opinion","Sports Columns"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320","url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320","name":"LOVERRO: Wembanyama brings reality to legend of Chamberlain to today\u2019s NBA fans - Home Buyer Relocation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/247cc280acca45b74e57845ff3f14133.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-23T07:36:17+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/247cc280acca45b74e57845ff3f14133.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/247cc280acca45b74e57845ff3f14133.jpg","width":1200,"height":700},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=320#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"LOVERRO: Wembanyama brings reality to legend of Chamberlain to today\u2019s NBA fans"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/","name":"Home Buyer Relocation","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com"],"url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}