Wilt Chamberlain was a titan. A walking myth, he stretched to 7’1″ and had a frame carved from marble. He scored 100 points in a single game and averaged 50.4 points per season. He set many records, most of which are yet to be broken.
Dominance personified. And yet, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer for nearly four decades, wasn’t exactly impressed.
Kareem’s bold take
Abdul-Jabbar was closely associated with his lethal skyhook and cerebral approach to the game. He had battles with Chamberlain during the earlier phase of his career. To him, the 7’1″ legend was more spectacle than substance — a force of nature but flawed.
“Wilt was an imposing guy physically,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “But Wilt had a lot of bad habits. I was able to take advantage of them. He wasn’t a good defensive player when it comes to being mobile. If I kept moving, I was able to score on him. I scored at will against him; it wasn’t that difficult.”
It’s a rare, cutting insight into one of basketball’s most sacred rivalries — one built on contrasts. Chamberlain was power; Abdul Jabbar was precision. “The Big Dipper” overwhelmed opponents with strength, while “Cap” dismantled them with footwork and finesse.
A Milwaukee icon during the earlier prime of his career, his skyhook was the stuff of nightmares for defenders — a nearly unblockable motion that left opponents frozen. He could shoot from any angle, meaning Chamberlain’s size advantage dissolved when the six-time MVP started moving.
Abdul-Jabbar averaged 31.8 points and 15.8 rebounds in games against Chamberlain, who, by then, in the later stages of his career, averaged just under half of that with 16.3 points and 17.6 rebounds. The scoring edge tilted decisively toward the six-time champion.
The two-time champion’s numbers are otherworldly — 30.1 points and 22.9 rebounds per game across a 14-year career. But Abdul-Jabbar saw the cracks beneath the stats. Chamberlain was a colossus but not exactly nimble. That’s where the former Bruin, with his meticulous footwork and unguardable hook shot, found his edge.
“But he didn’t want to box out,” the NBA’s second all-time leading scorer said. “He had difficulty playing against a guy who constantly moved around like myself. I could shoot that hook shot from a lot of different angles, and he just couldn’t keep up with me.”
The man who scored 100 points in a game, his dominance defined the ’60s. He was larger than life, shattering records and shifting the axis of the game. But when the Bucks star entered the league in 1969, the dynamic changed.
Chamberlain, already into his thirties, was still a formidable presence. But the league’s newest hotshot was the future. His skyhook became the new gold standard, a weapon that would eventually propel him to six MVP awards and six NBA titles.
Abdul-Jabbar scored with ease, even when the two-time champ anchored the paint. More than physical dominance, it was the quiet, aloof big man whose mental edge defined their encounters. He saw weaknesses and picked them apart.
In their final meeting in 1973, Chamberlain — then with the Lakers — managed to record no points. Meanwhile, Abdul-Jabbar poured in 24 points on 10-for-19 shooting. This was a player who once put up 100 points in a single game. Yet KAJ, with his disciplined craft and quiet confidence, understood something crucial about controlling any matchup.
Their rivalry bridged two basketball eras: the former was a bruising reign of power that gave way to the era of elegance and precision.
