Opponents thought he was unstoppable.
One teammate called him indestructible.
But Wilt Chamberlain was mortal after all. The former Kansas University All-American and NBA legend died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 63.
There were signs that Chamberlain might have suffered a heart attack, fire department spokesman Jim Wells said.
At Tuesday night’s NBA exhibition games, teams observed moments of silence in Chamberlain’s honor.
“It’s a tremendous loss. It’s a sad day for the University of Kansas, and basketball in general,” KU athletics director Bob Frederick said. “I thought it was a really special occasion when he came back in the winter of ’98.”
“He couldn’t have been a more gracious person. Everything he did seemed golden at the time — to wearing the old letter jacket and staying three hours and 18 minutes so everyone could get his autograph.”
After turning pro in 1958, Chamberlain stayed away from KU for decades before finally being lured back to have his jersey retired in January 1998.
Known as “Wilt the Stilt” and “The Big Dipper,” the 7-foot-1 Chamberlain played one year with the Harlem Globetrotters and went on to star in the NBA with the Warriors, 76ers and Lakers.
